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Publisher's Weekly
Lewis Tully, the proud, resilient protagonist of Raleigh's rollicking, warmhearted seventh novel, ekes out a living managing a circus in Oklahoma circa 1919, even though his Blue Moon Circus and Menagerie is prone to hardships devastating enough to shut down show after show. A catastrophic flood is the latest disaster, forcing Tully to retire permanently. Fast-forward to 1926, when Tully is being tried in court for gambling at a speakeasy. The judge (a family friend) suspends his jail sentence with the stipulation that Lewis return to circus life for one more try. With confidence that mounts as the story gains momentum, Tully manages to round up most of his original group of performers, including an aging but agile posse of clowns, a pack of feisty animal acts, a terrifyingly unique snake charmer, a red-haired ape, and mind reader Harley Fitzroy, "the greatest magician there ever was." Along for the ride is nine-year-old Charlie, a new arrival in Tully's life since Tully's sister Alma can no longer care for the boy. Despite the threats of a rival circus owner, vindictive Hector Blaney, and the memory of past failures, Lewis bravely takes his show on the road. Dozens of successful performances across the Western states buoy his spirits, but then Hector Blaney's henchmen try to sabotage the campground. It is another natural disaster, however, that delivers the final blow to Lewis's circus career. As dramatic and engaging as a high-wire act, the novel combines honest storytelling with down-home wit. There's plenty of smartly written, feel-good fun under this big top. Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.
Library Journal
This story of a circus man in the Old West is really about pursuing a dream in the face of adversity. A flood that wipes out his show in Wyoming in 1919 puts an end to Lewis Tully's circus business-that is, until 1926 when after a run-in with the law and a nudge from a judge, Lewis, now 52, begins assembling his Blue Moon Circus. At the same time, he reluctantly becomes responsible for nine-year-old Charlie Barth, an orphan whose childhood reminds Lewis of his own. The diverse (and aging) circus company, including Mexican aerialists, Chinese and Russian animal trainers, an Indian snake charmer, and Lewis's former sweetheart, builds a big top, polishes acts, and heads west and north from Oklahoma. Despite competition from other traveling circuses, sabotage from Lewis's longtime enemy Hector Blaney, and the vagaries of the weather, the Blue Moon Circus makes it to Montana, the farthest west Lewis has taken his show. Full of remarkably engaging characters and fascinating circus lore, this warm, slyly humorous novel from the author of In the Castle of the Flynns is highly recommended for all reading tastes and all fiction collections. An absolute charmer.-Michele Leber, formerly with Fairfax Cty. P.L., VA Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.
Kirkus Reviews
Bottom-tier circus enchants the big, empty West in the last days before mass entertainment. With no safety net, Raleigh (In The Castles of the Flynns, 2002, etc.) takes a spectacular highwire route over the dangerous bogs of metaphor and sentiment, making it all look easy in this captivating tale of a decent man in a very hard world. Lewis Tully, orphaned young, flees his last adoptive home, taking with him fellow orphan M.J. Shelby. The refuge the two find is the circus, and they never leave that welcoming home. Neither do they ever get rich or make it to the big time-the manic prosperity of the 1920s hasn't reached the agrarian West where Tully and Shelby ply their trade. And their luck has been bad. Tully's last little circus was flooded out years ago, forcing them to fill in with horse-training work. But Tully, entering his 50s, is ready for a last try with his own Blue Moon Circus. From his scruffy camp in Oklahoma he puts out a call to the best acts he ever worked with, many now retired. And they come-because they love the life, because they're proud of their work, and because Lewis Tully is a wonderfully decent man in the shaky world of circus entertainment. That's also why Tully's sister Alma sends him nine-year-old Charlie, another orphan who, started on a bad track, needs a man to show him the way. The way will be tough. Tully's got nothing but some beat-up trucks, a patchwork tent, and circus wagons from the last century. And there are two competing circuses, one good, one nasty, on the same poor, small-town circuit. But Tully's stars-ancient magician, whacked-out snake charmer, beautiful bareback rider, Russians fleeing the Bolsheviks, Tully's long-lost loveHelen-come through again and again, until they reach the town of Tully's dreams. Beguiling, wise, and wonderful. First printing of 30,000. Agent: Jane Jordan Browne Multimedia Product Development
Genre: General Fiction
