Name: GIRL MADE OF AIR.
ISBN: 9781529408881

NYDIA. HETHERINGTON

GIRL MADE OF AIR.

Nydia Hetherington

A lyrical and atmospheric homage to the strange and extraordinary, perfect for fans of Angela Carter and Erin Morgenstern. This is the story of The Greatest Funambulist Who Ever Lived... Born into a post-war circus family, our nameless star was unwanted and forgotten, abandoned in the shadows of the big top. until the bright light of Serendipity Wilson threw her into focus. Now an adult, haunted by an incident in which a child was lost from the circus, our narrator, a tightrope artiste, weaves together her spellbinding tales of circus legends, earthy magic and folklore, all in the hope of finding the child... But will her story be enough to bring the pair together again? Beautiful and intoxicating, A Girl Made of Air brings the circus to life in all of its grime and glory; Marina, Manu, Serendipity Wilson, Fausto, Big Gen and Mouse will live long in the hearts of readers. As will this story of loss and reconciliation, of storytelling and truth.

A Girl Made of Air

Eleanor Luhar

I'm still pretty new to audiobooks and trying out some different genres and styles. This was a little different for me as books go in general, but I must say I thoroughly enjoyed it! The narrator was great, and the whole book had an almost dreamy quality.
The book follows a girl called Mouse, an unwanted child of a popular, beautiful circus performer. Mouse grows up with the circus, travelling with them, remaining quiet and unnoticed. When young Serendepity Wilson joins, things change - she takes Mouse in, cares for her and talks to her like nobody had ever done before. They become good friends.
Things soon change again, though. Serendipity Wilson herself becomes pregnant. Mouse doesn't really understand it all, and she has a lot of emotions around the new child, but she is extremely fond of her once she arrives. The child - Bunnie - and Mouse become close, playing and giggling and, of course, fighting. But Mouse's childish mistakes of the past, mixed with new mistakes, cause things to change once more. This change affects her whole life. 
The book is told through letters from Mouse, transcripts and childhood journal entries. It is not chronological exactly, jumping across the timeline quite a bit. The ending is sort of in the present; the present being the moment in which Mouse is writing. It may sound a little complicated but I didn't find it particularly problematic.
I love a unique book, and this was definitely one. It was sort of whimsical, but dark and sad, too. The atmosphere was very strange (but not at all in a negative way). The narrator was wonderful, and I really became immersed in the story. I'm not sure how much I actually like Mouse as a character, but we all have flaws, don't we?
My overall rating is 4.5 stars; as much as I enjoyed it, I wouldn't quite class it as a 'favourite'.

Ilse

Although I rather liked the first part, the style of writing just didn’t work for me and caused me to become bored quite quickly (especially the tales told by Serendipity Wilson which felt like page filling). The main character wasn’t the most interesting one and I just can’t understand why the mother hates her so. Sure, she wasn’t planning on having a child, but as she’s been practically adopted by someone that does care why kick and scream at her when most of the time you’re indifferent?

So, yeah, I’d hoped for a nice, fantastical tale about a circus, with colourful characters and interesting narrative and this book definitely wasn’t that

Manon van Heumen

This wasn't really for me. I couldn't connect with any with the characters, nor was I able to connect with the story. I did, however, love the short stories in between the chapters.

Suzanne

With the promise of it being like "the Night Circus", one of my favorite book of all times, it set itself up to fail.
Parts of the book were mesmerising, getting into live at the circus, they fairy tales. Would give that part 4 stars.
The parts of her as an older woman looking back just felt awkward an unnecessary.
I finished the book mostly to find out how she and Bunny reunite, and then was robbed of a satisfying ending.
I felt with a different editor, or another focus it could have been a four star book. 
Am sorry to not recommend it. I would read other works by her in the future.

'This richly imagined debut [is] ideal for fans of The Night Circus' Emma Stonex, author of Sunday Times bestseller The Lamplighters This is the story of The Greatest Funambulist Who Ever Lived... Born into a legendary circus family, our nameless star was unwanted and forgotten, abandoned to grow up in the shadows of the big top. Until a woman with flaming red hair arrives at the circus and teaches her how to perform on the wire. And thus a star is born... Now an adult and the diamond of the New York cabaret scene, she is haunted by an incident in which a child was lost from the circus. Our narrator weaves together her spellbinding tales of circus legends, earthy magic and folklore, all in the hope of finding the child... But will her story be enough to bring the pair together again? Beautiful and intoxicating, A Girl Made of Air brings the circus to life in all of its grime and glory; Marina, Manu, Serendipity Wilson, Fausto, Big Gen and Mouse will live long in the hearts of readers. As will this story of loss and reconciliation, of storytelling and truth. PRAISE FOR A GIRL MADE OF AIR: 'An immensely assured first novel' Guardian 'A spellbinding piece of escapism that's perfect for autumn evenings' Stylist 'This captivating novel tells the story of love and loss... A pacey and entirely enthralling read' Independent online 'Be prepared to be dazzled by this debut novel... As strange and spectacular as the world it is set in, this narrative is lyrical storytelling at its most brutal and beautiful' My Weekly 'A captivating tale of love and loss and finding connection in the most unexpected places' Nikki Marmery 'This novel had me under its spell from start to finish, each page conjuring up such vivid imagery that I was utterly captivated. Breathtaking' Emma Cooper 'A poignant story of regret and redemption, brilliantly interlaced with magic and folklore' Sonia Velton 'For fans of Erin Morgenstern's The Night Circus and The Binding by Bridget Collins, this magical debut... is just the kind of book to curl up and escape to' Huffington Post, Super Thursday round-up 'There are sequins and suspicion in this captivating circus novel... a richly imagined debut' Sunday Express S magazine

GIRL MADE OF AIR.

Reviews

Highlights