Welcome to Bonaventure Circus
Where Misfits Go to Hide
In 1928, the Bonaventure Circus has become a refuge for many, but Pippa Ripley was rejected from its inner circle as a baby and is no longer content to leave the reason for that rejection unquestioned. When she receives mysterious messages from someone called the “Watchman,” she is determined to find him and the connection to her birth. As Pippa’s search leads her to a man seeking justice for his murdered sister and evidence that a serial killer has been haunting the circus train, she must decide if uncovering her roots is worth putting herself directly in the path of the killer.
Decades later, an old circus train depot’s future hangs in the balance–it will either be torn down or preserved for historical importance, and its fate rests on Realtor Chandler Faulk’s shoulders. As she dives deep into the depot’s history, she’s also balancing a newly diagnosed disease and the pressures of single motherhood. When she discovers clues to unsolved murders of the past, Chandler is pulled into a story far darker and more haunting than even an abandoned train depot could portend.
Details
- Title The Haunting At Bonaventure Circus
- Author Jaime Jo Wright
- Publisher Bethany House Publishers
- Publication Date September 1, 2020
- Pages 400
- Excerpt
My Thoughts
While I like a story to capture my interest quickly, The Haunting of Bonaventure Circus took quite a while for me to really become invested. Two different story-lines from different periods go back and forth throughout the book. Pippa tells about her involvement in the 1920s with the circus. While Chandler’s present-day story is about her interest in the old circus buildings.
Not only did the vague beginnings of two different story-lines not capture my interest, I got frustrated each time they switched. At least until I started to remember the different stories and characters. I feel it would have helped if I’d had more time to get acquainted with each story before it switched.
Finally, about a quarter of the way through the book, it did begin to reach out to me. At that point, the pages began flipping. I wanting to see where both stories were heading. I had boarded the circus train.
As far as the characters, it probably took 150 pages of a 400-page book to begin to understand them and feel like I cared about their stories. Other than physical characteristics or ailments, most didn’t have distinct personalities or traits that encouraged me to bond with them. I won’t go through all of the characters, but Jake and Hank were probably the only ones that I really liked.
While I didn’t find it creepy or scary, there is lots of talk about ghosts, which might be creepy and scary to some. I have to admit paranormal-type books aren’t usually on my list of books to read. And that part of this didn’t add to the story. I would have been happier with spine-chilling descriptions since ghosts don’t create the same emotion for me.
Now to the reveal. Can you suspend disbelief? Maybe even pull out the decoder ring? Okay, I’m kind of kidding, but the end is a bit twisted. For those who love surprises. Get ready! Each story comes with its own ah-ha ending!
What Concerned Me
I have trouble with books that don’t capture my interest fairly quickly.
Though the characters were diverse in their physical looks and illnesses, their vocabulary and actions didn’t make them distinctive.
What I Liked
This book is full of sentences that are worthy of remembering. I guess you could say quotable. Here is an example:
One injured baby elephant had spun into a wild story of circus neglect by an overzealous activist, which had turned many against it in a space of a heartbeat.
The awful irony was that no one picketed against the verbal abuse in the form of mockery and laughter that Clive was subjected to. A dwarf who was as human as the next. Or Jolly the clown, whose own past was forever locked behind his face paint. Even Benard, who hid his mottled face from the world behind a forge, his talents lost to the outside.
It’s obvious that Jaime Jo Wright can pen a good story. From the middle of this book on, she captured my interest and I was flipping through the pages. Don’t let my review in any way keep you from picking up this book. What seems slow to one person may never affect another.
I liked that the story was completely original and that the circus was incorporated into it.
My thanks to Bethany House Publishing for a copy of this book and the ability to post my opinion.
Rating
You might be part of those who love this book–may not.
About the Author
Jaime Jo Wright (www.jaimewrightbooks.com) is the author of five novels, including Christy Award winner The House on Foster Hill and Carol Award winner The Reckoning at Gossamer Pond. She’s also the Publishers Weekly and ECPA bestselling author of two novellas. Jaime lives in Wisconsin with her cat named Foo; her husband, Cap’n Hook; and their littles, Peter Pan and CoCo. To learn more, visit www.jaimewrightbooks.com.
QUESTIONS & ANSWERS WITH JAIME JO WRIGHT
1. What inspired you to choose the circus as a backdrop for your fifth novel?
I absolutely love the circus. I grew up in the shadows of the Ringling Bros. Circus where it originated in small-town Baraboo, WI, and where it wintered at the end of every circus season. Today, it’s still a place filled with circus memorabilia, a museum complete with an active Big Top, elephants, and a merry-go-round. The calliope strains echo in the valley throughout the summertime, and as a child I loved sitting on the riverbank, watching the elephants enjoy a summer afternoon bath. The circus is a deep part of my roots, so framing a story around its rich history was something I’d always dreamt of doing.
2. Are any of the historic buildings and locations mentioned in your novel real places?
Yes! In fact, the entire layout of the circus city in the novel is based on the original circus grounds of the Ringling Bros. My novel, of course, fictionalizes this as Bonaventure Circus. The train depot remains today as an abandoned building with bricked-in windows. The elephant house stands as well, and I’ve walked the training ring under its roof, reminiscing of those days long ago when it was filled with elephants, the smell of coal heating the building, and the pungent smell of manure. The circus grounds stretched over acre upon acre and encapsulated the train and its tracks. And yes, they did walk the elephants from the circus quarters to the downtown square for regular routine exercise.
3. Your present-day heroine, Chandler Faulk, struggles with an autoimmune disease diagnosis and refers to it as Lyme disease. Why did you choose this malady for your heroine as opposed to one more well-known?
Honestly, I chose it because it’s something I’m extremely familiar with. I received a diagnosis of chronic Lyme disease a couple of years ago after a long struggle with non-epileptic seizures, bouts of complete loss of awareness, and chronic weakness. I poured many of my own personal struggles, both emotionally and physically, into Chandler’s journey.
4. Some of your heroes are very unconventional. Your present-day hero, Hank Titus, has a history of growing up in the foster-care system, a criminal record, and isn’t what one might consider clean-cut. Where did the inspiration for Hank come from?
Hank was begging to be written. I have a weak spot for the gruff-and-rough hero. Hank’s story of delinquent teen years, his struggles with the law, and finding acceptance of himself was important to me, because we don’t all have pasts that include only small bruises. I was anxious to show an analogy of redemption in Hank, but also that redemption doesn’t necessarily smooth the rough edges.
5. You’ve said you try to incorporate a spiritual theme in each of your stories. What’s the theme you drew on for Bonaventure Circus, and why?
Asking for help. It doesn’t seem like an obvious spiritual theme, but so often we bully through our trials, even our day-to-day troubles, with the pride of an “I’ve got this” attitude. We rarely do have it all together, and yet asking for help is insurmountable for many of us. Having someone fight on our behalf can be an amazing relief, not to mention a form of rescue that leaves us grappling to hold on to our rescuer. I wanted to show that seeking help, admitting our weaknesses, and allowing others to come alongside us is a form of humility and wisdom all rolled into one. Also, the important element that seeking and accepting help doesn’t mean that we’ve surrendered our strength. Sometimes reaching out for assistance is strength. I wanted to give a nod to the Scripture that states, “For when I am weak, then I am strong,” and emphasize the truth of our eternal Rescuer who will always fight on our behalf.
