siriuswriter
Senior Member
Meant to include this with the first post :
A short summary of the book :
In the late 20's and early 30's, Jon Kakowski, born of two Polish immigrants, is opening his exam to become a veterinarian when he gets called by the Dean, only to learn that his parents have both just died in a car accident. Having no other family, Jon begins to hop trains, then comes up with a plan to jump a circus train. While the "rumblers" decide whether or not to throw him off, the fact is brought up that Jon would be quite capable of becoming the main menagerie vet. During one of his first tasks, taking care of a white pony for a six-horse act, he meets Marlena, who rides the ponies. Her husband seems rather odd when Jon is introduced to him through Marlena, and he spends his time walking the tightrope thin line of being a Performer [and therefore upperclass at the circus] or crew [who are generally looked down upon.
Things take a turn for the dramatic as Jon grows more involved in circus life... and a "very dumb" elephant named Rosie joins the cast. Will he become a permanent part of the act? Or will the pressures of dealing with substandard conditions and a half-crazy Keeper of the Menagerie get him tossed off on the way to the next venue?
[Something I really loved about the book is that it gave all sorts of information about the traveling circus business as it first was. The author's really done her stuff in finding hard to believe circus stories from around this time period and fitting them in, stuff about the freak shows and midway, and codes that circus performers send each other during the show - such as the band playing a certain song when the animals are set loose in the menagerie.]