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Shoes #3
Circus Shoes
After the death of the aunt they had been living with, Peter and Santa, orphans, join their Uncle Gus, who works as a clown in the circus.
272 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1938
About the author
Noel Streatfeild
166 books587 followersMary Noel Streatfeild, known as Noel Streatfeild, was an author best known and loved for her children's books, including Ballet Shoes and Circus Shoes. She also wrote romances under the pseudonym
Susan Scarlett
.
She was born on Christmas Eve, 1895, the daughter of William Champion Streatfeild and Janet Venn and the second of six children to be born to the couple. Sister Ruth was the oldest, after Noel came Barbara, William ('Bill'), Joyce (who died of TB prior to her second birthday) and Richenda. Ruth and Noel attended Hastings and St. Leonard's Ladies' College in 1910. As an adult, she began theater work, and spent approximately 10 years in the theater.
During the Great War, in 1915 Noel worked first as a volunteer in a soldier's hospital kitchen near Eastbourne Vicarage and later produced two plays with her sister Ruth. When things took a turn for the worse on the Front in 1916 she moved to London and obtained a job making munitions in Woolwich Arsenal. At the end of the war in January 1919, Noel enrolled at the Academy of Dramatic Art (later Royal Academy) in London.
In 1930, she began writing her first adult novel, The Whicharts, published in 1931. In June 1932, she was elected to membership of PEN. Early in 1936, Mabel Carey, children's editor of J. M. Dent and Sons, asks Noel to write a children's story about the theatre, which led to Noel completing Ballet Shoes in mid-1936. In 28 September 1936, when Ballet Shoes was published, it became an immediate best seller.
According to Angela Bull, Ballet Shoes was a reworked version of The Whicharts. Elder sister Ruth Gervis illustrated the book, which was published on the 28th September, 1936. At the time, the plot and general 'attitude' of the book was highly original, and destined to provide an outline for countless other ballet books down the years until this day. The first known book to be set at a stage school, the first ballet story to be set in London, the first to feature upper middle class society, the first to show the limits of amateurism and possibly the first to show children as self-reliant, able to survive without running to grownups when things went wrong.
In 1937, Noel traveled with Bertram Mills Circus to research The Circus is Coming (also known as Circus Shoes). She won the Carnegie gold medal in February 1939 for this book. In 1940, World War II began, and Noel began war-related work from 1940-1945. During this time, she wrote four adult novels, five children's books, nine romances, and innumerable articles and short stories. On May 10th, 1941, her flat was destroyed by a bomb. Shortly after WWII is over, in 1947, Noel traveled to America to research film studios for her book The Painted Garden. In 1949, she began delivering lectures on children's books. Between 1949 and 1953, her plays, The Bell Family radio serials played on the Children's Hour and were frequently voted top play of the year.
Early in 1960s, she decided to stop writing adult novels, but did write some autobiographical novels, such as A Vicarage Family in 1963. She also had written 12 romance novels under the pen name "Susan Scarlett." Her children's books number at least 58 titles. From July to December 1979, she suffered a series of small strokes and moved into a nursing home. In 1983, she received the honor Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE). On 11 September 1986, she passed away in a nursing home.
She was born on Christmas Eve, 1895, the daughter of William Champion Streatfeild and Janet Venn and the second of six children to be born to the couple. Sister Ruth was the oldest, after Noel came Barbara, William ('Bill'), Joyce (who died of TB prior to her second birthday) and Richenda. Ruth and Noel attended Hastings and St. Leonard's Ladies' College in 1910. As an adult, she began theater work, and spent approximately 10 years in the theater.
During the Great War, in 1915 Noel worked first as a volunteer in a soldier's hospital kitchen near Eastbourne Vicarage and later produced two plays with her sister Ruth. When things took a turn for the worse on the Front in 1916 she moved to London and obtained a job making munitions in Woolwich Arsenal. At the end of the war in January 1919, Noel enrolled at the Academy of Dramatic Art (later Royal Academy) in London.
In 1930, she began writing her first adult novel, The Whicharts, published in 1931. In June 1932, she was elected to membership of PEN. Early in 1936, Mabel Carey, children's editor of J. M. Dent and Sons, asks Noel to write a children's story about the theatre, which led to Noel completing Ballet Shoes in mid-1936. In 28 September 1936, when Ballet Shoes was published, it became an immediate best seller.
According to Angela Bull, Ballet Shoes was a reworked version of The Whicharts. Elder sister Ruth Gervis illustrated the book, which was published on the 28th September, 1936. At the time, the plot and general 'attitude' of the book was highly original, and destined to provide an outline for countless other ballet books down the years until this day. The first known book to be set at a stage school, the first ballet story to be set in London, the first to feature upper middle class society, the first to show the limits of amateurism and possibly the first to show children as self-reliant, able to survive without running to grownups when things went wrong.
