Circus of Wonders

An absolute triumph. Exquisitely written, intensely satisfying

Stacey Halls, author of The Familiars

Spectacular . . . A brilliantly involving story, vivid with the sights and sounds of Victorian England. A fantastic read

Daily Express

Dark but tender, evocative and compelling. I loved it

Laura Shepherd-Robinson, author of Blood & Sugar

An equally satisfying exploration of some of the odder corners of Victorian life . . . a novel that again highlights Macneal’s rich imagination and vivid prose

Sunday Times Ireland, Historical Fiction Book of the Month

A fantastical, absolutely immersive gem of a read

Red

Macneal’s complex characters allow her to question how society treats difference, the price of power and vanity, and the pursuit of self-determination. At turns dark, joyous, frightening and heartbreaking, Circus Of Wonders makes for an absorbing read

Independent

A tremendous read. Richly imagined, vividly rendered, each scene is like an old painting in which light gleams off the detail . . . The story is full-bodied and addictive from the outset, told with pace and verve but never compromising style . . . Circus of Wonders displays in abundance everything readers loved about The Doll Factory . . . an ambitious, enlightening novel

Emma Stonex, author of The Lamplighters

Deliciously vivid . . . every bit as atmospheric as you’d expect . . . A hopeful story of a girl taking charge of her destiny

Woman & Home

Set in the same Victorian London as her stunning debut, The Doll Factory, Macneal's second novel is both thrilling and humane, bringing to life the brutal world of the freak show

Mail on Sunday

You can’t help but be drawn into the exciting and sometimes macabre world of the circus, with its colourful cast of characters

Good Housekeeping

Another seductive slice of Victorian noir

Sunday Times Scotland

Circus of Wonders is confident and beautifully written

Sarah Vaughan, author of Anatomy of a Scandal

A glittering, begrimed tale of love and self-determination flush with richly detailed prose. Sumptuous, macabre, enthralling; a perfect slice of Victoriana.

Jane Healey, author of The Animals at Lockwood Manor

Elizabeth Macneal's novel is spectacular - a book of wonders!

Alix Nathan, author of The Warlow Experiment

A beautifully told and immersive look at a complex dance between exploitation and empowerment, and the question of what it really means to have control over your own life. I adored its characters, I was utterly gripped throughout, and I loved having my eyes opened to the troubling yet fascinating world of Victorian circuses

Naomi Ishiguro, author of Escape Routes

Circus of Wonders is a soaring, tumbling, whip-cracking book. Elizabeth Macneal has brought an extraordinary group of characters together in these pages; the result is a glittering world, a story as moving as it is deeply entertaining

Daniel Mason, author of The Piano Tuner

Expansive and tender . . . it really pulls you into this fascinating world.

Beth Underdown, author of The Witchfinder's Sister

I loved The Doll Factory and I loved Circus Of Wonders just as much . . .An intriguing and beautifully written love story as well as an exploration of the journey from rejection to adoration . . . Elizabeth Macneal explores the nature of exploitation, pride and vanity through her vibrant and believable characters

Jenny Quintana, author of The Missing Girl

At turns dark, joyous, frightening and heartbreaking, Circus of Wonders is an absorbing read

Sunday Life

A glittering, soaring, magical exploration of showmanship, voyeurism and storytelling, Circus of Wonders is also a wonderful, sumptuously-written love story. Visceral & cerebral. I loved it.

Caroline Lea, author of The Glass Woman

Engaging and enjoyable

Scotsman

I loved it. Circus of Wonders is a terrific successor to The Doll Factory. I adored the vibrant cast of characters - they are tenderly drawn yet dazzle off the page

Rachel Hore, author of Last Letter Home

I was dazzled by it from beginning to end. What a fabulous, riveting, engrossing story! There's such a creepy undercurrent of dread and violence running just beneath the surface of everything she writes, yet there's humanity and kindness, a palpable love for Nell and the other circus performers that makes all the characters come to life

Whitney Scharer, author of The Age of Light

An enjoyable and engrossing novel, which captivates from beginning to end

Historical Novel Society

The gritty glamour of the circus and the horrors of war. Macneal’s characters are finely drawn, their entwined stories playing out against the backdrop of the big top

Daily Mirror

Wonderful

Woman's Weekly

The author of The Doll Factory returns with more high Gothic Victoriana

i newspaper

Deliciously vivid . . . every bit as atmospheric as you'd expect

Woman's Own

The kaleidoscopic world of the Victorian circus, at once enchanting and grotesque, is vividly brought to life . . . a gripping tale

Northern Echo

Fantastic

Psychologies

Packed with atmosphere

Prima

Wonderful

My Weekly

I loved this story for its plot, its characters and its beautiful writing. The author engages all our senses to explore illusion versus reality, keeps us on a tightrope of emotions and presents us with a truly dazzling show

NFOP Magazine

A gripping exploration of fame, love, hope, friendship and whether we can ever own our own stories

New European

[Macneal's] great strength is in imagining vivid inner lives and narratives for people usually sidelined, who in the historical great-man theory merely provide delicacies and amusements for the rich

Catholic Herald