Fantasy

A Girl Made of Air

A Girl Made of Air

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  • Create Date：2021-09-26 08:50:58
  • Update Date：2025-09-07
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Nydia Hetherington
  • ISBN：1529408911
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Summary

A lyrical and atmospheric homage to the strange and extraordinary， perfect for fans of Angela Carter and Erin Morgenstern。

This is the story of The Greatest Funambulist Who Ever Lived。。。

Born into a post-war circus family， our nameless star was unwanted and forgotten， abandoned in the shadows of the big top。 until the bright light of Serendipity Wilson threw her into focus。

Now an adult， haunted by an incident in which a child was lost from the circus， our narrator， a tightrope artiste， weaves together her spellbinding tales of circus legends， earthy magic and folklore， all in the hope of finding the child。。。 But will her story be enough to bring the pair together again？

Beautiful and intoxicating， A Girl Made of Air brings the circus to life in all of its grime and glory; Marina， Manu， Serendipity Wilson， Fausto， Big Gen and Mouse will live long in the hearts of readers。 As will this story of loss and reconciliation， of storytelling and truth

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Reviews

Lia ，

Nydia Hetherington's debut novel is one of the most magical reading experiences I've had in the past several years。 It's an epistolary novel written by our protagonist， Mouse， to a reporter， describing her life as the Greatest Funambulist Who Ever Lived。 Mouse grew up the neglected child of two circus stars。 She befriends the mysterious and magical Serendipity Wilson， who becomes both her mentor and her coach。 Mouse grows into an accomplished funambulist and the star of the circus， but tragedy s Nydia Hetherington's debut novel is one of the most magical reading experiences I've had in the past several years。 It's an epistolary novel written by our protagonist， Mouse， to a reporter， describing her life as the Greatest Funambulist Who Ever Lived。 Mouse grew up the neglected child of two circus stars。 She befriends the mysterious and magical Serendipity Wilson， who becomes both her mentor and her coach。 Mouse grows into an accomplished funambulist and the star of the circus， but tragedy strikes and sends her on a quest for a missing child and for resolution to some of the mysteries of her past。Hetherington mixes magic， mythology， mystery， and the occasional heartbreaking dose of history and reality with the deft grace of a tightrope walker。 I had to set the book down every once in a while， to process plot twists or to appreciate a particularly lovely phrase。 I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys historical fiction or magical realism， or who admires beautiful prose。 I'm definitely looking forward to more books by this author。 。。。more

Emma Hardy ，

This is really poignant and absolutely mesmerizing。 Transports you into another world。 Some really hard hitting historical moments that I know will stay with me for a while。 Vivid， colourful and ever so special。

Janelle ，

Unfortunately I didn’t like this as much as I thought I would。 Told in a disjointed way， it never really came together for me， the flow didn’t work。 I loved Mouse， the narrator and the wonderfully named Serendipity Wilson， a foundling from the Isle of Mann。 Her adaptations of traditional Manx tales were my favourite bits of the book。 Some of the back stories of the various characters are very dark and certainly added depth to the stories。

Ann ，

Thanks to the publisher for a copy of the book。Another fantasy novel that I think is probably fine， but didn't grab me enough to keep going。 Fantasy is so hit or miss for me。 I do really love the cover and I think I would really enjoy this world in a visual form but maybe books about circuses/carnivals aren't for me？ Thanks to the publisher for a copy of the book。Another fantasy novel that I think is probably fine， but didn't grab me enough to keep going。 Fantasy is so hit or miss for me。 I do really love the cover and I think I would really enjoy this world in a visual form but maybe books about circuses/carnivals aren't for me？ 。。。more

