Love and cruelty, faithfulness and loyalty. These elements are exemplified by"man" and "beast" in this unforgettable tale set in a circus during the Great Depression. At turns luxe and ragged, this story is raw and compelling. I can see why they made it into a movie, but as usual, the book was better.

Who'da thunk Dave had it in him? Not only can he write a goofy book on anything silly, but he can deftly weave a tale and even toss some darkness in there, too.

This tense story takes place in the old west, and is a well-drawn portrait of lawlessness and human nature. (Can you say, "baaaahhhhhh"?)

Loved her stories about China. With Buck you always win.

A roaring era, seances, and a love story. Starts strong and kind of fizzles at the end.

Dave is, again, hilarious and honest. I laughed out loud. At Dave? At men? Yes.

This short book is long on pathos. Vivid and gripping.

Very insightful and tragically informative.

So, reading this made me wonder what the heck all the fuss is about in regard to William Faulkner. Then I learned he was a drunk. Explains a lot.

Class clashes and forbidden love--how could this book NOT be good?

Fannie rides again with this gem. When you need a cozy read on a bad day, this is perfect ticket.

If you enjoy slogging through thigh-high muck, with mosquitos biting every inch of exposed skin, the sun blaring in your eyes, and trying to talk to a person 50 feet away while a boom box blares in your ears, you should love this. After reading it I read that he intentionally made it hard to read, to symbolize the difficulty the main character was having in the book. Mission accomplished!