Original, well-written and kept me guessing until the end - a brilliant read! All of the characters had such well thought out stories that all came together to tell the story of The Show Woman, and I love that this title could be referring to any one of the female protagonists.

A heartwarming tale of the friendships and hardships of a ladies' circus, this was an enjoyable and fun read. I enjoyed the plot twists, the way the characters grew and changed and stayed the same, and the writing overall. Definitely worth checking out.

The Show Woman by Emma Cowing

I loved this book about four women brought together creating an all female mini circus. Lena is the show woman of the title and as well as managing all their finances and planning, she is the ring mistress. Violet escapes another circus to become their trapeze artist. Rosie is their bareback rider, while Carmen can be a musician, acrobat and dancer whose costume is a swirling rainbow of ribbons. Set in 1910, we meet the Grand Dame of the show circuit in Scotland - Serena Linden. Serena is the show woman behind Linden’s Circus renowned throughout Scotland and the only circus to perform at Balmoral for Queen Victoria and the royal family. Serena is the old guard who has inherited her circus from her father. She is old, arthritic, bitter and quite capable of settling scores with trickery and violence. She particularly likes to thwart those who flee her employ and move to other shows or even worse,start their own.

Lena has always been at the background of the circus and fair ground scene she has lived in all her life. Her mother disappeared a long time ago and she doesn’t remember her. Now her father has died and has left just their caravan and his carousel. She is told she’d better it sell it if she wants to have a life, because her only other options are to find a husband or a factory job. That’s until Violet arrives with a proposition. Violet is known for her flame red hair and her talent on the trapeze, she is known by fairground people as the greatest trapeze artist that’s ever lived, but also for being outspoken and a bit of a loner. What if they started their own show? They’re both outcasts and have nothing to lose. When they start to look for performers they find two more women on the run. Rosie has practiced her bareback riding with her pony Tommy for years. In fact she never imagined escaping her abusive father, but couldn’t stand it any longer. Finally there’s Carmen, a beautiful Spanish girl with luscious black hair and a lot of secrets. She dances and performs acrobatics in her rainbow ribbons. With Lena as ringmaster and an old but serviceable tent can they last the season?

I loved spending time with these wonderful women. I wanted to mother Rosie who desperately needs to let the truth out about her father and the after dark fumbling in the laundry cupboard. Her relationship with Tommy the pony is so beautiful because of the trust they have in each other, so when he fell ill I was so worried. Her burgeoning feelings for Violet are so pure and totally separate from the shame she’s holding onto. Violet is brilliantly herself and never tries to be anything else. She has a preference for women and has years of experience in this world, knowing how careful she must be. She knows that leaving Linden’s was risky so when their show is sabotaged she wonders if it might be Serena’s goons. Especially when they wreak the ultimate revenge on her specifically. Violet doesn’t know how she’ll cope if she ever can’t fly. Carmen keeps her cards close to her chest but somehow finds a home with the other women. She holds a lot of shame, for the years she spent on the streets, destitute and selling the only thing she has left. It’s this past that threatens her place in the show, when a misunderstanding comes between her and Lena.

I really enjoyed Lena, who’s strong and old, perfectly capable of organising three women and travelling from place to place iin season. It’s Lena who gets up early, has a dip in the river or stream then sets up the camp fire and cooks breakfast for the others. I could imagine her in her usual ‘ringmaster’ outfit, with the combination of the masculine clothes her long hair and red lipstick bringing a sass and sexiness to her role. Love is her undoing. It’s an instant attraction between her and Violet’s brother Harry, who no longer works on the shows but has become a music hall singer. He offers advice on the show and protection when a couple of men lurk around the caravan, seeing four women as sitting ducks. When the women’s luck changes and Violet is angry and frustrated she lets slip a secret that breaks Lena’s heart. The women come apart. Can Lena find out about the sabotage and her family history by visiting Serena Linden?

Lena is determined to understand her past , uncovering a kinship between her and one of the others that has been hidden for years. She is also determined to find out who committed the act of sabotage against Violet. Was it about the show or was it more personal? She becomes the head of this family, determined to bring them all back together. A community that fully supports each other, who listen and understand the circumstances and pain that has brought them here. I was rooting for all of these women and not just the show, but their new found independence and friendships. It was those evenings where they were talking in the caravan after a show, too full of adrenaline to sleep. Or the warm and sunny days when they got chance to swim in a local lake or river, to wash their hair. Then there were the joint efforts to save Rosie’s pony. It’s these moments that are very bit as important and magical for these women as the seconds before Violet lets go and flies through the air.

Set in 1910, this rich historical saga tells the story of Lina and Violet, both mavericks, in a world that offers few options to women who don't fit into the roles they are traditionally Asha expected to take on.

