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One evening backstage at the Empress Opera House, “Ferret” Skerritt, ventriloquist and letter-writer-for-hire from the former frontier town’s rough neighborhoods, sees Cecily, a lovely actress with eyes the “color of candied ginger,” and falls hard for her. Ferret is nothing if not persistent, and after she returns his affections, they—along with the precious bundle Cecily carries in a carpetbag—become an improvised family. But as the summer ends, their sweet romance gets disrupted by a lonely entrepreneur whose money can buy him almost everything.
Audiences will be lured in by the offbeat personalities and carried along by the unexpected plot developments, but the real showstopper is the exuberant Gilded Age setting, imagined in elaborate detail. With so many wondrous attractions, this finely spun world feels almost dreamlike, yet Schaffert also takes a sharp look at what’s most important in life. A distinctive choice for literary- and historical-fiction readers, as well as steampunk fans wanting to cast their minds back to that genre’s origins.
The Swan Gondola will be published on February 6th by Riverhead ($27.95, hardcover, 464pp). I wrote this starred review for Booklist's January issue.
Some additional comments:
- Although I don't usually go for novels about circuses and fairs and things of that sort (maybe stemming from a fear of clowns I had as a child... but I digress), I absolutely loved this one.
- The cover design is a great match for what's inside, plus it's seriously cool.
- There are links to The Wizard of Oz to be found within, but background knowledge (or even enjoyment) of the book or film isn't necessary in order to appreciate Swan Gondola.
- I think this is my favorite novel of 2014 so far; it will make my top 10 for the year for sure.
*sigh* Yet another 'must buy' book. So many books, so little room on my shelves.
ReplyDeleteMy shelves are all full, and books are starting to pile up on desks and on the floor. I think I need help! This one is worth finding room for, though.
DeleteThanks for this great review, Sarah. I've been looking for this book's release for a while now. Was hoping it would be as good as it sounded. So glad to know you enjoyed it as much as you did. Your recommendations have always been spot on for me!
ReplyDeleteAs a side note, did you read Night Circus? This sounds similar. I'm not usually a reader of magical stories, but the historical aspect of Night Circus and it's amazing imagery and quirky characters reeled me in.
I'd wanted to read Swan Gondola even before it showed up in the mail as a review assignment. Once you get a chance to read it, please let me know what you thought!
DeleteI haven't read Night Circus yet, though I've had a copy around here for a while. I should make time for it - others who've read Swan Gondola have mentioned it as a "readalike" match, too. Thanks for the recommendation!
The Gilded Age is already fascinating -- if Timothy Schaffert brings it to life as well as you say, that will be a bonus. I am definitely going to read this book. And I love clowns and circuses! Does your aversion mean you didn't read "The Night Circus?"
ReplyDeleteHi, Sherry! Night Circus is still on the TBR. I'm not completely averse to circus novels but sometimes need a little extra persuading. In thinking about it, part of it is that I dislike reading about animals being mistreated, even in a made-up story. I just find those scenes too hard to read.
DeleteOh, yay. I think I will probably like this. :)
ReplyDeleteHi Kailana, I hope you agree if you get the chance to read it.
DeleteHmm. Just left a comment--did it disappear into the ether.... ?
ReplyDeleteApparently so....just wanted to say how much I am looking forward to this one and that I am happy to hear you liked it so much. I am an Omaha native and this year am trying to read more local authors or books with a local setting--this one looks like a good one!
ReplyDeleteApologies, I don't know what happened to your original comment! I didn't see it come through in my email, so Blogger must have eaten it :(
DeleteI hadn't known anything about the Omaha World's Fair before reading about this novel, and I was very glad for the introduction. The setting is totally fascinating - locals' reactions to all the traveling performers converging on their town; the organizers' efforts to make Omaha a showpiece for international visitors (and disguise its rough-and-tumble past, which wasn't all that long ago); and the entrancing atmosphere of the Fair itself. I would have gladly spent more time there. I'll be interested to hear what you think of it!
The author is from Nebraska and just gave a talk at where I work. He shared some historical photos from the Trans-Mississippi International Exposition.
ReplyDeletehttp://trans-mississippi.unl.edu/
Thanks for posting the link to the digital library! I've been having a blast looking through the photos - I even caught one of people in a swan gondola drifting down the lagoon in front of the Fine Arts building. It's just like I imagined from the book.
DeleteI have been looking for a good steampunk novel to read. Steampunk fascinates me. I'll have to pick this up when it comes out.
ReplyDeleteI'd be really curious to hear what you think of this one, then! Although this isn't a steampunk novel per se, it kept occurring to me as I was reading it that there was a lot here to interest steampunk fans who want to immerse themselves in the technological marvels of the real 19th century. The atmosphere of magic and illusion added to that impression.
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