I'll be honest, I've never really put a lot of thought into it, but I feel like circuses are a little cruel, at least the classic ones that use bears and elephants and all that. This novel didn't abuse me of that notion, but it did paint a rather vivid picture of what a Depression-era circus was like. I think I sort of expected a story that focused more on Jacob and Rosie, so I was a little disappointed that it wasn't really fleshed out or even that it didn't occur until halfway through the book. I liked that Jacob's point of view was the readers' introduction to circus life and the all the lingo and politics.