an enchanting story, if you liked Water for Elephants or The Night Circus you will like this book

Arrived with today's mail. Thanks so much for sending this on to me.

Started out strong, then I got a bit bored in the middle. Finished well but maybe a bit too tidy. I do some genealogy work so that aspect of the book interested me.

Sent on to fulfill a wish list item.

The book arrived safely in today's mail; many thanks for filling my wish!

Later: I enjoyed this, not least because I figured out the "rusalka" bit early on - I've read other books that featured that particular myth. I liked the way this book wove the present and the past together, and if I found some of the present-day crumbling-neglected-house problems a bit too close to home [OK, my house isn't *crumbling*, but I have been putting off repairs!] I still liked the characters and felt connected to them.

Some of the late-in-book revelations, especially regarding the relationship between Simon's family and that of neighbor Frank, surprised me, but given the setup of the "mermaids" and their effects on people (whether mystical or simply personal) they made sense.

The Tarot aspect worked well, and reminded me of Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell, which had similar scenes of readings where the cards took matters into their own hands (as it were).

I loved Amos, the "wild boy", and his story-arc, and appreciated the mostly-benevolent carnival atmosphere as contrasted with the many dark/sinister carnivals I've read about.

Simon's job-hunting and increasing desperation re finances felt all too real, and while that was depressing - especially in light of his obsessive need to keep the house even though he didn't care enough to maintain it. His researches were more positive, and I loved the way he drew in assistance from a network of librarians and genealogists. (A friend of mine is both, and I'll recommend this book to her!)

Very involving and entertaining story!

I'm sending this to BCer perryfran in Utah as part of the US/Canada wishlist-tag game. Enjoy!

*** Released as part of the 2016 Keep Them Moving release challenge. ***

Thanks for the wishlist tag...will be looking forward to reading this!

I was kind of mesmerized reading this book about traveling carnivals, mermaids, tarot cards, horseshoe crabs, and water, water, water. The book alternates between the present and the late 1700's. In the present, the book's protagonist, Simon, received an unsolicited gift in the mail...an old journal detailing the daily records of a traveling carnival and sideshow in the late 18th century. As Simon tries to decipher the hidden meanings in the journal, the book alternates with the story of the carnival. Simon's mother was a performer in a carnival who could hold her breath up to 10 minutes but for some reason, she drowned on a July 24th...was it an accident or suicide? Simon discovers from the journal that he and his family are descended from a line of "mermaids" who worked in carnivals and who all seem to drown on the same date -- July 24th. So what is going on here? Simon becomes concerned because his sister also works in a carnival and July 24th is approaching again. And how does this all relate to an old set of tarot cards? And how does the person who sent the journal and Simon's neighbor, Frank, fit into Simon's history? Overall, I enjoyed this one as Simon tried to piece together the past and how it relates to the present and future.

Headed to T02S03B11D20 in MI. . .a wishlist tag. Sorry this one took a while to get out. I had to finish a book that was over 800 pages before starting on this one. Anyway, enjoy!

Thanks for sending along this book, which arrived today. Don't worry about the wait...we all know how that goes, and I think we all have books to read in the mean time!