Kristy Cambron
(Thomas Nelson)
ISBN: 978-0718041540
June 2015/368 pages/$15.99
An ounce of courage.
A split-second leap of faith.
Together, they propel two young women to chase a new life—one that’s reimagined from what they might have become.
In turn-of-the-century America, a young girl dreams of a world that stretches beyond the confines of a quiet life on the family farm. With little more than her wit and a cigar box of treasures to call her own, Mable steps away from all she knows, seeking the limitless marvels of the Chicago World’s Fair. There, a chance encounter triggers her destiny—a life with a famed showman by the name of John Ringling.
A quarter of a century later, Lady Rosamund Easling of Yorkshire, England, boards a ship to America as a last adventure before her life is planned out for her. There, the twenties are roaring, and the rich and famous gather at opulent, Gatsby-esque parties in the grandest ballrooms the country has to offer. The Jazz Age has arrived, and with it, the golden era of the American circus, whose queen is none other than the enigmatic Mable Ringling.
When Rosamund’s path crosses with Mable’s and the Ringlings’ glittering world, she makes the life-altering decision to leave behind a comfortable future of estates and propriety, instead choosing the nomadic life of a trick rider in the Ringling Brothers’ circus.
A novel that is at once captivating, deeply poignant, and swirling with exquisite historical details of a bygone world, The Ringmaster’s Wife will escort readers into the center ring, with its bright lights, exotic animals, and a dazzling performance that can only be described as the greatest show on earth!
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Cambron is an art/design manager at TheGROVEstory.com storytelling ministry. She holds a degree in art history from Indiana University and has nearly 15 years of experience in instructional design and communications for a Fortune-100 company. She lives in Indiana with her husband and three football-loving sons, where she can probably be bribed with a coconut mocha latte and a good Christian fiction read. Find out more about Kristy at http://kristycambron.com.
MY THOUGHTS
I fell in love with Kristy Cambron's writing with the release of her debut novel, and she remains one of my favorite new authors. The Ringmaster's Wife is a magnificent tale of life under the Big Top. Cambron expertly weaves together the stories of two women separated by a generation: Mable Burton, who married John Ringling, and Lady Rosamund Easling, who spontaneously leaves her titled life in England to become a trick horse rider with the circus. Rich historical detail brings to life the turn of the twentieth century and the Roaring Twenties as Mable and Rose's lives unfold. Cambron takes the reader behind the scenes of circus life, depicting the enormous endeavor required to move it from city to city and bringing to life the eclectic personalities of the performers, highlighting the similarities that transcend their obvious--and quirky!--differences. The joyful sights and sounds of the circus can't quite disguise the threat of danger that arises, and Cambron balances the tension well. The romance made me sigh, and the unexpected twist at the end? Well, you'll just have to read that for yourself! I devoured this book on a weekend, and I am already looking forward to Cambron's next novel, The Illusionist's Apprentice, coming in March 2017. Grab some peanuts or popcorn for snack and take a trip back in time with The Ringmaster's Wife today!
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a copy of this book free from HarperCollins/TNZ Fiction & Litfuse Publicity Group for a blog tour. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”
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