The Blue Moon Circus

by Michael Raleigh

Together with a magician, a snake handler, a Russian animal tamer, and a nine-year-old orphan, ringmaster Lewis Tully tours the American West in 1926 with his circus act for one last time before settling down.

Genres: Fiction, Historical Fiction

342 pages, Paperback

First published April 1, 2003

About the author

Michael Raleigh is the author of eleven novels. His novel POE STREET (Level Best Books) will come out in March. His most recent book is MURDER IN THE SUMMER OF LOVE (Coffeetown Press), 2021. Previous books include PEERLESS DETECTIVE, 2015 (Diversion Books), THE CONJURER'S BOY, 2013 (Harvard Square Editions), IN THE CASTLE OF THE FLYNNS (Sourcebooks 2002, reprinted 2012) THE BLUE MOON CIRCUS (Sourcebooks 2003) and the five Paul Whelan mysteries (DEATH IN UPTOWN, A BODY IN BELMONT HARBOR, THE MAXWELL STREET BLUES, A KILLER ON ARGYLE STREET, AND THE RIVERVIEW MURDERS, all originally published by St. Martin's Press and re-released by Diversion Books in February 2015). The Riverview Murders won the first Eugene Izzi Award. He has received four Illinois Arts Council Grants for fiction.

Along the way to becoming a novelist, Michael worked in a bank, tended bar for many years, operated a punch press in a factory, made microfiche, ran an office for the City of Chicago's anti-poverty program, wrote grants for the Salvation Army, and taught English and Chicago History at Truman College. He currently teaches freshman writing for DePaul University's Honors Program and First Year Writing Program.

Michael is married to Katherine and has three children, Sean, Peter, and Caitlin.

Reviews

[Mary's Bookshelf · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's been several years since I read this, but I often think about it. Raleigh tells the story of a small circus in the 1920's. Lewis Tully has a dream about creating his own circus and calls upon several of the characters he has worked with over the years. This story leaps off the page with joy and sadness. This book should have made Raleigh a household name. It is far better than "Water for Elephants".

[Bandit · Rating 5 out of 5]

There are certain subjects that I always enjoy. Circuses is one of them. I'm yet to read a book about a circus that I didn't like and this was I absolutely loved. In a word, it was charming. Utterly completely charming. Funny, sweet, sporadically magical, with terrific likable characters, human and otherwise, and a lot of heart this was one awesome adventure. Lewis Tully's Blue Moon Circus is certainly a show not to be missed. Highly recommended.

[Donna-Jo Webster · Rating 4 out of 5]

Take one vindictive camel, one deranged monkey, one orphaned boy and one middle-aged man down on his luck but determined to persevere, and you've got the ingredients for a Blue Moon Circus. Both poignant and laugh-out-loud funny, this atmospheric tale will have you smelling the hay and the cotton candy in no time flat.

[Diane · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don't give 5 stars very often, but this book is so enchanting I had to. Raleigh is a great story-teller, and this tale of a small circus traveling through the midwest from Oklahoma to Montana is an enthralling story. It reminded me of several of Ivan Doig's novels, another favorite author of mine. I highly recommend this book.

[Elizabeth Mihmet · Rating 5 out of 5]

You need this book in your life. Delightful is the best way to describe this. The 50-year-old heroine (and the diverse characters) were exactly who I wanted to spend my time with this cold February. Just when you think you’ve found your favorite character, you can hear what the camel is thinking.
Oh, it’s good. It’s magic and adventure and naughty monkeys…
My boss loaned me this book after I moaned about a terrible book experience (Verity). Before, I thought she was just smart and cool. Now I think she’s a mind reader.

[Stacey · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was rooting for Lewis the whole time! I love a good circus book and this provided a lot more than just the big top tricks. It’s a shame this book isn’t more popular!!

[Harron68 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Three and a half stars, to be honest. Light, but tells of the hard life to get and run a circus in the 1920s. In my 60 plus years I've seen some small circuses, and can understand what their world is like. Films like W.C. Fields "You Can't Cheat An Honest Man," "When The Circus Came To Town," "At The Circus," and "Carney" each have their take on the insider world of circus people.
The Blue Moon book does a good if not great job of showing those times and people, (it's disasters (man made and natural!), and the friendships. The addition of the orphan, Charlie, helps put readers into the story thru his eyes. Rootless,a traveling menagerie of people and animals is a tiny world unto itself. The joy of the performers and the head man who has seen more failures, disasters and his own orphaned life bring the story toward a reality that deserves it's 3.5 stars. A good book when reinforcement of the goodness in people needs telling!