In 1937, Noel traveled with Bertram Mills Circus to research The Circus is Coming (also known as Circus Shoes). She won the Carnegie gold medal in February 1939 for this book. In 1940, World War II began, and Noel began war-related work from 1940-1945. During this time, she wrote four adult novels, five children's books, nine romances, and innumerable articles and short stories. On May 10th, 1941, her flat was destroyed by a bomb. Shortly after WWII is over, in 1947, Noel traveled to America to research film studios for her book The Painted Garden. In 1949, she began delivering lectures on children's books. Between 1949 and 1953, her plays, The Bell Family radio serials played on the Children's Hour and were frequently voted top play of the year.
Early in 1960s, she decided to stop writing adult novels, but did write some autobiographical novels, such as A Vicarage Family in 1963. She also had written 12 romance novels under the pen name "Susan Scarlett." Her children's books number at least 58 titles. From July to December 1979, she suffered a series of small strokes and moved into a nursing home. In 1983, she received the honor Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE). On 11 September 1986, she passed away in a nursing home.
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December 23, 2023
Before reviewing Noel Streatfeild's Circus Shoes for its content and its themes, I do have to admit that since Circus Shoes is the reissued and (as I have discovered) also altered edition of Streatfeild's 1938 Carnegie Medal winning The Circus is Coming (and of which I have annoyingly not been able to find a decently priced used copy), yes, I would definitely much rather be reading The Circus is Coming, since from what I have researched and found online, there are actually and in fact some for me problematic differences between the two editions.
And while fortunately, the changes between the The Circus is Coming and Circus Shoes with regard to the plot, contents and the featured characters of the story only appear to be relatively minor (like for example that the rather horrid circus sea lion that is named Hitler in The Circus is Coming is named Siegfried in Circus Shoes and that the German circus family Schmidt is equally presented as speaking a much better and less broken type of English in Circus Shoes, and which as a person of German background I do kind of appreciate, as neither the Schmidts nor even their sea lion textually are made to appear by Noel Streatfeild as being either ridiculous or as Nazi like), there are sadly also numerous adjustments to writing style and deletions of pieces of extra detail in Circus Shoes which I definitely find majorly textually frustrating, since from the featured text examples of The Circus is Coming being compared to Circus Shoes that I have found online, The Circus is Coming is definitely considerably descriptively richer and more nuanced than Circus Shoes and I most certainly do not therefore agree with Circus Shoes having all these stylistic adjustments and simplifications imposed (and that this has most definitely also a bit negatively affected my reading pleasure of Circus Shoes).
But with regard to Circus Shoes as a story (and that the story itself has basically not been changed from The Circus is Coming), well, I have very much found Noel Streatfeild's account of Peter and Santa running away to join their uncle's circus (when they are threatened with being sent to different orphanages) not only delightful but also presenting many necessary lessons and messages, but thankfully without Noel Streatfeild's text in Circus Shoes (and of course also in The Circus is Coming) ever becoming didactic or pedantic. And indeed, Circus Shoes is in fact a true and spectacularly brilliant rendition of a junior Bildungsroman, a typical novel of development, with both children, with both Peter and Santa being shown by Noel Streatfeild throughout Circus Shoes as needing to change pretty well everything about themselves, their former upbringing and their attitudes and behaviours before they are able to actually become not only settled with their uncle Gus but also as contributing and appreciated members of the circus as a super-family unit (a novel of personal growth, of adjustment, of change, with Circus Shoes also and delightfully presenting some rather modern thinking for 1938, as Noel Streatfeild very clearly textually demonstrates with Circus Shoes that the snobbishness and the arrogance of much of the British nobility not only does more harm than good but also is like an insidious disease infecting everything and everybody or at least having that tendency).
So yes, thematically and contents-wise Circus Shoes certainly represents a wonderful story that is definitely worth a full four stars for me (with me majorly understanding why Noel Streatfiled won the 1938 Carnegie Medal for The Circus is Coming and that I personally also rather think that The Circus is Coming is a bit better and with considerably more narrative meat to it than Streatfeild's more famous Ballet Shoes). And while I am certainly a trifle tempted to lower my four star rating of Circus Shoes to three stars (as I really do not appreciate the stylistic alterations and changes from The Circus Comes to Town), because I have really really enjoyed my reading time with Circus Shoes, I will keep my four star rating (but I will also try to see if there might in the future be a decently priced and easily obtained copy of The Circus Comes to Town available for purchasing).
And finally, Circus Shoes does feature and describe many circus animal acts (and no, this has also not been changed any from the original, from The Circus Comes to Town). And while I simply am reading and enjoying Circus Shoes for how Peter and Santa find themselves and change themselves (and consider the circus scenarios as products of their time), I do think I should at least post a word of caution about the former, that Circus Shoes does indeed present not only human performers but also many animal ones.
