The Show Woman

Emma Cowing

£10.99

With the disappearance of her mother and the sudden death of her father, Lena instantly loses any security she has within the circus she has known all her life. She is advised to sell the carousel her father cared for like a child and look for a husband, or a job in a factory. Until flame-haired Violet, known to all in the fairgrounds as ‘the greatest trapeze artist that ever lived’, suggests they go it alone with their own, all-female act. With her outspoken ways and her refusal to marry, Violet is as much an outcast as Lena. What do they have to lose? Recruiting new performers including bareback horse-rider Rosie, on the run from her abusive father, and Carmen whose rainbow ribbons hide the darkness in her past, the four women form an unbreakable bond. Thrust into a harsh and dangerous world that treats them with suspicion, disdain and even violence, they must forge their own path.

Pre-order

Publish Date: 07/05/2026
ISBN: 9781399737432 Category: Tags: ,

Description

'Compulsive, heartbreaking' Clare Leslie Hall
'Gorgeously written' Jennie Godfrey
'A tale of dazzle and determination' Daily Mail

FOUR WOMEN. A MILLION DREAMS.

Scotland, 1910. Born into the world of the circus, Lena now stands at a crossroads. With the sudden death of her father, she faces a stark choice: get married or get a job. The fairgrounds are no place for a woman to go it alone.

Until flame-haired Violet, known to all as 'the greatest trapeze artist that ever lived', suggests they do exactly that. With her outspoken ways and her refusal to marry, Violet is as much an outcast as Lena. What do they have to lose?

Recruiting new performers including bareback horse-rider Rosie and acrobat Carmen, the four women take charge of their own show, their own finances and their own destinies.

But the fairgrounds are a dangerous place: misogyny is rife, violence a continual threat, and buried secrets are beginning to threaten all they hold dear. Together, they must forge their own path to freedom.

FOR THEY ARE THE SHOW WOMEN. AND THE SHOW MUST GO ON.

READERS LOVE THE SHOW WOMAN
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
'Held my interest to the very last page'
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
'Complete sensory immersion, such is the depth and breadth of the descriptive narrative'
⭐⭐⭐⭐&#11088
'Beautifully written, lovable characters, gripping narrative'
⭐⭐⭐⭐&#11088
'This extraordinary debut is bursting with energy and imagination'
⭐⭐⭐⭐&#11088 'A terrific read'

Additional information

Weight 247 g
Dimensions 196 × 128 × 26 mm
Author

Publisher

Imprint

Cover

Paperback

Pages

336

Language

English

Edition

1st paperback ed

Dewey

823.92 (edition:23)

Readership

General – Trade / Code: K