TheWomanCalledSun ，

Initial rating: 5 starsReview incoming。 。 。

Mel Pretorius ，

When I first started reading this book， I thought that my first line would be "this book is so good that I bought it twice" but now I have finished it， my first line is "please let there be a sequel or Nydia， please write some more amazing books"。 I bought this book on Kindle a while ago but also requested it on NetGalley， having forgotten I'd bought it。 I'm not regretting it at all。If you love books about the circus （Circus of Wonders by Elizabeth Macneal or Nights at the Circus by Angela Carte When I first started reading this book， I thought that my first line would be "this book is so good that I bought it twice" but now I have finished it， my first line is "please let there be a sequel or Nydia， please write some more amazing books"。 I bought this book on Kindle a while ago but also requested it on NetGalley， having forgotten I'd bought it。 I'm not regretting it at all。If you love books about the circus （Circus of Wonders by Elizabeth Macneal or Nights at the Circus by Angela Carter） then you should love this book。 I've realised that the main character doesn't have a name per se， but is called Mouse by one of her fellow performers Serendipity。 Mouse doesn't have an easy life， her mother gives birth to her but doesn't really look after her。 Her pseudo-mother Serendipity raises her and teaches her the art of tightrope-walking or a funambulist。 It takes off from there。The book is told in the past tense， bits written down but collated into a story。 It all ties up beautifully in the end。I do hope for a sequel。 。。。more

Verity Halliday ，

A Girl Made of Air was a swing and a miss for me。 I disliked the protagonist and found the storyline unconvincing and strangely disconnected from time and place。 The best bits were the Manx fairytales told by Serendipity Wilson which just about kept me going until the end。 I’m sure this book will have its fans， but sadly I wasn’t one of them。Thanks to the author， publisher and NetGalley for providing a review copy in exchange for honest feedback。

Thebooktrail ，

my Discover the locations in the novelOh a novel about a circus， set in England and Coney island， featuring a funambulist by the name of Mouse？ They were the first three reasons to read this book。 The cover was another one。 There were many more， believe me。Mouse is the leading figure in this showstopper of a story。 How she got that name is both sad and interesting， but we meet her as as adult as she remembers and indeed， recovers from her childhood。 There’s lots of stories to come out of this o my Discover the locations in the novelOh a novel about a circus， set in England and Coney island， featuring a funambulist by the name of Mouse？ They were the first three reasons to read this book。 The cover was another one。 There were many more， believe me。Mouse is the leading figure in this showstopper of a story。 How she got that name is both sad and interesting， but we meet her as as adult as she remembers and indeed， recovers from her childhood。 There’s lots of stories to come out of this one but be aware there are some dark and very sad， poignant moments too。Mouse isn’t the only one with a great name however。 Serendipity， the tightrope queen with hair as red as rubies takes Mouse under her wing and gets her into the spotlight so to speak。 Their friendship is fascinating to see how it develops and the characters are drawn so vividly that I’m sure I would recognise either of them in the street。 The tightrope walking scenes will make the hairs on the back of your neck stick up！The story of The Girl Made of Air is told y Mouse who corresponds with a journalist in New York and through letters and other things， we learn of Mouse’s story。 How she joins and loves the circus， then how she is forced to leave it and find her own way in life。 Tragedy is always waiting in the wings but Mouse seeks the spotlight as a street performer in Coney Island for now。 She has come here for one reason and one reason only。 That is the story we see threaded and woven throughout the novel。 Like a circus performer yourself， you as the reader will swing back and forth from happiness to sadness， elation to sorrow and wonderment to shock。This is a novel of light and dark。 Dark shadows as you wait for the bright lights of the main scene to come on。 There are dark shadows floating all around you， behind you and beside you。 This is a circus tent where shadows and corners of darkness are the norm。 What this author does however， is weave a magical world – yet this is a dangerous and dank world of behind the scenes of a circus。 Think Grim Fairy Tales and stories of fables and surreal worlds。 Then roll up for a spectacular of a show you will never forget。 But bring your hankies and your candles for when the darkness gets too much。 。。。more