And while fortunately, the changes between the The Circus is Coming and Circus Shoes with regard to the plot, contents and the featured characters of the story only appear to be relatively minor (like for example that the rather horrid circus sea lion that is named Hitler in The Circus is Coming is named Siegfried in Circus Shoes and that the German circus family Schmidt is equally presented as speaking a much better and less broken type of English in Circus Shoes, and which as a person of German background I do kind of appreciate, as neither the Schmidts nor even their sea lion textually are made to appear by Noel Streatfeild as being either ridiculous or as Nazi like), there are sadly also numerous adjustments to writing style and deletions of pieces of extra detail in Circus Shoes which I definitely find majorly textually frustrating, since from the featured text examples of The Circus is Coming being compared to Circus Shoes that I have found online, The Circus is Coming is definitely considerably descriptively richer and more nuanced than Circus Shoes and I most certainly do not therefore agree with Circus Shoes having all these stylistic adjustments and simplifications imposed (and that this has most definitely also a bit negatively affected my reading pleasure of Circus Shoes).
But with regard to Circus Shoes as a story (and that the story itself has basically not been changed from The Circus is Coming), well, I have very much found Noel Streatfeild's account of Peter and Santa running away to join their uncle's circus (when they are threatened with being sent to different orphanages) not only delightful but also presenting many necessary lessons and messages, but thankfully without Noel Streatfeild's text in Circus Shoes (and of course also in The Circus is Coming) ever becoming didactic or pedantic. And indeed, Circus Shoes is in fact a true and spectacularly brilliant rendition of a junior Bildungsroman, a typical novel of development, with both children, with both Peter and Santa being shown by Noel Streatfeild throughout Circus Shoes as needing to change pretty well everything about themselves, their former upbringing and their attitudes and behaviours before they are able to actually become not only settled with their uncle Gus but also as contributing and appreciated members of the circus as a super-family unit (a novel of personal growth, of adjustment, of change, with Circus Shoes also and delightfully presenting some rather modern thinking for 1938, as Noel Streatfeild very clearly textually demonstrates with Circus Shoes that the snobbishness and the arrogance of much of the British nobility not only does more harm than good but also is like an insidious disease infecting everything and everybody or at least having that tendency).
So yes, thematically and contents-wise Circus Shoes certainly represents a wonderful story that is definitely worth a full four stars for me (with me majorly understanding why Noel Streatfiled won the 1938 Carnegie Medal for The Circus is Coming and that I personally also rather think that The Circus is Coming is a bit better and with considerably more narrative meat to it than Streatfeild's more famous Ballet Shoes). And while I am certainly a trifle tempted to lower my four star rating of Circus Shoes to three stars (as I really do not appreciate the stylistic alterations and changes from The Circus Comes to Town), because I have really really enjoyed my reading time with Circus Shoes, I will keep my four star rating (but I will also try to see if there might in the future be a decently priced and easily obtained copy of The Circus Comes to Town available for purchasing).
And finally, Circus Shoes does feature and describe many circus animal acts (and no, this has also not been changed any from the original, from The Circus Comes to Town). And while I simply am reading and enjoying Circus Shoes for how Peter and Santa find themselves and change themselves (and consider the circus scenarios as products of their time), I do think I should at least post a word of caution about the former, that Circus Shoes does indeed present not only human performers but also many animal ones.
February 4, 2018
This is one of those "hovering on the edge of ugliness" Streatfeild books, where everyone seems to blame these two kids for things entirely out of their control. It's awful.
And they have to be the ones to be the adults, to forgive and overlook and make their own places. I want to cry when Santa has to run after Ted to get him to, you know, explain what he means instead of stalking off. The world is an unfair place, I guess. And this book does a very good job showcasing that.
PS: This book was published in 1938. The seal trainers had a seal named Hitler.
And they have to be the ones to be the adults, to forgive and overlook and make their own places. I want to cry when Santa has to run after Ted to get him to, you know, explain what he means instead of stalking off. The world is an unfair place, I guess. And this book does a very good job showcasing that.
PS: This book was published in 1938. The seal trainers had a seal named Hitler.
November 23, 2015
The first of the "Shoe books" I ever read, and the only one I had access to growing up. I read it over and over, which tells you how good it is...in those days there were so many books to read that only a select few were re-reads for me.
Peter and the oddly-named Santa (not a normal English girl's name for the time, but then neither was "Noel"), born a year apart but as close as twins, were orphaned as tiny children and raised by their parsimonious aunt to believe themselves a large cut above everyone else, with home-tutors who didn't know all that much (a common problem in the governess/tutor system of education, particularly for girls, in the Victorian/Edwardian age). When Auntie suddenly dies, they are told they'll be separated and sent to orphanages, so they run away to find the circus their mysterious Uncle Gus works for.