Their lives become woven together after a tragedy leaves Lena bereft of both parents. At risk of losing the only life she has ever known, and the circus which has been her home for so long, Lena realises that Violet's daring suggestion that they set up an all female circus act is one of the few options she has left.

Fascinating and insightful, this will hold most readers spellbound, and earns an easy 3.5 stars.

An evocative read about the lives of travelling showpeople in the early 1900's. The author transports you to the cramped living spaces, the lights and colours of the fairground rides and the darker side of life on the road, family feuds and unsolved mysteries.
I thoroughyl enjoyed this book, a peep into a part of recent history I knew nothing about, wound round a fantastic premise.

Excellent first book from Emma Cowing which was written with first hand knowledge of her families life on the fairgrounds of Scotland. A place that is a very tough place to survive in with many risks involved. A moving and tragic tale. Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the chance to ARC this book.

This is genuinely one of the best debut novels I’ve ever read. The characters are really well developed and we have a compassionate but naive lead in Lena. The search for her mother is one of the storylines permeating the book but the blossoming relationship with Harry and his enigmatic sister Violet are more intriguing. The female friendships dominate this novel. The tragic Violet/Rosie love story had me in tears. Carmen is a secondary but interesting character too. The circus background conjures up colourful pictures and there were more than a few similarities between The Greatest Showman and this. The rich gawp at the poor strange “tinkers” who barely have enough money to eat at times. Simple scenes like Lena having money to make homemade porridge and the camaraderie of them having a “dram” after the adrenaline of a good show are so nostalgic. I can’t praise this novel enough. There’s no truly vile or horrific descriptions (although incest, domestic abuse and suicide is in this book) so you could recommend it to an older relative as well as a friend. A smash. Well done! Thank you for the ARC Hodder & Stoughton and Emma Cowing. Denise

I really enjoyed this well written novel about a group of travelling circus women in early 1900's Britain. Feminism, love, loss, abuse and facing adversity. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the advance reader copy

The Show Woman by Emma Cowing is a beautifully written book about sisterhood and the strength of women.

Set in Edwardian Scotland and following the life of Lena, who has recently lost her father, and her 3 friends as they start an all-female circus act and the challenges they are presented with.

I absolutely loved the twists and character development in this story that combine to make an absolutely heart wrenching tale of female empowerment, friendship and grief.

This book covers many hard-hitting themes including: SA, domestic violence, suicide and murder.

I know this book will stay with me for a long time and I will highly recommend it. Thank you so much to NetGalley and Hodder & Stoughton for this ARC copy.

I love books about circuses! I couldn’t tell you why but I do 😂
I love the female focus! And not just in Lena and Violet, but supporting characters as well. I love the Scottish setting. I felt that all of the drama was down in such a way that it wasn’t over the top, it didn’t feel too much and it felt new and different and fresh.
I loved Cowing’s writing style. It’s beautiful and she brought so much life to all of these wonderful characters. She made you feel like you were there, that you could see the Scottish countryside, that you know these characters.
Excellent historical fiction, excellent storytelling, just excellent.

I absolutely loved this story of an all woman circus. A very entertaining read going through the trials and tribulations experienced by these ladies. Fast paced and extremely well written.

I have just finished this book and absolutely loved it. It was not what I expected and want to recommend it to everyone.

This is not an Enid Blyton version of a circus, but so so much more. From the start of the book, where we learn about Lena, the death of her father and her mother abandoning her, and how her life is about to change... to the twist in the tale as story ends, you never know which way you are going, and what the characters are going to do next.

This is a fast-paced story of dreams, found and missed, hope, love, family (by blood and by choice) and sisterhood. It's joyful and tragic in the same breath. It was wonderful learning of days gone by.

What a fabulous book. I have close friends who are showmen so I was really looking forward to reading this and I wasn’t disappointed. The book opens in a circus tent in Ayr, Scotland in September 1910 where trapeze artist Violet falls to the ground and is not moving. Loosely based on members of the authors own family this is an emotional read, the life of a showwoman was hard and fraught with dangers, but these women were determined.

Briefly, just a brief six months earlier at Vinegarhill Showground Lena Loveridge’s father died and she sold his carousel for eight guineas. Meeting up with trapeze artist Violet they decide to set up a small women only circus and after advertising their venture they are joined by bareback rider Rosie and musician and dancer Carmen. But despite their early success Violet made an enemy of circus owner Serena Linden in her last job and Serena is not a woman to let her anger go.

Four women all with traumatic backgrounds who come together and find family in each other. They are all good well fleshed characters but I loved Rosie and her horse Tommy Pony and my heart broke for her more than once. Although I know it’s authentic I did find the treatment of the show animals a bit distressing but it’s not graphic. A beautifully written story of female strength in the face of adversity. I loved it.

