Spangle: Gary Jennings

The best thing about Jennings' work is that you become smarter as you read. I learn so many things, I find myself spouting them in casual conversation. I've read all three books so many times that the covers are gone and the books are mangled. There's always a Spangle novel lying open in my house. You MUST NOT miss this trilogy, nor should you miss Aztec. I've been all over the world, learned different languages and truly lived in my mind because of this brilliant man. Enjoy and Learn!

Gary Jennings has carved out a niche for himself in modern fiction - long, intricately plotted novels based around a single character in a little known historical area. Great reads, full of love and violence, colourful and exciting. And educational - history comes alive in his books, virtually bursting out of the page to take you by the throat. Or the heart.In Spangle he has outdone himself. This is my favourite of all his books, and perhaps the most poignant. We follow Zachary Edge, a colonel riding away from Appomattox, from his chance meeting with the down at heel circusman Florian through post Civil War America across the Atlantic to Europe, all the way to Moscow and back, ending in the beseiged Paris of the Franco-Prussian War.Along the way Florian's circus grows and prospers, until he performs before the very crowned heads of Europe. Colonel Edge learns the circus trade, all its tricks and traditions, and we learn along with him. It is a road story of course, as all circus stories must be, but this one is longer than most, and travels a more colourful, exciting road than the circus itself.It is a grand entertainment from start to finish, at every page revealing the fruits of Gary Jennings' research into the history of the circus.And in these latter days, where the animals are mostly gone, and circuses are fewer than they were, it is a journey back to freeer, happier days.One of my personal favourites, as much for the wealth of detail as for the story.

I very much liked this book. The circus lore and the social/political history of America and Europe at the turn of the century were fascinating. Some downside: Florian, the circus owner reminded me overmuch of Frank Morgan of Wizard of Oz fame. Also, two or three episodes did not ring true (the child molesting midget and the cats; Edge and the Empress). Not quite "Aztec" or "The Journeyer" level, but pretty close. A very fine piece of historical fiction. Thank you Mr. Jennings.

I only picked up this book because of the author. The subject matter didn't look at all interesting to me. I was wrong, as I was hooked from the first page. Jennings' ability to weave a convoluted thread against a historical background shines here. As the circus travels around, the members interact with each other and their surroundings. This makes for a great history lesson, as well as an in-depth study of the circus life. I learned more than I ever cared to about European history or the circus, and enjoyed every minute of it. Aside from entertaining me greatly, this book affected me deeply. Usually I am sad when I come to the end of a great book because that means a great read is over. In this case the characters were made so real, I was also sad to leave them, to the point of getting a little teary-eyed. Jennings' historical and cultural accuracy is "spot on" as they say. Students of foreign languages will notice the pains Jennings took to be this accurate. The reason I rated this book a nine and not a ten is because of the "adult content". Maybe he does this to appeal to an even wider readership. I felt that there was just a bit too much gratuitous sex. Some readers might think this is a good thing though. Finally let me say that because of this book, I cannot wait until the circus comes to town! Also, I became very interested in one of the countries that the circus travels through (Hungary), to the point of reading up on it, and studying the language. Pretty good for a book of fiction to have such an effect, don't you think?

Someone should definitely re-print this one. Spangle is one of the best historical novels I've ever read. It can be a little formulaic in spots, but I still have strong memories of reading it almost a decade after the fact. Hard to argue with that.