Tuesday 11 June 2019

REVIEW: We Walked the Sky by Lisa Fiedler





Genre:
 Contemporary, Historical, Young Adult

Publisher: RazorBill

ISBN: 0451480805

Format: Hardback, E-Book, Audio-Book

Release Date: 2nd July 2019


Links: GoodreadsAmazon.comIndigo,
B&N, Book Depository


Synopsis:


In 1965 seventeen-year-old Victoria, having just escaped an unstable home, flees to the ultimate place for dreamers and runaways--the circus. Specifically, the VanDrexel Family Circus where, among the lion tamers, roustabouts, and trapeze artists, Victoria hopes to start a better life.

Fifty years later, Victoria's sixteen-year-old granddaughter Callie is thriving. A gifted and focused tightrope walker with dreams of being a VanDrexel high wire legend just like her grandmother, Callie can't imagine herself anywhere but the circus. But when Callie's mother accepts her dream job at an animal sanctuary in Florida just months after Victoria's death, Callie is forced to leave her lifelong home behind.

Feeling unmoored and out of her element, Callie pores over memorabilia from her family's days on the road, including a box that belonged to Victoria when she was Callie's age. In the box, Callie finds notes that Victoria wrote to herself with tips and tricks for navigating her new world. Inspired by this piece of her grandmother's life, Callie decides to use Victoria's circus prowess to navigate the uncharted waters of public high school.





Review:


*Thanks to PenguinTeen Canada for sending me an arc
in return for my honest review**



This book started in the 1950's with a girl named Catherine running away from home. Her mother sits at home dying and pleads for her daughter to run away from her abusive father. Using a new name, Victoria, she joins the circus to escape her father and eventually find her own apartment. However, she quickly comes to see those in the circus as her family and isn't sure if she actually wants to leave.

The book follows two characters with alternating chapters. First is Catherine/Victoria and the other is Callie. I really enjoyed the pieces of Victoria's storyline that intertwined with Callie's.

Both characters were strong and determined though I found that Callie could be a little obnoxious at times.  Callie was one of the best tightrope walkers but her dreams are broken after she is forced to move away from the circus with her mother. As a tightrope walker she felt free, but in Florida she feels trapped and will do anything to return to the circus. It isn't until she finds a box full of her grandmother's, Victoria's, items including letters and written advice that she finds a reason to stay. I loved the connection she begins to feel towards Victoria and that she uses her advice and letters to cope during high school.

I personally preferred Victoria's storyline and really enjoyed following her journey as a person and her trying to find her true happiness and path in life. I really enjoyed reading about Victoria's experiences in the circus. She may have gone to the circus to escape her past but she instead found people she begins to care for and sees as family. Both characters had strong stories, and I did enjoy reading each characters path into finding themselves.

I really enjoyed the historical aspect of the circus. Lisa Fiedler did a wonderful job at showing how the people work had at trying to keep the circus together. It dived into the struggles and hardships that they may face along the way and how family helps bring happiness even when times are tough.

This is a great book and I loved every second. The atmosphere of the circus was written wonderfully and the characters were well developed and interesting. I can see fans of The Greatest Showman loving this book. It's a story of acceptance, finding yourself and finding your true family. It's a fantastic book and I look forward to reading more from Lisa Fiedler.




No comments:

Post a Comment