Published in 1938, we are told of a very different England than the one we know today. One in which preteen kids can walk the streets of London at 4 AM in relative safety, and trust a stranger to pawn their valuables for them. One in which the girl has been trained to look up to her brother with something just short of adoration, and "know" he's much smarter than she is. Well, maybe he is, for some things, but when they get to the circus, he's the one who has the most trouble adapting to their new life--perhaps because all that womanly worship isn't coming his way. Streatfield is very good at presenting adolescent anger without talking down to it or treating it as "cute," a common failing of 1930s children's novels.
The circus people, particularly the kids, are amazed at how clueless our little superior darlings are; in the words of one of the circus children, "They are like babies, just born." They have to learn to manage two new worlds at once; the outside world they seldom visited before Auntie's death (they've never seen a movie or a circus, or ridden in an automobile), and the strange, changeable world of circus life. Along the way, as well as getting the corners knocked off by everyone around them, they discover talents they didn't know they had--but they also learn that talent isn't enough without lots of hard work and determination. As a kid, I considered Santa the main character, probably because I identified with her; upon rereading it I realised that the deeper you get into the book, the more Peter comes to the fore because he is the most conflicted. Santa is used to going along, doing as she is told etc--the common feminine role of the times she lived. That's a good thing, as Uncle Gus isn't the easiest man in the world to live with, with his constant grumbles, hidden expectations (until you get it wrong, of course) and food-related expostulations such as "Cabbages and cheese, girl!" One of the things I disliked this time around was the unnecessarily fractured English put into the mouths of the German family, who are otherwise quite intelligent; none of the other characters of French/Russian/Italian background spout such gibbered syntax. I've known many Germans in my time and their English is better than that of many native speakers.
I didn't remember the sealion being named "Hitler"; in the edition I read repeatedly in the 1960s and 70s, it was "Kaiser". I can't imagine why this was changed. Perhaps, like the title, it was for the American edition. The titles were all changed to include the word "Shoes" so the buying public would know they were along the same lines. I have to say, as a child I wouldn't have found the original title "The Circus is Coming" quite so attractive as "Circus Shoes", which made me wonder, "What is that about?" and pick it up.
I also wondered at this adult re-reading if Auntie died at home? In those days people usually did...but this is left out of the text. If she had, no wonder the kids were particularly traumatised!
Peter and the oddly-named Santa (not a normal English girl's name for the time, but then neither was "Noel"), born a year apart but as close as twins, were orphaned as tiny children and raised by their parsimonious aunt to believe themselves a large cut above everyone else, with home-tutors who didn't know all that much (a common problem in the governess/tutor system of education, particularly for girls, in the Victorian/Edwardian age). When Auntie suddenly dies, they are told they'll be separated and sent to orphanages, so they run away to find the circus their mysterious Uncle Gus works for.
Published in 1938, we are told of a very different England than the one we know today. One in which preteen kids can walk the streets of London at 4 AM in relative safety, and trust a stranger to pawn their valuables for them. One in which the girl has been trained to look up to her brother with something just short of adoration, and "know" he's much smarter than she is. Well, maybe he is, for some things, but when they get to the circus, he's the one who has the most trouble adapting to their new life--perhaps because all that womanly worship isn't coming his way. Streatfield is very good at presenting adolescent anger without talking down to it or treating it as "cute," a common failing of 1930s children's novels.
The circus people, particularly the kids, are amazed at how clueless our little superior darlings are; in the words of one of the circus children, "They are like babies, just born." They have to learn to manage two new worlds at once; the outside world they seldom visited before Auntie's death (they've never seen a movie or a circus, or ridden in an automobile), and the strange, changeable world of circus life. Along the way, as well as getting the corners knocked off by everyone around them, they discover talents they didn't know they had--but they also learn that talent isn't enough without lots of hard work and determination. As a kid, I considered Santa the main character, probably because I identified with her; upon rereading it I realised that the deeper you get into the book, the more Peter comes to the fore because he is the most conflicted. Santa is used to going along, doing as she is told etc--the common feminine role of the times she lived. That's a good thing, as Uncle Gus isn't the easiest man in the world to live with, with his constant grumbles, hidden expectations (until you get it wrong, of course) and food-related expostulations such as "Cabbages and cheese, girl!" One of the things I disliked this time around was the unnecessarily fractured English put into the mouths of the German family, who are otherwise quite intelligent; none of the other characters of French/Russian/Italian background spout such gibbered syntax. I've known many Germans in my time and their English is better than that of many native speakers.
I didn't remember the sealion being named "Hitler"; in the edition I read repeatedly in the 1960s and 70s, it was "Kaiser". I can't imagine why this was changed. Perhaps, like the title, it was for the American edition. The titles were all changed to include the word "Shoes" so the buying public would know they were along the same lines. I have to say, as a child I wouldn't have found the original title "The Circus is Coming" quite so attractive as "Circus Shoes", which made me wonder, "What is that about?" and pick it up.