Denise ，

I was so， so excited when I saw this book。 First of all， I love books set in a circus。 The magic， the joy， the sparkles。 Secondly， my favorite genres are historical fiction and magical realism， and as this is a mix of both， what could possibly go wrong？ Finally， I enjoy books that have a bit of a different approach/writing style， so I was excited to be reading something that's pretty much a patchwork collage of memories， journal entries and letters。 Now， the book lived up to some of the expectat I was so， so excited when I saw this book。 First of all， I love books set in a circus。 The magic， the joy， the sparkles。 Secondly， my favorite genres are historical fiction and magical realism， and as this is a mix of both， what could possibly go wrong？ Finally， I enjoy books that have a bit of a different approach/writing style， so I was excited to be reading something that's pretty much a patchwork collage of memories， journal entries and letters。 Now， the book lived up to some of the expectation， but not all。 It was different indeed。 The writing style was fun， but also difficult to keep track of at times （multiple timelines tend to have that effect generally， but with the storylines being told through memories。。。 it's humanly faulty）。 I got some of the magic of the circus， but this was really much more of a story about the grim and harsh life in the circus。 Our MC is mostly anonymous （Mouse）。 As we are getting to know them through their memories and journals， it feels like we get to go inside their head。 We see the inner conflict about past actions play out really well （and this to me was actually the most enjoyable factor of A Girl Made of Air）， but at the same time， it is these deeds and the turmoil that made it harder for me to identify with Mouse。 I am not sure that Mouse was supposed to be a likable character， but it's definitely a moral grey zone for me。 All in all， a mixed bag。 Mostly because I was expecting something different I think。 Something less dark and more magical。 Have I forever been ruined by The Night Circus？ The writing was amazing though， so I do feel that if you go in with the right expectations， this is a really good read。A big thank you to NetGalley and Quercus Books for providing me with an eARC in return for an honest review。 All thoughts and opinions are my own。 。。。more

Alison Davis ，

Nydia Hetherington has chosen a largely anonymous narrator， who is known to a few as ‘Mouse’ for her novel A Girl Made of Air。 This unusual concept gives the story an immediacy and intimacy as it’s obviously narrated in the first person。 Born in a circus Mouse is more or less abandoned by her mother and is taken in by a high wire artiste， the luminous Serendipity Wilson。 This is very much a tale centred on personal relationships and the repercussions caused by the behaviour of the many flawed ch Nydia Hetherington has chosen a largely anonymous narrator， who is known to a few as ‘Mouse’ for her novel A Girl Made of Air。 This unusual concept gives the story an immediacy and intimacy as it’s obviously narrated in the first person。 Born in a circus Mouse is more or less abandoned by her mother and is taken in by a high wire artiste， the luminous Serendipity Wilson。 This is very much a tale centred on personal relationships and the repercussions caused by the behaviour of the many flawed characters。 Mouse， who isn’t a particularly likeable character， reveals her story through memories， letters and journal entries as it weaves between the present in New York to the past in England。 She becomes the greatest funambulist who ever lived but true happiness eludes her。 I particularly loved the folklore tales of Serendipity Wilson which were interspersed throughout the book。 It is a memorable and beautifully written story albeit an uncomfortable one at times。 Thanks to NetGalley and Quercus for the ARC。 。。。more

kayleigh ❁ ，

⭑⭑ 2 starsthemes:- circus- family trauma- set post WW2 "If someone somewhere is reading this notebook， if it is many years into the future and I am long since dead， all I ask， dear reader， is that you pity my ghost。"Goodreads Synopsis:This is the story of The Greatest Funambulist Who Ever Lived。。。Born into a post-war circus family， our nameless star was unwanted and forgotten， abandoned in the shadows of the big top。 until the bright light of Serendipity Wilson threw her into focus。Now an adu ⭑⭑ 2 starsthemes:- circus- family trauma- set post WW2 "If someone somewhere is reading this notebook， if it is many years into the future and I am long since dead， all I ask， dear reader， is that you pity my ghost。"Goodreads Synopsis:This is the story of The Greatest Funambulist Who Ever Lived。。。Born into a post-war circus family， our nameless star was unwanted and forgotten， abandoned in the shadows of the big top。 until the bright light of Serendipity Wilson threw her into focus。Now an adult， haunted by an incident in which a child was lost from the circus， our narrator， a tightrope artiste， weaves together her spellbinding tales of circus legends， earthy magic and folklore， all in the hope of finding the child。。。 But will her story be enough to bring the pair together again？ PlotI really enjoyed the first chapter of the book which was in an interview format between the main character， Mouse， and the anonymous interviewer。 Unfortunately， that was all I enjoyed。 The plot was good， but took such a long time to be executed that I was left feeling bored。 Characters & DynamicsAnother disappointment for me。 The perpetual intense introspection of Mouse was overwhelming。 Again， I had to keep putting it down for some air。 All that introspection and I'm not sure I learnt anything about the main character except how she is treated in the circus and how she feels about her circus fellows。 WritingThe writing is indeed very atmospheric but extremely slow to the point where I kept losing interest。 I did however love the format of the writing which made the story seem more realistic。 I see why the writing is compared to Angela Carter and Erin Morgenstern as it is extremely beautiful。 I suppose I needed more reason to like the main character to really get invested in the story。 World BuildingThe descriptions of the circus， those who reside in the circus and perform， the animals， the dirt， the fun moments， the sexual tension， the intrigue， was perfect。 Likes- The world building- The first chapter Dislikes- The pace- The overwhelming introspection Final ThoughtsI hate that I'm disappointed by this book because the premise is so intriguing。 I think that I will come back to it in the future and hopefully be able to give a better review。 。。。more

