THE SHOW WOMAN

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What to expect

WHATEVER LIFE BRINGS, THE SHOW MUST GO ON ...

1910. With the disappearance of her mother and the sudden death of her father, Lena instantly loses any security she has within the circus she has known all her life. She is advised to sell the carousel her father cared for like a child and look for a husband, or a job in a factory.

Until flame-haired Violet, known to all in the fairgrounds as 'the greatest trapeze artist that ever lived', suggests they go it alone with their own, all-female act. With her outspoken ways and her refusal to marry, Violet is as much an outcast as Lena. What do they have to lose? Recruiting new performers including bareback horse-rider Rosie, on the run from her abusive father, and Carmen whose rainbow ribbons hide the darkness in her past, the four women form an unbreakable bond.

Thrust into a harsh and dangerous world that treats them with suspicion, disdain and even violence, they must forge their own path in search of freedom, security, and love.

Deeply rooted in the Edwardian era, THE SHOW WOMAN is brilliantly realised and expertly interlaces strong female characters, deeply-woven family secrets and heartfelt love stories.

'Absolutely loved soaking up the atmosphere of the circus and fairground in The Show Woman. There's hardship and excitement and mystery and joy in this novel, and I couldn't stop turning the pages' Sarah L. Brooks, author of The Cautious Traveller's Guide to the Wastelands

Critics Review

Suspenseful, authentic, sexy and uplifting. Beautiful writing plunges the reader into the showgrounds of Edwardian Scotland, sights, sounds, smells and all
Erin Kelly
Sequins and spite collide in this gorgeous novel . . . A tale of dazzle and determination [. . .] Cowing is sure-footed on the tempestuous dynamics of their friendships and the dark secrets that drive their ambition
Daily Mail
This gorgeously written novel about four very different women is compulsive, heartbreaking and like nothing else. Impossible not to get swept up into the fates of Lena, Violet, Rosie and Carmen and to feel yourself there with all the noise and clamour and conniving of the fairground. I loved it
Clare Leslie Hall
An utterly electric debut! I wanted to run away with this all-woman circus. An enthralling, dynamic tale that will stay with me for a very long time
C.J. Cooke
Gorgeously written, with twists and turns worthy of a circus trapeze
Jennie Godfrey
Beautifully crafted, fast-paced and compelling ... easily the debut of the year so far!
Mike Gayle
Absolutely loved soaking up the atmosphere of the circus and fairground in The Show Woman. There's hardship and excitement and mystery and joy in this novel, and I couldn't stop turning the pages
Sarah L. Brooks
A very special debut
Jenny Colgan
A fascinating read. Full of twists and turns as unexpected as they are thrilling. I was gripped by the strong female characters, spellbound by the dangers, but moved to tears by the bonds of love. Richly detailed, this story will beguile you and carry you away to a rarely glimpsed world of dark secrets and powerful emotions
Kate Furnivall
An entrancing story of chosen family, sisterhood and freedom. I was so wrapped up in the lives of these women, revealed in prose so visceral and alive I felt immediately transported to its history. Take your seat and get lost in its wonders
Wiz Wharton
Wonderfully heartfelt and compelling
Joanna Miller
What an irresistible and original premise! I loved reading every word . . . The Show Woman is as enthralling as the spectacular circus act that Emma so beautifully describes
Fiza Saeed McLynn
Set in Edwardian Scotland, The Show Woman is a wonderfully told story that mixes adventures, romance, crimes, and feisty women, all against the backdrop of a circus run by women. Gripping, heartbreaking, compelling, I genuinely could not put it down
Naomi Kelsey
Dazzling . . . like all the very best historical fiction it has characters who are alive and real and brings the past to glorious life, with a page-turning plot that meant I could not put it down
Kate Foster
Beautifully written, engaging plot and thoroughly researched
STYLIST
A joy to read, so beautifully written, evoking the rich and often overlooked story of the travelling fairs of Edwardian-era Scotland
Sean Lusk

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