I also wondered at this adult re-reading if Auntie died at home? In those days people usually did...but this is left out of the text. If she had, no wonder the kids were particularly traumatised!
October 28, 2019
This book, like so many of the books written by Streatfeild, is a gem. I learned so much about circuses and circus life alongside a heartwarming and redemptive story about two siblings, Santa and Peter. I have always been fascinated by circuses and the idea of the Gypsy-like life of the circus. I wish they were still a “thing,” though I understand why they aren’t (animal rights and all). It was lovely to go back in time for a bit.
September 3, 2019
I'm working my way through this series in order --love to be linear. This installment returns to the theme of orphans. Peter and Santa first lose their parents, then the aunt who was their guardian. Rather than be sent to separate orphanages, they run away to find their Uncle Gus and the circus he is a part of. They are clueless about life with the circus and spend most of the book working through that learning curve. I did love living the circus life vicariously with them, but found all the circus children difficult to keep straight. All in all, a sweet old-fashioned tale that makes me want to find a circus to watch.
September 13, 2019
Booklovers everywhere have all drooled over the little book shop Kathleen Kelly owned in the delightful movie, You've Got Mail. We've relished the thought of working among such an atmosphere of twinkle lights and children's literature. And what a selection she had too. Whoever was in charge of choosing the books to be highlighted in the movie did a pretty top-notch job! Have you read them all? Notable mentions are The Betsy-Tacy books and The Shoe Series.
"Noel Streatfeild wrote Ballet Shoes and Skating Shoes and Theatre Shoes and Dancing Shoes. I’d start with Ballet Shoes first; it’s my favorite. Although Skating Shoes is completely wonderful—but it’s out of print." —Kathleen Kelly, You’ve Got Mail
If you haven't read this fun series, it's about time you did. Ballet Shoes probably should be read first but the stories are all pretty individual, with different characters in each; the only thing linking them are "shoes" and the characters in the first book being referenced once or twice in a couple other titles. So if you or your child has a favorite recreation and there's a shoe for it, you'd be fine just starting with the one you're excited about the most.
Enjoy!
Ages: 8 - 14
Cleanliness: I skimmed through this title quickly so did not take notes.
**Like my reviews? I also have hundreds of detailed reports that I offer too. These reports give a complete break-down of everything in the book, so you'll know just how clean it is or isn't. I also have Clean Guides (downloadable PDFs) which enable you to clean up your book before reading it!
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"Noel Streatfeild wrote Ballet Shoes and Skating Shoes and Theatre Shoes and Dancing Shoes. I’d start with Ballet Shoes first; it’s my favorite. Although Skating Shoes is completely wonderful—but it’s out of print." —Kathleen Kelly, You’ve Got Mail
If you haven't read this fun series, it's about time you did. Ballet Shoes probably should be read first but the stories are all pretty individual, with different characters in each; the only thing linking them are "shoes" and the characters in the first book being referenced once or twice in a couple other titles. So if you or your child has a favorite recreation and there's a shoe for it, you'd be fine just starting with the one you're excited about the most.
Enjoy!
Ages: 8 - 14
Cleanliness: I skimmed through this title quickly so did not take notes.
**Like my reviews? I also have hundreds of detailed reports that I offer too. These reports give a complete break-down of everything in the book, so you'll know just how clean it is or isn't. I also have Clean Guides (downloadable PDFs) which enable you to clean up your book before reading it!
Visit my website!
July 29, 2021
An engrossing story with very well- developed characters. The circus setting is realistic, with many interesting details, which teach you much about an unusual way of life. One of her best books.
April 20, 2011
Noel Streatfield had a handle on what made "working" children tick. Her sympathetic portrayal of characters who take to the stage, the circus, the ice-rink, is consistently smart and realistic. Circus Shoes is no exception. Peter and his rather splendidly named sister Santa face an uncertain future following certain events and as a result of this, they quite literally run away to the circus. What's more realistic for me and appealing in this story is Peter. Santa's ultimate fate is somewhat inevitable and a little too easy (which knocked a star off for me) but I've got a soft spot for the awkward, irascible, bad tempered brilliantly drawn adolescent that is Peter.
August 2, 2015
I read this as a kid, but I think just one time. (There's a book personality test for you! Does "just one time" mean something to you or do you read virtually all books just one time?)
Anyway, I like this as a story of belonging. That's the aspect that stuck with me all the years.
Anyway, I like this as a story of belonging. That's the aspect that stuck with me all the years.
January 14, 2011
It was called The Circus is Coming when I read it. I don't get that every book by Noel STreatfeild on Good Reads has been changed to include "shoes" in the title, presumably for the sake of symmetry with the two she wrote called Tennis Shoes and Ballet Shoes - totally dumb and unnecessary!