[Rick McCallion · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Blue Moon Circus is quite simply one of the best books that I've read - and I've read a number of them. The read is very smooth and the author has done a fabulous job of pulling the reader effortlessly through the story. The characters are all rich, believable and each one evoked strong emotions with myself. A wonderful plot, vivid descriptions, far too many amazing passages...all of this adds up to this book being the pinnacle of what I could ever hope to achieve as an author.

Quite simply - it's a magnificent book and I'm sorry to see the characters go.

[Sue · Rating 3 out of 5]

It took a while for me to get into the book and figure out each character. The setting (time and place) made for interesting reading. The small western towns of Kansas, Colorado and Wyoming in 1926 were described beautifully. One could feel the hot days, cool nights, rainy downpours.
Tully and his circus employees were so alive, so sincere, dedicated and loyal. I enjoyed reading a book with so many loving characters. Even better, goodness and happiness triumph in the end.
Great characters, great setting.. plot just okay..

[Christine · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought I might love this book more than I did. Found it a bit slow, and while I loved all the characters, it seemed as though just as we were starting to learn about most of them, the story would turn to someone else. Would likely have enjoyed it more if there was deeper character development on a few more of the characters. Still enjoyable, though (particularly Lewis' gifts to Hector at the end: how perfectly brilliant!)

[Vicki · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reminiscent of Water for Elephants but gentler and over a shorter period of time. Story of a circus traveling in the 1920s and the man who organizes just one last show. Engaging description of a time in the past when boys were orphaned and sent west and circuses played little towns in Oklahoma, Kansas, Colorado and Wyoming until beset by catastrophe. Enjoyed the characters and the story.

[Betsie Bush · Rating 3 out of 5]

Started out a lot like a classic western story and has a fairly predictable plot, but the 1920s circus life is well-described and fascinating.

Edit to add: ...but six months later, I cannot remember anything about this book, so it must not have made much of an impression on me. I lowered the stars to 3 from 4.

[Brandee · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. This book is set in an old-time traveling circus, and features quite the eccentric group of characters. I would have liked for it to be longer, or to have had some of the characters fleshed out even more, but all in all I was drawn into the story and didn't really want it to end.

[Chrissy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book! The characters were relate-able and the story was engaging. I loved the Animals and how much personality the author gave each one, if you have ever been around animals for any amount of time you know how much personality they have.

[Lorena · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting perspective of circus life. Some immorality at the end that leaves you with a bad taste. But, a good story. Some graphic parts.

[Marc · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really like this book. Nothing special, but it was a unique feel-good story. Somewhat predictable, but likeable characters. Definitely worth the read.

[Erin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this well written novel about circus life in the 1920's. The characters really came alive and the story flowed beautifully.

[Rob Hood · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is simply splendid!

[Mauoijenn · Rating 3 out of 5]

A funny story about a 1920's traveling circus that gets back together with a few additions. A good light read for anyone in the mood for a circus book.

[Doug Gillespie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lewis Tully, the proud, resilient protagonist of Raleigh's rollicking, warmhearted seventh novel, ekes out a living managing a circus in Oklahoma circa 1919, even though his Blue Moon Circus and Menagerie is prone to hardships devastating enough to shut down show after show. A catastrophic flood is the latest disaster, forcing Tully to retire permanently. Fast-forward to 1926, when Tully is being tried in court for gambling at a speakeasy. The judge (a family friend) suspends his jail sentence with the stipulation that Lewis return to circus life for one more try. With confidence that mounts as the story gains momentum, Tully manages to round up most of his original group of performers, including an aging but agile posse of clowns, a pack of feisty animal acts, a terrifyingly unique snake charmer, a red-haired ape, and mind reader Harley Fitzroy, "the greatest magician there ever was." Along for the ride is nine-year-old Charlie, a new arrival in Tully's life since Tully's sister Alma can no longer care for the boy. Despite the threats of a rival circus owner, vindictive Hector Blaney, and the memory of past failures, Lewis bravely takes his show on the road. As dramatic and engaging as a high-wire act, the novel combines honest storytelling with down-home wit. There's plenty of smartly written, feel-good fun under this big top.

