Circus of Wonders by Elizabeth Macneal
Picador, £14.99, 384 pages
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In a quiet coastal village in 1866, Nell spends her days picking and candying violets for the London confectionery market. It is a close-knit community; girls marry and have children young, with lads they have known all their lives; dances at the inn provide a respite from the back-breaking toil. Nell’s life is encompassed by her cottage, the flower fields and the sea. But Nell is covered by birthmarks across her face and body; they set her apart, make her ostracised even within her own family. She is seen as a changeling, a bad omen. Then one day, Jasper Jupiter’s Circus of Wonders sweeps into town. Jasper takes one look at Nell and knows he must have her to join his other “living curiosities” – a bearded woman who sings like a bird, a Welsh giantess, a tame elephant.