Anyway, Noel Streatfeild was my Enid Blyton (whom everyone else loved but I hated) when I was young - I loved nearly all her books (I do remember one absolute stinker though)
Anyway, Noel Streatfeild was my Enid Blyton (whom everyone else loved but I hated) when I was young - I loved nearly all her books (I do remember one absolute stinker though)
October 16, 2017
Love's conditional, kids. You have to earn it.
July 25, 2022
Another re-read as part of something I'm working on, and once again I was very surprised at how very, very good this was. What I found most interesting was the way she plays with the trope of "rags to riches" - this is almost but not quite riches to rags, but her point was that the two children who are the main protagonists have to learn to be "normal." They've been brought up by a super-snobby aunt, who makes them believe that they're better than everyone else. When the aunt dies, they go to find an uncle they hardly knew existed and discover that he works in a circus. He declares the aunt was a "fool," and the children discover how helpless and ignorant they are, but learn self-sufficiency through their own hard work and efforts. Streatfeild conveys the life of the circus vividly; Peter and Santa are both interesting characters. Peter, especially, is difficult to like as he has a temper and is argumentative, but ultimately learns to control himself and to think before speaking. Santa is earlier more sympathetic but also has to learn to make decisions for herself and to take responsibility for her own life.
August 29, 2017
An orphaned brother and sister run away from the prospect of being sent to separate orphanages and to their uncle, who works as a clown in a circus. They spend their summer traveling with the circus and hoping that they can win their way into their uncle's good graces and so stay with him once the tenting season is over.
Slow moving in places, but still a comfy little read.
Slow moving in places, but still a comfy little read.
April 29, 2020
Leuk boek waarbij je veel kennis opdoet over het circus.
September 13, 2019
Peter and Santa are orphans who have been living with Aunt Rebecca, a retired lady's maid to a duchess. Aunt Rebecca has given them the impression that they are important children and should not mix with ordinary children; at the same time, she has not equipped them with any useful skills, including social skills! When Aunt Rebecca suddenly dies, Peter and Santa are told they will be put in an orphanage. Terrified, they run away to join their estranged Uncle Gus, who is a clown and trapeze artist in a circus. For the first time in their lives they make friends - the circus performers and their children. They find the world of the circus exciting and fun, but also challenging. They quickly learn that life in the circus requires constant hard working, and that everyone is expected to have a talent at something and an ambition for life. Can Peter and Santa fit into this world? Can they find talents which will enable them to join the circus, or will they have to go to the orphanage once the summer is over?
_ _ _
I had forgotten how absorbing Noel Streatfield's books are. If only "adult" fiction was as effortlessly enthralling as the best "children's" fiction!
The great charm of this book is that it brings the circus world of a bye-gone era to life before your eyes. You see the dancing horses, musical sea lions, awe-inspiring big cats, clever poodles, and the lives of the people who work with them (adults and children). Streatfield does not make her world too perfect - we see the tiredness, physical and mental effort, and clashes of personality, as well as the upsides of excitement, novelty, comraderie, and adventure. She gives the circus folk a firm, work hard play hard, and no-nonsense, approach to life, which perhaps was her own (I have noticed it in her other novels, to a lesser extent, especially Tennis Shoes).
To modern eyes, the adults sometimes seem too hard on Peter and Santa, who are, at the end of the day, just children, but I suppose this was characteristic of the age in which she was writing and the world she was describing. I like the fact that the adults are 3D characters, especially Uncle Gus. We see throughout the book his inner struggle between his instinctive dislike of softness and his sense that he is being unfair to the children (especially Peter). He struck me, reading the book again as an adult, as a pretty odd man and not particularly likeable, but he is an interesting character.
Peter and Santa are just right as the main characters of a children's novel, I think. You are not expected by the author to admire them as heroes (a common mistake), but you grow to like them, warts and all, sympathise with them, and to respect the way they grow in character over the course of the story.
The one downside of the book, for me, is that the actual nuts and bolts - as it were - of Streatfield's writing are pretty average (by which I mean that her style, grammar, syntax, vocabulary, etc. are fine, but not better than fine). BUT, I quickly got swept up into the story and completely stopped noticing this. What she has going for her is that she is a fantastic storyteller. I was totally gripped and couldn't put the book down (despite reading this with stomach flu!). I was also surprised to find myself a bit moved by the end of the story, although it's certainly not supposed to be a tear jerker.
I don't think this story would be for everyone. Above all, the difference between mentalities then and now (especially the ideas about gender roles) would be off-putting for some readers, I imagine. But, I really like getting into the minds and world of people of bye-gone eras, so I enjoyed this all the more for the fact that it was written eighty years ago.
_ _ _
I had forgotten how absorbing Noel Streatfield's books are. If only "adult" fiction was as effortlessly enthralling as the best "children's" fiction!
