The Circus Train in Publishers Weekly
We’re heading into the fall season, which means things are gearing up for the American release of The Circus Train, happening December 6th. That means advance reviews are starting to come in.
I made a promise to myself to steer clear of reviews after my book was published in Canada. And I’ve stuck to that promise. I don’t understand the point of going on Amazon or Goodreads and reading what people are saying about something I made. At best, I would have an inflated sense of my abilities as a writer. At worst, I would walk around feeling terrible about something someone said. I don’t understand what I would even do with a review at this point — the book is done, it’s not like I can go back and change it.
Reviews are for readers, not writers. I keep what I think is a very healthy distance between myself as an individual and the work I create and while I can’t tell anyone else what to do, I would strongly advise any writers to do the same.
But trade press is a little different. My editors have been sending me updates from US trade publications and we got this lovely one from Publishers Weekly. It’ll run in the print edition on October 17th, but here’s a little snippet below.
“Fascinating. . . Parikh’s extensive historical research adds authenticity to the lives of the circus performers as well as Lena’s disability, and the characters’ arcs highlight the ever-present dangers in WWII Europe and make palpable the strength of friendship. Fans of historical fiction will be drawn to this page-turner.”