Nights at the Circus (Angela Carter)

My favorite novel of all time.

The whimsy and style of this novel was such a treat and such a journey! One moment, I'm in London, feeling if I'd been dropped into the glitzy world of Baz Luhrman's Moulin Rouge! then the next, I'm in a blizzard at the site of a derailed train in Siberia.

The story begins in London, where journalist Jack Walser interviews a famous circus aerialist, Sophie Fevvers, who claims to have been born with wings that help her fly. As Jack gets to know Sophie, he slowly moves away from his journalist role and joins Sophie's troupe, determined to find out if she indeed has wings.

From London to Petersburg to Siberia, Carter takes you on an enchanting and sometimes perilous journey of circus life during the turn of the 20th century.