Karen ，

A Girl Made of Air follows the story of Mouse， ‘The Greatest Funambulist Who Ever Lived’。 She recounts her life story through a series of memories， old journal entries and letters。 It is well written with some vivid descriptive writing and sprinkled with dark folk law adding an interesting layer to the tale。 The story goes back and forth between past and present filling the reader in with lots of historical background。 For the most part it’s set against the backdrop of the grim and unforgiving r A Girl Made of Air follows the story of Mouse， ‘The Greatest Funambulist Who Ever Lived’。 She recounts her life story through a series of memories， old journal entries and letters。 It is well written with some vivid descriptive writing and sprinkled with dark folk law adding an interesting layer to the tale。 The story goes back and forth between past and present filling the reader in with lots of historical background。 For the most part it’s set against the backdrop of the grim and unforgiving reality of circus life and it is not quite the fairytale adventure I had imagined。 Expecting a magical tale set against the hustle and bustle and bright lights of circus life it fell short of my expectations。The characters are well drawn with some extremely insightful back history giving them depth and feeling。 However， this is a weird world full of strange people and there aren’t many likeable characters amongst them。 The main focus is on Mouse with the lives of others being drawn in。 Mouse has been raised in the circus， she was rejected by her parents and has had a hard life coping on her own often resorting to sleeping with circus animals for company。 She’s done some unforgivable things and is now plagued with regret and the author did a brilliant job of portraying her inner turmoil。 Some of her actions are quite shocking and also frustrating and you desperately want to re-write some of the pages。 It is because of the repercussions of Mouse’s actions I couldn’t empathise with， or even like her character。 Although this is a book which I will no doubt remember and be mulling over for some time to come， it is not one which I particularly enjoyed。 There is no doubt it is beautifully written and the author showcases her brilliance at story telling， but because of the bleak storyline and distasteful characters it sadly was not for me and left me feeling a little out of sorts。Thank you to the publisher for the eARC via Netgalley to review。 TWISTED IN PAGES BLOG 。。。more

Cristiana Marques ，

"A Girl Made of Air": 3。5⭐（Unpaid Review: thank you to @netgalley， @nydiahetherington and the publishers for allowing me to read this eArc copy in exchange for a review。）Such Night Circus vibes！ I haven't read the book but by the aesthetic videos I've seen of it， it's definitely close to it！ This book deals a lot with relationships and hard life decisions and memories。 The girl made of air is Mouse and she has been through so much in her life， only to join the circus life。I really liked the atmo "A Girl Made of Air": 3。5⭐（Unpaid Review: thank you to @netgalley， @nydiahetherington and the publishers for allowing me to read this eArc copy in exchange for a review。）Such Night Circus vibes！ I haven't read the book but by the aesthetic videos I've seen of it， it's definitely close to it！ This book deals a lot with relationships and hard life decisions and memories。 The girl made of air is Mouse and she has been through so much in her life， only to join the circus life。I really liked the atmospheric feel of this book and the writing is spotless。 However， I would like to see so much more of these characters！ I definitely recommend this book tho！！ 。。。more

Deb Tietz ，

I quit this one。 Too convoluted。

Miriam ，

Ehhh。 The prose isn't bad and is often very visually evocative， but the plot is told in such a confusing way - interviews， memories， letters， and all with an overarching "ooooh I regret secret thiiiiings" - that's kind of annoying to wade through。 Ehhh。 The prose isn't bad and is often very visually evocative， but the plot is told in such a confusing way - interviews， memories， letters， and all with an overarching "ooooh I regret secret thiiiiings" - that's kind of annoying to wade through。 。。。more