The great charm of this book is that it brings the circus world of a bye-gone era to life before your eyes. You see the dancing horses, musical sea lions, awe-inspiring big cats, clever poodles, and the lives of the people who work with them (adults and children). Streatfield does not make her world too perfect - we see the tiredness, physical and mental effort, and clashes of personality, as well as the upsides of excitement, novelty, comraderie, and adventure. She gives the circus folk a firm, work hard play hard, and no-nonsense, approach to life, which perhaps was her own (I have noticed it in her other novels, to a lesser extent, especially Tennis Shoes).
To modern eyes, the adults sometimes seem too hard on Peter and Santa, who are, at the end of the day, just children, but I suppose this was characteristic of the age in which she was writing and the world she was describing. I like the fact that the adults are 3D characters, especially Uncle Gus. We see throughout the book his inner struggle between his instinctive dislike of softness and his sense that he is being unfair to the children (especially Peter). He struck me, reading the book again as an adult, as a pretty odd man and not particularly likeable, but he is an interesting character.
Peter and Santa are just right as the main characters of a children's novel, I think. You are not expected by the author to admire them as heroes (a common mistake), but you grow to like them, warts and all, sympathise with them, and to respect the way they grow in character over the course of the story.
The one downside of the book, for me, is that the actual nuts and bolts - as it were - of Streatfield's writing are pretty average (by which I mean that her style, grammar, syntax, vocabulary, etc. are fine, but not better than fine). BUT, I quickly got swept up into the story and completely stopped noticing this. What she has going for her is that she is a fantastic storyteller. I was totally gripped and couldn't put the book down (despite reading this with stomach flu!). I was also surprised to find myself a bit moved by the end of the story, although it's certainly not supposed to be a tear jerker.
I don't think this story would be for everyone. Above all, the difference between mentalities then and now (especially the ideas about gender roles) would be off-putting for some readers, I imagine. But, I really like getting into the minds and world of people of bye-gone eras, so I enjoyed this all the more for the fact that it was written eighty years ago.
February 2, 2010
Stayed up late last night to finish this book. Loved it! I love the different 'voices' of her characters and the way she presented the circus family. As a lover of animals, I'm always a bit leary of books about animals since I'm sure one or more will die, and I'll be devastated. I loved the way the circus people explained to Peter and Santa that the horses, dogs, elephants, sea lions, lions had 'moods' as do humans, and talk to each other even if we can't understand them etc etc etc.
I was kind of surprised Mr. Cob was so dense about Lorenzo missing Canada, but I guess that was a plot devise. Very satisfying read, and when I return it to the library today, I will be checking out another Noel Streatfeild book.
I was kind of surprised Mr. Cob was so dense about Lorenzo missing Canada, but I guess that was a plot devise. Very satisfying read, and when I return it to the library today, I will be checking out another Noel Streatfeild book.
April 25, 2024
I did not read this when young, and maybe I would have liked it better then. I appreciate Streatfeild's realisms and not romanticizing things, but the undeserved frustrations for these children is never ending and tedious in a story that did not grab me. I've never been much of a circus fan; otherwise, the details of circus operations and logistics may have seemed more interesting. Most of the characters are annoying, and I didn't care that much about them. This is the least good of Streatfeild's books that I've read.
September 16, 2012
A well-written novel about some kids who are taught to think of themselves as better and smarter than others but are actually quite ignorant and prideful. Due to their silly aunt's death,they go to live with their uncle in the circus and learn the truth about themselves,and as a result,become better kids than they were plus they learn to work hard at learning a talent so that they can stay with their uncle and the circus,which they like.
July 22, 2013
Hooray, another new Noel Streatfeild for me! This one I absolutely loved. Such a charming, quick read. Peter isn't always likeable but he's at least interesting, and often mockable. I'm still wondering what Santa could possibly be short for too! The adventure getting to the circus was so much fun to read about, as was seeing the children fitting in - or otherwise. ;)
January 7, 2008
Threatened with life in separate orphanages when their aunt dies, two children run away to search for their uncle who works for a circus. There they learn that they can become a part of the hard work and colorful circus life, and perhaps find a lasting home.
November 18, 2012
Okay book. Lots of charming details. Nothing, however, *happens*.
June 26, 2014
Probably my favorite of Streatfeild's "Shoes" books that I have read, as it is the least formulaic.
May 24, 2015
One of my favorite Streatfeild books, definitely. It's a shame it's not as well known as the others, though there is a bit too much stuffed into the last chapter.
June 29, 2023
Orphans Peter and Santa are taken in by their Uncle Gus who works in a traveling circus.
All three of the 'Shoes' books by Noel Streatfeild that I've read were fun, but this one has the added fantasy that ever kid from my generation has probably had about running away to join the circus. I have no idea how it was in real life, but this version was delightful.