Lewis Tully, the proud, resilient protagonist of Raleigh's rollicking, warmhearted seventh novel, ekes out a living managing a circus in Oklahoma circa 1919, even though his Blue Moon Circus and Menagerie is prone to hardships devastating enough to shut down show after show. A catastrophic flood is the latest disaster, forcing Tully to retire permanently. Fast-forward to 1926, when Tully is being tried in court for gambling at a speakeasy. The judge (a family friend) suspends his jail sentence with the stipulation that Lewis return to circus life for one more try. With confidence that mounts as the story gains momentum, Tully manages to round up most of his original group of performers, including an aging but agile posse of clowns, a pack of feisty animal acts, a terrifyingly unique snake charmer, a red-haired ape, and mind reader Harley Fitzroy, "the greatest magician there ever was." Along for the ride is nine-year-old Charlie, a new arrival in Tully's life since Tully's sister Alma can no longer care for the boy. Despite the threats of a rival circus owner, vindictive Hector Blaney, and the memory of past failures, Lewis bravely takes his show on the road. Dozens of successful performances across the Western states buoy his spirits, but then Hector Blaney's henchmen try to sabotage the campground. It is another natural disaster, however, that delivers the final blow to Lewis's circus career. As dramatic and engaging as a high-wire act, the novel combines honest storytelling with down-home wit. There's plenty of smartly written, feel-good fun under this big top. Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.
Library Journal
This story of a circus man in the Old West is really about pursuing a dream in the face of adversity. A flood that wipes out his show in Wyoming in 1919 puts an end to Lewis Tully's circus business-that is, until 1926 when after a run-in with the law and a nudge from a judge, Lewis, now 52, begins assembling his Blue Moon Circus. At the same time, he reluctantly becomes responsible for nine-year-old Charlie Barth, an orphan whose childhood reminds Lewis of his own. The diverse (and aging) circus company, including Mexican aerialists, Chinese and Russian animal trainers, an Indian snake charmer, and Lewis's former sweetheart, builds a big top, polishes acts, and heads west and north from Oklahoma. Despite competition from other traveling circuses, sabotage from Lewis's longtime enemy Hector Blaney, and the vagaries of the weather, the Blue Moon Circus makes it to Montana, the farthest west Lewis has taken his show. Full of remarkably engaging characters and fascinating circus lore, this warm, slyly humorous novel from the author of In the Castle of the Flynns is highly recommended for all reading tastes and all fiction collections. An absolute charmer.-Michele Leber, formerly with Fairfax Cty. P.L., VA Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.
Kirkus Reviews
Bottom-tier circus enchants the big, empty West in the last days before mass entertainment. With no safety net, Raleigh (In The Castles of the Flynns, 2002, etc.) takes a spectacular highwire route over the dangerous bogs of metaphor and sentiment, making it all look easy in this captivating tale of a decent man in a very hard world. Lewis Tully, orphaned young, flees his last adoptive home, taking with him fellow orphan M.J. Shelby. The refuge the two find is the circus, and they never leave that welcoming home. Neither do they ever get rich or make it to the big time-the manic prosperity of the 1920s hasn't reached the agrarian West where Tully and Shelby ply their trade. And their luck has been bad. Tully's last little circus was flooded out years ago, forcing them to fill in with horse-training work. But Tully, entering his 50s, is ready for a last try with his own Blue Moon Circus. From his scruffy camp in Oklahoma he puts out a call to the best acts he ever worked with, many now retired. And they come-because they love the life, because they're proud of their work, and because Lewis Tully is a wonderfully decent man in the shaky world of circus entertainment. That's also why Tully's sister Alma sends him nine-year-old Charlie, another orphan who, started on a bad track, needs a man to show him the way. The way will be tough. Tully's got nothing but some beat-up trucks, a patchwork tent, and circus wagons from the last century. And there are two competing circuses, one good, one nasty, on the same poor, small-town circuit. But Tully's stars-ancient magician, whacked-out snake charmer, beautiful bareback rider, Russians fleeing the Bolsheviks, Tully's long-lost loveHelen-come through again and again, until they reach the town of Tully's dreams. Beguiling, wise, and wonderful. First printing of 30,000. Agent: Jane Jordan Browne Multimedia Product Development
Genre: General Fiction
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