Lorraine ，

I loved the premise of this but I just couldn’t warm to any of the main characters which made it hard for me to really invest in the story。 It is beautifully written and very inventive though。

Cynde ，

I could not get interested in this book。 It was sad and dark and it just didn't work for me。 The pace was slow and the atmosphere was depressed。 The child was unwanted ， taken in by an aerialist who trained the child to do the act that she did。 The child looked up to here with near hero worship because she had taken here in。 I did not complete the book ， I found it sad and depressing。 I could not get interested in this book。 It was sad and dark and it just didn't work for me。 The pace was slow and the atmosphere was depressed。 The child was unwanted ， taken in by an aerialist who trained the child to do the act that she did。 The child looked up to here with near hero worship because she had taken here in。 I did not complete the book ， I found it sad and depressing。 。。。more

WS_BOOKCLUB ，

Thank you to Netgalley and Quercus for providing me with this book in exchange for my honest opinion。 A Girl Made of Air is available now。I’m always fascinated by the idea of stories being told through collections of letters or diaries。 The fact that this revolved around a circus was also intriguing。 Ultimately， though， while A Girl Made of Air had a lot going for it， I found some things rather problematic。The book follows Mouse， a famous tightrope walker， as she recounts her early life and the Thank you to Netgalley and Quercus for providing me with this book in exchange for my honest opinion。 A Girl Made of Air is available now。I’m always fascinated by the idea of stories being told through collections of letters or diaries。 The fact that this revolved around a circus was also intriguing。 Ultimately， though， while A Girl Made of Air had a lot going for it， I found some things rather problematic。The book follows Mouse， a famous tightrope walker， as she recounts her early life and the events that shaped her。 She’s an interesting protagonist because the narration matures as the character does。 The older she gets， the more complex and adult-sounding the narration becomes。 It was a great detail， one that mirrors how people really develop。 The book is peopled with distinctive characters: Marina， Mouse’s mother， Manu…and Serendipity Wilson， who is something else entirely。 She is the bright light that Mouse is drawn to， and the story is viewed in relation to her。 All of the characters were vivid and， in some cases， larger than life。 They became almost caricatures of themselves， which was fascinating。 I also think that was intentional and it gave the book a fantastical feel。So， what did I find problematic？ First of all， parts of the book felt repetitive。 Some bits just didn’t really add to the story or character development at all and I found my attention wandering a bit。 Secondly， and this is what really bothered me， is the unexpected rape scene。 It was graphic and， as someone who prefers to avoid books with that sort of content， I really wish I’d known it was coming。 As it was， I was blindsided and it really upset me。 That being said， this isn’t something that will have a big effect on everyone。 It just was something that dimmed the enjoyment of the book for me。A Girl Made of Air meandered a little， but it was an interesting trip。 At the end of the day， I’m not the right reader for this book。 It would be much more enjoyable to readers who don’t mind a bit of harsh content and like a story with well developed characters。 。。。more

Lauren ，

I really wanted to love this book。 With it’s magical overtones and circus setting I hoped it would be in the same vein as the Greatest Showman， though perhaps a bit darker。 However it somehow missed the mark for me and I just couldn’t get in to it。 It felt like a bit of a slog to get through as it went on but I was intrigued enough by the concept to persevere with it。 It is darker as I’d hoped， with Marina’s backstory reveal （although that wasn’t that much of a surprise given the historical sett I really wanted to love this book。 With it’s magical overtones and circus setting I hoped it would be in the same vein as the Greatest Showman， though perhaps a bit darker。 However it somehow missed the mark for me and I just couldn’t get in to it。 It felt like a bit of a slog to get through as it went on but I was intrigued enough by the concept to persevere with it。 It is darker as I’d hoped， with Marina’s backstory reveal （although that wasn’t that much of a surprise given the historical setting） and the trauma Mouse suffers throughout her childhood， but it just doesn’t really go anywhere。 In the second part of the book Mouse seems to switch to a totally different person which didn’t make sense to me。 She goes from being a meek thing who hides to an outgoing person， and it’s explained simply by her internal dialogue about it， it was confusing and out of character。 Furthermore her actual career that you think the book is working up to is glossed over。 It felt like the writer had been given a word limit and realised they’d spent too long on earlier sections and just had to wrap it up。 I felt for Mouse but didn’t particularly like her either， I don’t feel like any of the characters are well developed enough for readers to really get to know and therefore love。 Also there were several references to Mouse being a ‘monster’ throughout the first half and then she’s supposed to go off and live her life in the spotlight with various lovers etc。 Other characters refer to her as such early on too so I was expecting there to be some sort of ‘freak show’ type reveal regarding her appearance but that never happened so I’m confused about what that was all about。 The final twist is quite good but by that point I wasn’t really fussed anymore and was just glad to be reaching some sort of conclusion。 I liked the way it was tied up with the ‘handing over’ of the stories but ultimately it just didn’t grab me。 I don’t know if it’s because I listened to audio version and found the narrator’s northern accent a bit jarring but I didn’t connect。 You can’t love them all though can you。 Thanks to NetGalley I received an audio copy in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more

