An ounce of courage. A split-second leap of faith. Together, they propel two young women to chase a new life—one that’s reimagined from what they might have become.
In turn-of-the-century America, a young girl dreams of a world that stretches beyond the confines of a quiet life on the family farm. With little more than her wit and a cigar box of treasures to call her own, Mable steps away from all she knows, seeking the limitless marvels of the Chicago World’s Fair. There, a chance encounter triggers her destiny—a life with a famed showman by the name of John Ringling.
A quarter of a century later, Lady Rosamund Easling of Yorkshire, England, boards a ship to America as a last adventure before her life is planned out for her. There, the twenties are roaring, and the rich and famous gather at opulent, Gatsby-esque parties in the grandest ballrooms the country has to offer. The Jazz Age has arrived, and with it, the golden era of the American circus, whose queen is none other than the enigmatic Mable Ringling.
When Rosamund’s path crosses with Mable’s and the Ringlings’ glittering world, she makes the life-altering decision to leave behind a comfortable future of estates and propriety, instead choosing the nomadic life of a trick rider in the Ringling Brothers’ circus.
A novel that is at once captivating, deeply poignant, and swirling with exquisite historical details of a bygone world, The Ringmaster’s Wife will escort readers into the center ring, with its bright lights, exotic animals, and a dazzling performance that can only be described as the greatest show on earth!
Move over, Karen Kingsbury and Danielle Steele, there’s a new epic storyteller on the scene! Cambron’s newest work will enchant you with waves of fun, hope, and heartbreak in her newest work about John Ringling’s beloved first wife Mabel and the impact of the circus on the culture of America.
Mabel Ringling was the wife of circus king John Ringing and impacted many who knew her, although she stayed away from the media spotlight and out of the circus business. Cambron brings her to life through the imagined characters of Rose and Colin, with Mabel leaving a tangible legacy that is felt for decades to come.
Not a linear story, The Ringmaster’s Wife tells a tale in pieces, allowing the reader to reassemble the story in bits at a time. You’re kept fascinated with the plot line and wanting more with each turn of the page.
I never expected a circus story to excite me as much as this one did. I enjoyed the reminder that fun has it’s own place in this life, and that dreams and hopes add joy to life that is too easily snuffed out by day-to-day drudgery, and smiles, like those inspired by the circus, are important to the abundant life that Jesus promised.
Despite the trials Colin, Rose, and Mabel face throughout the book, the story is inspiring. Write on, Cambron!
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Kristy Cambron fancies life as a vintage-inspired storyteller. Her second novel, A Sparrow in Terezin, was named Library Journal Reviews’ “Pick of the Month (Christian Fiction)” for February 2015.
