SYNOPSIS

England, 19th century. On its long tour to raise enough money to perform in London, Jasper Jupiter’s circus stops in a small village where lives a girl named Nell with visible birthmarks in the shape of leopard spots. Because of her condition, she is kidnapped by Jasper to perform in his circus of wonders and achieve the success that the entrepreneur has always desired. Little by little, a strong bond is created between Toby, Jasper’s brother, and Nell as she begins to feel part of the circus family and becomes famous for her performance that makes her shine like a star. However, her fame eclipses that of Jasper who, in a desperate attempt to be acclaimed by the public, plans an original show that will mark a new beginning for everyone.

REVIEW

Plot, characters and the talent of the writer in knowing how to put all the pieces together, especially the details that also strengthen the scenes of transition between one action and another, make this novel noteworthy. I also appreciated the explanation at the end of the book on what motivated the author to write this fascinating story. Her ability to create fictional characters capable of overwhelmingly conveying their emotions and thoughts through dialogue, body language and their actions has positively impressed me. Now I am interested in reading her first book.
The author has chosen to narrate the story through the point of view of the three main characters: Jasper, Nell and Toby, structured as chapters of the book. Although each is the protagonist of the scene described, all three make the plot flow in a compact and solid way, united firmly like links in a chain. The characters are also well defined in all their facets: physical appearance, character, way of acting and reacting to the difficulties that arise in their path. As for the plot, it is full of dialogues and descriptions that, in addition to narrating, they “show” what is happening at any moment, projecting the story into the reader’s mind. The narration in the present tense guides the reader towards the future of the story, while the narration in the past constitutes a subplot that thoughtfully provides relevant information on the background of the characters and their evolution.
The internal and external environments in which the scenes take place are described in relation to the characters and their interaction with the place where they are. In this way the narration does not stop, but flows like water towards an unexpected ending as often happens in real life.