Circus of Mirrors

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BERLIN, 1926: After the death of their parents, sisters Leni and Annette only have each other. Desperate, but dreaming of better days, Leni finds work at a notorious cabaret: the Babylon Circus.

From the dancer’s barely-there costumes, to the glimmering mirrors that cover the walls, the Babylon Circus is where reality and fantasy merge. For Leni, it’s an overwhelming new world, and she’s happiest hiding in the shadows.

Until she meets the cabaret’s resident pianist, Paul. And so begins a tentative love affair that will play out over the next forty years. But, in a city whose divisions will define a century, can a love born within the feverish walls of the Babylon Circus ever survive? And can the bond between Leni and Annette – tugged in opposite directions of their own – also endure?

In Berlin, two sisters dared to dream of a better life – but where in this dark and dazzling city will they find their true home?

''Julie Owen Moylan writes about mid-20th century women like no-one else''
Laura Price

''Sexy, electrically stylish, and beautiful . . . a glamorous passport to a period we all long to get lost in''
Daisy Buchanan

''An almost unbearably poignant story of missed chances, long-hidden lies and women fighting the odds to grab happiness where they can''
Frances Quinn

''Immersive, tender, simmering with secrets''
Alex Hay

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

©2024 Julie Owen Moylan (P)2024 Penguin Audio