Rachel ，

"I wish I was hidden under the big wagon; I wish I was anywhere but here"。 Introducing Mouse-an unwanted circus child。 I wish I had more to say about this book but really the only feelings I came up with was sadness and almost a feeling of emptyness as you follow through Mouse's recounts of her treatment in her circus days。 Unfortunately for me， this book was my first attempt at reading something so lyrical， and I also learned that this is just not a format that I enjoy。 I think I went into this "I wish I was hidden under the big wagon; I wish I was anywhere but here"。 Introducing Mouse-an unwanted circus child。 I wish I had more to say about this book but really the only feelings I came up with was sadness and almost a feeling of emptyness as you follow through Mouse's recounts of her treatment in her circus days。 Unfortunately for me， this book was my first attempt at reading something so lyrical， and I also learned that this is just not a format that I enjoy。 I think I went into this book expecting something that was more magical and mystic（as often compared to） and this one just didn't do it for me。 Beautifully written， I have never seen such traumatic events unfold so beautifully， but just not for me。 。。。more

Alexandra ，

I read this thanks to NetGalley。 Well。。 This was 。。。 quite weird。 And consequently， kinda hard for me to review。 Let me get some thoughts down:* I don't tend to go in for circus stories。 I have never been fascinated by the circus as a place， so I don't gravitate to stories about them。 Not that I hate them！ But I have no comparisons to make as to whether this is a good circus story or not。 The circus is not made out to be a deeply loving family or a wonderful magical place。。。 magical， perhaps， an I read this thanks to NetGalley。 Well。。 This was 。。。 quite weird。 And consequently， kinda hard for me to review。 Let me get some thoughts down:* I don't tend to go in for circus stories。 I have never been fascinated by the circus as a place， so I don't gravitate to stories about them。 Not that I hate them！ But I have no comparisons to make as to whether this is a good circus story or not。 The circus is not made out to be a deeply loving family or a wonderful magical place。。。 magical， perhaps， and certainly for the punters， but wonderful？ Not always。 * The structure of the story is intriguing， and one of the aspects that I really enjoyed it。 It opens with what might be a dream or might be a memory。 Then moves on to an interview， with the child from the first part now an older woman， talking about her family and her life as a funambulist - a tightrope walker。 The interview hides as much as it reveals。 The rest of the book then swings between the older women reflecting on her life and the experience of doing that reflecting， and then back in time to the experiences she is re-living。 There's a biography being revealed， clearly。 But it's also a rumination on the nature of memory and the nature of family and the possibilities of， the realities of， memory。 This aspect - how it makes the reader think about how we tell our own stories - was probably， for me， the most intriguing aspect。 * There's a lot about parents here。 The failures of parents and who is a parent - that it's not just about biology - and what parents can or should or can't be。 What children can， should， and shouldn't know about their parents。 And how all of those things （can） have an impact on children。。。* There is also， unsurprisingly！， a lot about learning to walk on a tightrope。 As someone who really doesn't like heights， that was both terrifying and fascinating。 But it's really not the focus - it's a means to an end， really。 * Overall I enjoyed this story， although it's very much not my usual sort of thing。 。。。more

Nicki Markus ，

Full review to follow in August。I received this book as a free eBook ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review。