I’d heard good things about this novel and it certainly lived up to expectations. It’s set in 1910 and features Lena, her mother disappeared my years before and her father has recently died, so she’s trying to navigate coming to terms with being an orphan and also trying to find her way in the world. She’s part of the circus family and has to sell her dad’s carousel in order to make ends meet. She fears she will have to find a husband and a job in a factory, but then she meets flame haired Violet and they decide to set up a ladies circus along with Rosie and Carmen. These women form an unbreakable bond and this novel is a tale of friendship, female bonding and defying expectations. It’s beautifully written building in family secrets and heartfelt love stories and will stay with you long after you turn the last page. Thank you to NetGalley, Hodder and Stoughton and the author for the chance to review.

Set in Edwardian Scotland, we follow the fortunes of the ladies circus. Lena has a decision to make, her mother left years before and now her father is dead, she can try to run the carousel herself, or sell it; this she does for 8 guineas. Along with her friend Violet they start their own show, a ladies circus. They are joined by Rosie and Carmen, both running from their pasts, Rosie from and abusive father and Carmen from a life on the streets.
Life travelling from fair to fair is hard but the four bond as they travel facing everything together.
Well written and enjoyable, my thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the arc.

A delightful novel of early twentieth century travelling circuses, and the life of adventure and hardship that entails. Complicated family histories and unsolved mysteries abound, and love and friendship override jealousy and feuds. Young talented women, who have left behind loss and unhappiness, come together to make a life on the road, incurring mixed reactions in their uniqueness- an all female troupe.
It made compelling reading, although the complicated relationships which develop kept me on my toes.

Wow this story was so truly amazing, engaging, suspenseful and very well written. This tells the story of Lena who had to make the decision of either selling her late father's Carousel or continue to build her own circus show. I love the powerful story behind this and how woman came together to prove that they are unstoppable and can achieve anything. I do think this book has spoilers as there is a part which had me in tears which involved the linen cupboard and her drunken father. Not to spoil too much, this story is very gripping and hard to put down. Definitely buying the trophy copy of this for my bookshelf.

Thank you to NetGalley for allowing me to read this amazing ARC.

Glamour is everything. The thrill is more. But tragedy is all. We begin as the world's greatest trapeze artist plunges to the ground, from high above the crowds she falls, as she lands on the sawdust to the tune of a sickening thud...

The setting is Edwardian Scotland, the cast are 4 women who form an all woman circus. All have their stories, and their own tales to tell..
For Lena, her family were the fair, he father and his father before and now it was Lena's too. For many of her 21 years it had been just her and her father since her mothers disappearance, and their carousel. Now it was just her..
Rosie has not had the best start in life. Abuse and violation was part of her childhood. But Rosie had a special affinity with horses, they were as one when she stood on their backs, riding round the big top, she looked like an angel.
Besutiful Spanish acrobat Carmen has her own tragic story and her reasons for joining the show women's circus.
And of course Violet, brave and sassy who often gets on the wrong side of people, but can charm when she wants to, now lies in the dust....
Together these outcast women are formidable. But this business is cutthroat, and if you make enemies, you pay the price. Serena Linden is a not a woman to be crossed..

The book sparkles with life, thrills and drama.
Based on the authors own family, it's a beautiful story of women who took charge of their own lives, ran their own shows and wrote their own rules. I dream of reading amazing books like this, so when I find one, I savour it.
Thank you to netgalley Hodder Books and Emma Cowing for allowing me to read this gem ahead of time.

Suse

The synopsis of this book was so interesting, I couldn’t wait to get to it. I enjoyed our characters in the story and they felt like real people. It just felt very dragged out as a story, like a lot of the time there was dialogue that just wasn’t necessary and storylines that felt very overcomplicated. I just don’t understand what the ending meant and how we came to it. Overall I did enjoy the elements of the all female circus, the way our characters act and their backgrounds but the length of this book really brought the rating down!

The Show Woman vividly depicts the harsh and dangerous world of the Edwardian travelling circus in Scotland, at a time when women were often belittled and treated with violence. Lena, Violet, Rosie, and Carmen all bear emotional scars but their strength in the face of overwhelming adversity makes their distinct characters somersault off the page.

Lena’s life is turned upside-down by the earlier disappearance of her mother and then by the sudden death of her father. Stripped of her security within the circus she has always been a part of, she’s faced with stark choices: find a husband, or work in a factory. Together with outspoken trapeze artist Violet, she decides to defy the patriarchy and form an all-female circus.

Lena and Violet are joined in the venture by Rosie, a self-trained bareback horse-rider escaping from an abusive father, and Carmen, who conceals a dark past. The four women soon form an unbreakable bond forged by fear, hardship and grief.

The deft portrayal of these characters and their struggles makes The Show Woman a story of empowerment and sisterhood, made even more fascinating because the story is rooted in the author’s family history. Emma Cowing’s beautifully written debut novel is both heart-wrenching and inspiring.