This is one of the best books I have ever read. I was a little weary, as reading about 1930s circus life was not terribly appealing. This book had been recommended however, so I brought it up to the book club. The book starts off with a very intense event and finishes the same way. This was a book that I didn't really want to put down and I thought about it when I wasn't reading. It was fascinating to see how both the workers and animals were treated, as well as seeing the comparison with the treatment of the performers. Overall it was a great read, and I would recommend it to everyone, young and old (not appropriate for children though).

While I enjoyed reading this book, it was more like reading a history book in college. Quite gruesome and sexually explicit, so I definitely would not recommend to younger readers. The names were very similar, so that made it a slow read - trying to figure out who was who. My book club did not care for it and I was the only one who actually finished the book. All I can really say is that I enjoyed it as much as I enjoy reading a history textbook.
However, if you like history and would enjoy leaning about China during the late 600s, early 700s, read this book on your own. I just would not recommend it for book club.

DO NOT BOTHER WITH THIS BOOK! This was probably one of the worst books I have ever read. The plot was completely pointless. The only thing that was good is that it made for an interesting discussion because she had so many loose ends that were never tied up. She brought up so many different characters and subplots and never did anything with them. But overall it was just weird and hard to even finish.