Judith ，

Magical and dream-like， yet dark and brutally realistic。When I read the blurb， I was expecting this book to take me on a whimsical and magical journey like The Night Circus did。 And yes， A Girl Made Of Air was definitely filled with moments that wrapped me up in sparkling magic， but it was also so so much more brutal than I was expecting。 Unlike The Night Circus， where we are thrown into a fictional world of magic， in this book you are submerged into a dark and realistic world of Mouse's circus。 Magical and dream-like， yet dark and brutally realistic。When I read the blurb， I was expecting this book to take me on a whimsical and magical journey like The Night Circus did。 And yes， A Girl Made Of Air was definitely filled with moments that wrapped me up in sparkling magic， but it was also so so much more brutal than I was expecting。 Unlike The Night Circus， where we are thrown into a fictional world of magic， in this book you are submerged into a dark and realistic world of Mouse's circus。 I think I would call the experience of this book "magical escapism"， because as the reader you are constantly running after the characters in a confusing and eternal escape from real world trauma into the world of glittering （sometimes horrifying） magic。 As heartbreaking as the world of this book is， I was totally in love with it。I loved this book because the story is told with a combination of reflections， anecdotes， folklore， diary entries and interviews， and they are all intertwined。 I really connected with the characters in this story， and with their sad， beautiful and tragic messed up world， where reality， beliefs， trauma and magic all blend into one。 So much of this book is told in a beautiful， poetic， metaphorical way， and SO much happens in this book。。。 I definitely need to read it again if I want to understand it all （and I think I definitely will revisit this book）。 。。。more

Sharon ，

The narrator of this book never names herself and the bulk of the story takes place in England， although the specific towns the circus visits are never specified。 This lack of details gives the story a timeless， magical quality。 None of the characters or plot points are what they seem at first。 The author does not gloss over the hard work needed to master circus arts。 She speaks much about the idea of family - both natural and self-created。

Julia ，

It was definitely an intriguing story！！ I love the circus atmosphere， the depth to the characters， and the melancholy tone！Ending was predictable and kinda cliche though。 But otherwise， I absolutely loved this book！

My Yorkshire Litmosphere ，

As soon as I saw this cover， I knew I’d have to read it！ Circus related storylines as such a hit with me 🎪 The Greatest Funambulist Who Ever Lived？ Well。 That sounds like a person I’d want to read about ♥️In the form of interviews， diaries， memories， letters and postcards， Mouse tells us about her life at the circus， after the circus and her relationships。This books is so beautifully descriptive， dark in places and completely captivating。 A magically described and completely wonderful story - th As soon as I saw this cover， I knew I’d have to read it！ Circus related storylines as such a hit with me 🎪 The Greatest Funambulist Who Ever Lived？ Well。 That sounds like a person I’d want to read about ♥️In the form of interviews， diaries， memories， letters and postcards， Mouse tells us about her life at the circus， after the circus and her relationships。This books is so beautifully descriptive， dark in places and completely captivating。 A magically described and completely wonderful story - the folklores from Serendipity Wilson are just fantastic！This is such a fantastic debut book and such a wonderful way to read such wonderfully diverse stories！ 。。。more

Jakki ，

“I’ve always loved storms。 They’re a primordial reminder that we’re not in control。”This book was completely consuming。 It snatches you up immediately and throws you violently into a world of secrets， mystery， and drama。 The intoxicating world of the circus post WWII。 Nydia Hetherington weaves a tale that reads like no other book I’ve read。 And I absolutely loved it。 Synopsis: this is the story of The Greatest Funambulist Who Ever Lived。。。。 Born into a legendary circus family， our nameless star “I’ve always loved storms。 They’re a primordial reminder that we’re not in control。”This book was completely consuming。 It snatches you up immediately and throws you violently into a world of secrets， mystery， and drama。 The intoxicating world of the circus post WWII。 Nydia Hetherington weaves a tale that reads like no other book I’ve read。 And I absolutely loved it。 Synopsis: this is the story of The Greatest Funambulist Who Ever Lived。。。。 Born into a legendary circus family， our nameless star was unwanted and forgotten， abandoned to grow up in the shadows of the big top。 Until a woman with flaming red hair arrives at the circus and teaches her how to perform on the wire。Now to the nitty gritty。 This book was deep。 Deeper than most fantasy books in the terms of the real world。 Nydia touches on several deeply traumatic situations and scenarios that while necessary to the story， could be jolting for some readers。 There were chapters in the book I found myself having to go back a few pages to make sure I hadn’t missed a page or two。 It always tied up and made sense but in the throes of reading it can be confusing。 I would absolutely recommend this book to anyone who love fantasy based in reality。 Anyone who enjoys the musings of faerie myths and the coming of age of a relatable and likable mc。 Thank you to NetGalley for letting me read A Girl Made of Air in exchange for myHonest review。 TW: Abandonment， child neglect， death， suicide， rape， child kidnapping。 。。。more

