February 1, 2023
Strongwoman Mabel MacGinnis dazzles European audiences in the Manzo Brothers Circus. But following the death of her strongman father, who was the vital counterpart in her act, Mabel feels overcome by a consuming weakness in her body, mind, and heart. With her career in jeopardy and the only world in which she has known acceptance in the balance, Mabel travels in search of answers regarding her mother to America with Jake Cunningham, her fellow circus performer and longtime friend. As the journey resurrects their tragic pasts, the pair must confront their pain and darkness together under the pressures and prejudices of the big top. Duffy's latest, following A Tapestry of Light (2021), is a historical inspirational romance set amidst the sights, sounds, and spectacles of European and American traveling circus troupes in 1911. Heartbreaking yet hopeful, this a marvelously complex and candid portrayal of the silent suffering of postpartum depression and anxiety. Characters' eccentricities offer an unexpected and captivating break from convention, especially regarding gender, and Christian faith is moderately integrated into themes of strength and worth.
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