Books from this time (published 1939) either have parents who die off or are absolutely disconnected from their kids. The author wastes no time in this one - the first two lines are "Peter and Santa were orphans. Their father and mother were killed in a railway accident when there were babies, so they came and lived with their aunt." The aunt, of course, lives to a ripe-old age - not! She's dead by page ten. Apparently parenting children put a bulls-eye on you back then.
All three of the 'Shoes' books by Noel Streatfeild that I've read were fun, but this one has the added fantasy that ever kid from my generation has probably had about running away to join the circus. I have no idea how it was in real life, but this version was delightful.
Books from this time (published 1939) either have parents who die off or are absolutely disconnected from their kids. The author wastes no time in this one - the first two lines are "Peter and Santa were orphans. Their father and mother were killed in a railway accident when there were babies, so they came and lived with their aunt." The aunt, of course, lives to a ripe-old age - not! She's dead by page ten. Apparently parenting children put a bulls-eye on you back then.
January 23, 2018
This was fun, I can't say that I ever wanted to run off and join the circus but I did enjoy reading about it. Peter and Santa are two orphaned siblings who after the death of their aunt end up faced with living in seperate childrens homes.
But instead they manage to track down their circus going uncle and run off to join him and the circus. Thanks to the strange upbringing they had from their aunt, neither of the children are particularly bright, they ask a lot of obvious questions and have a bit of a chip on their shoulders, much to the amusment of the circus going folk. But thankfully they do grow out of that and it stops them from being annoying to read.
A nice book, easy to read and lots of fun!
But instead they manage to track down their circus going uncle and run off to join him and the circus. Thanks to the strange upbringing they had from their aunt, neither of the children are particularly bright, they ask a lot of obvious questions and have a bit of a chip on their shoulders, much to the amusment of the circus going folk. But thankfully they do grow out of that and it stops them from being annoying to read.
A nice book, easy to read and lots of fun!
July 25, 2018
Peter and Santa are brought up by their aunt, who was a duchess' lady and therefore has no real understanding of the real world and brings them up to think they're better then everyone. Then their aunt dies and they are to be sent off to orphanages. Fearing to be separated, they run away to an uncle they've never met, who happens to be a part of the circus. There they learn how foolishly their aunt brought them up, and slowly work to be actual people.
Classic tale by Streatfield of children and grownups miscommunicating and all things seem to go terribly wrong, before everything goes terribly right. Due to the way the children were written, they are a little sufferable to read, which made for slow goings, but the happy ending always helps.
Classic tale by Streatfield of children and grownups miscommunicating and all things seem to go terribly wrong, before everything goes terribly right. Due to the way the children were written, they are a little sufferable to read, which made for slow goings, but the happy ending always helps.
October 3, 2021
This is my least favorite of the Shoe books, though I did enjoy parts of it very much. It is slower to develop for me, and I didn’t take to the characters as quickly as in other books. Also I’m not a huge fan of circus settings for some reason. Noel Streatfeild certainly did her research well though and this is probably the circus book I have enjoyed the most. Peter and Santa’s development over the book is handled really well, and I love their devotion to each other as siblings. The group of kids they hang out with are fun too, all the more so because of their different nationalities and customs. Ben is the best character, in my opinion. Gus grew on me.
May 28, 2022
I've been on a circus kick after night circus and looking for a book to recapture it. With this being "shoes" book, I was hoping maybe to recapture some of that magic. This...kinda did. I loved reading about how the circus worked, how the acts worked, how the children went to school, and how the two kids learned to find their place. However, this is one of those books where if ANYONE talked to each other the book would not exist. It's not like the other shoes books, where the characters are told money is needed, and it truly is or where while the characters keep explaining what they want, the adults don't listen. It's fine, but it's nothing great.
December 11, 2020
A bit by the numbers there are two things I want to note:
--first that throughout, Streatfeild is waging a quiet but determined campaign against the use of wild animals, and for a recognition of 'personhood' of all animals.
--the book was published in 1938, and at the end of it all the families, head off to European countries, including the German family who head to Germany.
You can find details about what happened to the circuses in Germany and France during the war, here; http://www.divergingfates.eu/
--first that throughout, Streatfeild is waging a quiet but determined campaign against the use of wild animals, and for a recognition of 'personhood' of all animals.
--the book was published in 1938, and at the end of it all the families, head off to European countries, including the German family who head to Germany.
You can find details about what happened to the circuses in Germany and France during the war, here; http://www.divergingfates.eu/
August 26, 2021
When the aunt of orphans Peter and Santa dies, they are threatened with going to separate orphanages. Not wanting to be separated, they decide to run away and find their Uncle Gus who works for a circus. Gus is a little nonplussed when they show up, but he deals quite well. The children have led such sheltered lives that everything in the "real" world is new to them so they have quite a learning curve. As they adapt to life in the circus, they meet other children and learn a lot. Another good 'Shoe' book!
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