It is the history behind this novel about an Australian travelling circus in the early years of the 20th century that is almost as fascinating as the storyline.

Turner has conducted extensive research into that golden age of such circuses, from the 1850s to the early 1960s, when the performers and animals travelled in horse- and donkey-drawn wagons, or later in trains. Even the strange story of an illegitimate child being given to a circus, rather than bring shame on its parents, is based on fact, with children as young as five starting training in circus arts.

Maggie, the main character in this novel, was given to Braun Brothers’ Royal Circus as a child by her petty criminal father, who had always called her Magpie. She was not illegitimate but afflicted with Von Recklinghausen’s disease, nowadays known as neurofibromatosis, with soft pink lumps on her face, and swelling distorting her face. So she performed as the Lagoon Creature in the circus, unlike the lovely Charlotte, who performed on the high wire.

The story of the circus making its way from Sydney to Adelaide in 1911 is a riveting one, allied with Maggie’s assumption of Charlotte’s identity, by letters to an admirer besotted with that tightrope walker.

Turner has presented Maggie as intelligent, trained by the circus owner in bookkeeping, but very much a loner. Charlotte, impulsive, selfish, and a liar, has secrets, including an alcohol addiction.

Turner has sprinkled the novel with circus terms and descriptions of acts. Maggie’s horror at seeing a little girl with albinism exhibited as a ‘freak’ at an agricultural show reflects what her life could have been, but The Magpie’s Sister ends with her facing an empowering future.

Reviewed by Jennifer Somerville

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Kerri Turner is an Australian proofreader and the author of three historical fiction novels published with HarperCollins, Echo Publishing and Brio Books. She holds an Associate Degree in the Arts, as well as a Diploma of Publishing (Editing, Proofreading and Publishing).

Visit Kerri Turner’s website