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The Circus

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The Circus

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Overview

Willow has everything: a rich dad, a pony and a place at a prestigious boarding school. Everything except the one thing she really wants: a father who cares enough to find her when she runs away from home.

On the eve of her father’s wedding, Willow runs again into the unknown. Her mother was a circus performer and Willow longs to follow in her footsteps. But when all of her money is stolen and her only friend, a street performer called Suz, betrays her, Willow is left penniless and alone. So begins a gripping, exhilarating journey. Will Willow ever make it to the big top and find a place she can truly call home?

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781786070944
Publisher:	Oneworld Publications
Publication date:	06/13/2017
Pages:	304
Product dimensions:	5.00(w) x 7.70(h) x 1.00(d)
Age Range:	13 - 17 Years

About the Author

Olivia Levez divides her time between teaching English and binge-writing in her caravan by the sea. Olivia likes hula-hooping, yoga and real ale, but not at the same time. She lives in Worcestershire with her husband, two sons and her real life Dog, Basil.

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

"A fascinating setting, heart-cracking writing, and a big bold friendship at the center."

—Sue Wallman, author of Lying About Last Summer

"A punchy explosion of a book ... Wonderful."

—Kathryn Evans, author of More of Me

From the B&N Reads Blog

Page 1 of

Editorial Reviews

Dressed in Levez’ glittering prose, The Circus has the heart of a lion tamer and the thrill of a trapeze. Raw, compelling, and compassionate, this is a biting and beautiful examination of why we run, what makes a home, and how we find who we are.

Kiran Millwood Hargrave author of Girl of Ink and Stars

'Willow's personal revelations make her compelling journey of reinvention soar.'

Starred Booklist Review

"A journey of self-discovery that is at once beautiful, sad, and—for anyone who has ever felt alone—familiar. Levez’s style is lyrical, infusing the story with atmosphere and emotion."

ForeWord

'A punchy explosion of a book – gritty and colourful exploring the complexities of friendship, family and freedom. Wonderful – though I am now desperate to learn the trapeze.'

author of More of Me Kathryn Evans

'A fascinating setting, heart-cracking writing, and a big bold friendship at the centre. A deeply satisfying read about desperation and determination, with an ending that takes your breath away.'

author of Lying About Last Summer Sue Wallman

'An enchanting sophomore novel. With equal parts coming of age, adventure and love story, under the big top of Levez's Circus, readers will find grace and wonder.'

Shelf Awareness

'Some parallels can be drawn from Levez's latest to her well-received debut, The Island. Both feature young girls as strong – and strong-willed – protagonists who are essentially trying to survive by whatever means necessary. The Circus is a gripping, fast-paced read with a compelling protagonist who has a host of motivations, whether you deem them right or selfishly wrong, guiding her actions. Jumping back and forth between the present and the past, Levez's description of Willow's journey is raw and honest.'

RT Book Reviews

'The Circus is a poignant and beautifully written book that draws the reader into Willow's world...The story is quirky, adventurous.'

School Librarian

'Levez's writing is strong, the voice powerful, and the characters fully developed. With a unique, vibrant cast, this book has something for all readers.'

VOYA

Praise for Olivia Levez's debut YA novel, THE ISLAND

"Echoing O’Dell’s Island of the Blue Dolphins, Levez’s story will keep readers riveted as determined, hard-edged Frances fights to survive."
—STARRED Review, Publishers Weekly

“A teen struggles against both nature and her own past experiences in a reflective survival tale.... Not all readers will embrace this novel's haunting, open-ended conclusion, but those who do will find much to appreciate and discuss."
—Kirkus Reviews

“This is one book that should be on everyone’s radar. Fast-paced and incredibly written, readers will be captivated by Fran and her desire to just survive.”
—YA Books Central

"With a huge debt to Robinson Crusoe and the film Cast Away, this ambitious story stars troubled teenager Frances, whose nurturing love for her younger brother drives her to imagine escaping their abusive, dysfunctional home."
—The Daily Mail

