Man on the Tightrope

by Neil Paterson

First blank page is torn. Dust Cover. Spine is tight but separated partly. No stains or tears of the content of this book. I do see a few spots and pages are yellow due to the age of this book. Salvage and the word machinato library property of the U.S. Army is stamped on the inside cover of this book.

128 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1952

About the author

Neil Paterson was educated at Banff Academy and Edinburgh University. He wrote widely for the cinema. His novels include The China Run (1948), Behold Thy Daughter (1950) and And Delilah (1951).

Paterson won the 1959 Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay for Room at the Top. Before his success as a writer, he worked in journalism and had a brief career as an amateur footballer, playing for Buckie Thistle, Leith Athletic and Dundee United in the Scottish Football League.

Reviews

[Benjamin Thomas · Rating 4 out of 5]

In post-World War II Czechoslovakia, a circus owner/operator named Cernik is frustrated by his country’s now-Communist government and is determined to escape to Austria. After being interrogated by the state security enforcers, Cernik’s plans are forced into a faster-than-planned timeline. He must contend with spies for the state, competing circuses, a beautiful but perhaps unfaithful wife, and a willful daughter in order to bring the plan to fruition and bring his entire circus across the border.

This book really is a lost treasure. I even had to create a new entry for it here on Goodreads just to add a review. I picked it up along with a batch of extremely cheap pulp-era paperbacks, and based purely on the cover art, I wasn’t expecting all that much. Happily, I was pleasantly surprised. I also hadn’t realized that it is based on a true story. It first appeared as the magazine novel, International Incident and was based on the actual escape of the Circus Brumbach from East Germany in 1950. The author, Neil Patterson (James Edmund Neil Patterson), was a well-regarded Scottish writer and among his works is the Academy Award for best adapted screenplay (1959’s Room at the Top). This book, too, was turned into a movie a year following publication.

It’s a pretty quick read and it kept me engaged throughout. I would recommend it to others except it might be very difficult to obtain. It reads like an adventure novel of daring escape and after reading it, I am interested to chase down the movie as well. Although you know how that goes…

[Marei · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it. There was betrayal, there was plot, there was a man with a luxurious moustache, it was everything I needed in a book about a circus trying to escape through the Iron Curtain in the mid 1900s.

[Adam Dunn · Rating 2 out of 5]

Short story with big print. I didn't care for it.
After reading Love, Let Me Not Hunger by Paul Gallico, I wanted to read another circus novel. I found this to be thin on plot and description, almost a short story. Read it in a couple hours, won't remember it tomorrow.

[Bob · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting 50's suspense novella about a man and his circus as he plans to escape communist Czechoslovakia into Austria. Recommended