Circus of Mirrors

Paperback Published on: 10/07/2025
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Synopsis

A Glittering Tale of Sisterhood, Sacrifice, and Love Set in the Heart of 1920s Berlin

From the author of That Green Eyed Girl - Perfect for fans of City of Girls and Sunday Times bestseller, The Whalebone Theatre!

'Sexy, electrically stylish, and beautiful’' Daisy Buchanan, award-winning author of Insatiable

'Julie's best novel yet' Georgina Moore, bestselling author of The Garnett Girls

--
‘Ladies and gentlemen,
welcome to the Babylon Circus . . .’

Berlin, 1926: young Leni finds work as a cigarette girl – wide-eyed, dodging stray hands – as the painted dancers and revellers party the nights away. It’s all for her little sister Annette – to put a roof over their heads, food in their bellies. Because the two sisters have no one but each other.

Then Leni meets pianist Paul, and embarks on a passionate, all-consuming love affair. But for Paul, Berlin is a dangerous place to be. If he and Leni are to have a future together, they must flee the city.

For Leni, it’s an impossible choice: her sister or the love of her life?

The consequences of her decision will ripple through the next four decades . . .

--

‘Immersive, tender, simmering with secrets’ Alex Hay

'A tale of two sisters and a city, all three of them so vividly drawn, I felt I knew them. Superbly atmospheric, with convincingly flawed characters that just leap off the page' Frances Quinn, author of The Bonesetter Woman

'An all-singing, all-dancing, moving and masterful book about two complex sisters living in incredibly complex times. Brilliant.' Anna Mazzola, author of The Clockwork Girl

'Bold, brave and absorbing' Elizabeth Buchan, author of Bonjour, Sophie

'With hints of Atonement, this is an epic novel’ Louise Fein, author of Daughter of the Reich

Praise for Julie Owen Moylan

'Touching, entertaining and hopeful' Sunday Times

'Dazzling' GOOD HOUSEKEEPING

'I was gripped from the first page' SARA COX

'Psychologically astute and emotionally absorbing,' DAILY MAIL

'A wonderfully evocative, immersive novel that brings 50s London to life, from the smog and the nightlife to attitudes towards women' SUNDAY EXPRESS

'Emotional, immersive and utterly absorbing' JENNIFER SAINT

Publisher information

  • Publisher: Penguin Books Ltd
  • ISBN: 9781405957731
  • Number of pages: 448
  • Dimensions: 196 x 128 x 30 mm
  • Weight: 307g
  • Languages: English

Customer Reviews

View all
Circus of Mirrors
Wonderful
Circus of Mirrors is a wonderful historical novel set in Berlin. I listened to it in audiobook form and thought the narrator was excellent. We follow t... READ MORE
Verity Halliday
Circus of Mirrors
Enthralling
Berlin, 1926, a city swathed in grief following the twin devastations of the Great War and the Spanish flu epidemic. Leni, herself little more than a girl,... READ MORE
Bookish Walker
Circus of Mirrors
An evocative family saga
Well I thoroughly enjoyed that. Starting in 1926 Berlin where sisters Leni and 6 year old Annette are living on the streets following the death of their p... READ MORE
Lynda’s Book Reviews
Circus of Mirrors
Poignant and moving
Berlin, 1926, a city swathed in grief following the twin devastations of the Great War and the Spanish flu epidemic. Leni, herself little more than a girl,... READ MORE
Bookish Walker
Circus of Mirrors
Enjoyed reading
Berlin August 1926. Leni Taube is just nineteen and bringing up her younger sister Annette. Desperate for a job she finds work as a cigarette seller in th... READ MORE
AHR
Circus of Mirrors
Excellent book
Another excellent book by Julie, featuring three related female characters facing the challenges of growing up in Berlin between the 1920’s and the 1960’s.... READ MORE
Karen  Kingston
Circus of Mirrors
Stunning
4.5* Circus of Mirrors - a stunner of a book told across 3 timelines which impeccably intertwine to create an incredible page turner. Berlin 1926 - Len... READ MORE
Nic Johnston
Circus of Mirrors
Simply Stunning
Simply stunning. Berlin 1926, following the death of their parents sisters Leni and Annette are on the streets. Desperate and hungry, older sister Leni tr... READ MORE
Big Bertha
Circus of Mirrors
Fabulous
4.5 rounded up Berlin, August 1961 Annette needs to explain things to her sister Leni and the answers to this lie in the past. It all starts nearly fo... READ MORE
Celia Short
Circus of Mirrors
Not what I expected, serious and heart breaking really
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy of this book with no obligation to review. I thought this book would be more about the Circus ... READ MORE
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