"Readers will root for the characters' survival.... A page-turner."
—School Library Journal

Named one of the three best YA Books for Fall 2016 by Book Riot contributor, Liberty Hardy

★"It’s a romantic notion, as well known as fairy tales and often instilled with the same spirit of enchantment, but running away to the circus doesn’t provide Willow a magical escape from life’s problems. On the surface, the calculated destruction of her father’s fiancé’s wedding dress and subsequent disappearance amount to nothing more than a rich girl’s acts of teenage rebellion. However, Willow’s first-person narrative exposes an array of deep-seated troubles propelling her from a posh life to a gritty existence on society’s fringe. Unable to tolerate the prospect of acquiring “the Handbag” as her new, twenty-something mom, Willow runs away with a plan to track down her real mother—a trapeze artist who returned to the circus when her daughter was three. Willow hitches her way to Hastings, a seaside town in England, where she believes her mother once worked, and ends up living on the streets. Still convinced that her future lies with the circus, she befriends a free-spirited homeless girl, Suz, who teaches her to swallow fire and walk a wire. Levez doesn’t glamorize the girls’ lifestyle, which leaves them hungry, filthy, and vulnerable. Yet as Willow begins performing, she truly comes alive. Some may find the ending too pat, but Willow’s personal revelations make her compelling journey of reinvention soar."

—Booklist, ★ Starred Review

From the Publisher

05/01/2017
Gr 9 Up—Levez's latest follows 16-year-old Willow as she runs away (not for the first time) from her father and pregnant soon-to-be stepmother's wealth to the unstable world of the streets. Willow quickly meets Suz, a homeless, fire-eating street performer who first presents herself as an enemy—stealing Willow's remaining savings and disappearing in a crowded restaurant. But when they reunite, Suz grows into a friend, instructing Willow on the ins and outs of survival on the streets and how to perform and bringing Willow closer to her dream of being part of a circus troupe—just like the mother she's never met. Unfortunately, this story leans heavily upon the "misunderstood rich kid" trope without adding authenticity to the narrative. Though readers could forgive the protagonist for starting out with a healthy dose of unchecked privilege, they may not be able to overlook that she begins and ends the novel with relatively the same sheltered outlook. More troubling, even after almost 300 pages, Willow never seems to view Suz (and the truly tragic traumas she has suffered—mysteries that unfold over the course of the plot) as more than an exotic vehicle for bringing meaning to her own journey of (stunted) emotional growth and rebellion. Instances of rape, drug addiction, underage drinking, and mature language make this title more appropriate for older readers. VERDICT There are better books than Levez's to humanize the experiences described in this work.—Ann Santori, Cook Memorial Public Library, Libertyville, IL

School Library Journal

2017-04-17
Part-Romanian, "dark as a gypsy" Willow Stephens has been raised by nannies and posh boarding schools.Willow has everything except what she really wants: her millionaire father's attention. Wanting to feel connected to her estranged, circus-performer mother, Willow decides she, too, will join the circus. With her gap-year savings buried deep in the lining of her bag, 17-year-old Willow reinvents herself as Frog, circus performer. When she befriends homeless street performer Suz, a "tanned skinned, yellow-dreadlocked" Australian, Willow trusts the wrong person and ends up penniless. When the young women meet again, Willow is understandably untrusting. But Suz takes Willow into her squat, feeds her, and teaches her how to juggle—and eat—fire. When the circus comes to town, Willow auditions and goes on the road, leaving lost soul Suz behind. The story never romanticizes homelessness; it's represented as the harsh reality it is. Women in their infinite variety are celebrated: Willow sees her "thick" wrists and ankles as an asset; she recalls the golden hairs on her mother's face as beautiful; and one of the circus members is a charismatic trans woman named Delilah. Poetically fluid descriptions of Willow's emotions and her surroundings bolster the sometimes-uneven first-person narrative. A beautiful and unforgettable story about a girl who learns she must lose who she thought she was before she can become who she's meant to be. (Fiction. 13-18)

Kirkus Reviews