Linda Marie Austin ，

This is certainly one of the most creative fictional books I’ve ever read。 It is the story of a woman whose experiences run the gamut from being rejected by her birth mother to being the star of the show， adored by the masses who watch her graceful moves on the wire。 She has struggled her entire life to find acceptance and an enduring relationship with another human being。 The narrator’s life is laid out in flashback style。 In the present day she reflects on the earliest memories of her childhoo This is certainly one of the most creative fictional books I’ve ever read。 It is the story of a woman whose experiences run the gamut from being rejected by her birth mother to being the star of the show， adored by the masses who watch her graceful moves on the wire。 She has struggled her entire life to find acceptance and an enduring relationship with another human being。 The narrator’s life is laid out in flashback style。 In the present day she reflects on the earliest memories of her childhood， growing up in the shadow of the big top， the relationship she developed with her surrogate mother， Serendipity Wilson， the thrill of performing her act on the high wire， and her life in New York after leaving England， which has been focused on finding Bunny， the child who she came to love。It is a bit odd that by the end of this novel the narrator has told her entire life story in detail， from its beginning to the present， exposing all of her dreams， ghosts and vices， and yet has not revealed her name。 After reflecting on this， I realized that this gives a bit of mystique to the pages and is part of the charm of the tale。There are six tales told by Serendipity Wilson entwined throughout the chapters。 Some of these are more relatable to the narrator’s life than others。 I had a difficult time trying to deduce how some of them connected to the work 。。。more

Dee ，

I’d bought this book back in January and just haven’t had time to read it。 I’m so glad I got round to it。 I’d recently read Circus of Wonders by Elizabeth MacNeal so was quite looking forward to reading another circus style book。 How different the two books are！ A Girl Made of Air is so good， its lovely， heartwarming， sad， heartbreaking， uplifting and magical all at the same time。 Mouse is a child， thrown into such a strange life where she isn’t wanted and pushed aside。 Her parents are close by I’d bought this book back in January and just haven’t had time to read it。 I’m so glad I got round to it。 I’d recently read Circus of Wonders by Elizabeth MacNeal so was quite looking forward to reading another circus style book。 How different the two books are！ A Girl Made of Air is so good， its lovely， heartwarming， sad， heartbreaking， uplifting and magical all at the same time。 Mouse is a child， thrown into such a strange life where she isn’t wanted and pushed aside。 Her parents are close by but don’t have anything to do with her。 Serendipity Wilson comes along and everything changes for Mouse。 She has someone who loves her， someone who looks after her， they live together in Serendipity’s tent。 I loved how the author always made Mouse use Serendipity Wilson’s full name， there was something very old worldly about it。 I loved the way Mouse describes the circus world， the way she sees things from under the caravans when she’s hiding away watching the world。 She sneaky， and knows exactly where to go and how to stay away from people。 The love she brings when she talks about being on the wire， you can tell it makes her feel special and gives her joy。 And the way she talks about Serendipity Wilson， she is very specia to her and you feel it through the pages。 I liked the adult mouse talking to the reporter， giving her views of what happened back whe she was a child， talking about the missing child and her time trying to find her。 I loved the house with the rollercoaster on top， the thought of something so fun like that was great。 But there was also great sadness in the book， there were a few times I welled up a little， Nydias descriptive and heartfelt writing of these moments were so well written it dug deep down and made you feel it so much。 I loved this book， a huge 5 stars from me。 I’m hoping Nadia writes more and I would definitely read any more of her books。 。。。more

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=A Girl Made of Air

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=A Girl Made of Air&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,A Girl Made of Air&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0