[Renee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Underrated gem. Full of quirky characters, animals with personality and dry humour. It's not the fastest-moving story - the circus doesn't actually get on the road until halfway through the book - but the brilliant dialogue, lovable characters and adventures of a 1920s circus ensure that there is never a dull moment. I liked the fact that there was minimal cruelty to animals, it was never described in graphic detail, and the few people who dished it out always got what they deserved in the end. I enjoyed 'Water for Elephants' but liked this book more.

[NK · Rating 5 out of 5]

Michael Raleigh is a fabulous storyteller. Very descriptive, with charming characters that pull you in. Easy read and quick because you don't want to stop.

[Anita Smith · Rating 3 out of 5]

Enjoyable!

[Lee Cochenour · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well written, very enjoyable. I'm a suckered for books set in circuses, and this is one of my favorites.

[Nicole]

Dnf. Couldn’t get into the characters.

[Adri · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a simple and quaint story of a poor yet hardworking Oklahoma man who is determined to create the greatest circus. The events take place a few years before the Great Depression so the reader gets a glimpse of the challenges it takes to create an entertaining show where the slightest glitch can ruin a man. The circus itself is on the lower economic spectrum because it travels by horse-drawn wagons as compared to the fancy circuses that travel by rail.

The main character, Lewis Tully, owns the circus. He drives the mood of the story because he is an honest and genuine man who truly cares for each member of the circus including animals. It is this desire to make a great show rather than a great profit that makes the reader cheer for him throughout the entire book.

The book is divided into two sections with the first describing each circus act and how they come to be a part of Tully's circus. My favorite is about Mr. Patel and his cobra. Raleigh writes with wonderful suspense and drama about the unique relationship between the Indian and his pet and the amusing response from Tully and the other circus members.

After acquiring all the circus acts, Tully proceeds to take the show on the road. The second half of the book describes the adventures the circus encounters as they travel through the midwest toward Wyoming. One of the more amusing events is when the star elephant gets loose, runs through a laundry line to a stand-off with a group of residents from a retirement home.

I recommend this book to young adult readers who would like to know about the circus culture at the turn of the century. The prose is simple and straightfoward yet wonderfully descriptive. An extra point of interest is the character named Charlie. He is young orphan who comes to live with Tully. The reader gets to see the circus from the eyes of a child and that is a truly special treat.

[Renee Alarid · Rating 5 out of 5]

Boys and Girls...children of all ages - come on up and read a wonderful book about a little gem of a circus surviving on a wing and a prayer and a group of people that want it to succeed as much as the animals do.

I have to say that I love circuses - everything about them and it might just be because of that love, that not only did I enjoy this book but I wanted to jump into the pages and join Lewis Tully's Blue Moon Circus. It was a wonderful gem of a book with colorful characters and charming animals that made me love this book even more.

Lewis Tully is a circus man, a man with a past that is full of colorful characters. His life is a simple one and he has a natural instinct about managing and creating circuses. He knows he is not one to compete with the big circuses like the Ringlings but he good enough to give small towns a once in a lifetime night filled with mythical creatures and acts that only come alive in your dreams. In a way it is a coming of age book for many of the characters, including Lewis. A must read for circus lovers!

[Marvin · Rating 2 out of 5]

After several heavy books in a row, I was looking for something lighter. As with many lighter books these days, this one devotes most of the first half of the book to introducing readers to one quirky character after another. But in the last half, the story turns more serious & builds momentum, as the main character, a circus master, battles his PAST as an orphan & failed circus master, while taking responsibility for an 11-year-old orphan anxious about his FUTURE. Their struggles over the past & future meld as they live a life that celebrates (& fears) the unpredictability of life in a traveling circus & as both find security in the family made up of the circus people who surround them with love & affection.

[Peggy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really liked this book about a 1920's travelling circus. Excellent story and very good characters, based on historical events, added together to make this a book I could not put down.

Lewis Tully, a former circus owner, gets his old troupe together with some new additions, and goes on the road in the West to entertain the folks in small town America. The circus has its toubles, weather, supplies and harrassment for another, bigger circus, but all the folks in the circus care for each other. As the boy, Charlie says: It is like a small town where everyone makes sure there is enough of everything, including love, to go around.

[Jenna · Rating 4 out of 5]

A book I've never heard of by and author I've never heard of. I know no one who has read it and a synopsis that is almost non existent. What an awesome little gem I stumbled upon. There are few quirky subject I really enjoy and get really excited when I can read a novel about them: Circuses, Pirates and Motorcycle Gangs.

I love the time period, and the idea of the story, a washed up circus guru giving it one last go. Beautifully told and warms your heart. The greatest stories are the ones you least expect.