Love in the Elephant Tent: How Running Away with the Circus Brought Me Home

“Elephants are nomads. They’re supposed to keep moving. To roam free. Get what they need and move on, not be chained to a circus.” Beginning her narrative memoir in 1988, 23-year-old Kathleen is as nomadic as she is told the elephants are. Traveling Europe with a one-year open-ended plane ticket, she joins Super Circo Magico with fellow ragtag vagabonds in Spain, expecting little more than a unique experience. Instead, she finds a home, not so much within the circus as with Italian elephant- keeper Stefano. The challenges of losing childhood selfishness and gaining a life partner are amplified within a setting where speaking up for her beliefs and ideals about how animals and people should be treated could cost her partner his livelihood. The story of Kathleen’s journey toward self-discovery is enthralling, but at times, the book’s focus on it leaves other significant characters thin. The descriptions of life in the circus, the animals, and the spectacle put on every night vividly take readers into the experience. Some overly dense descriptions and flash-forward moments detract from the narrative flow. Agent: Eric Myers, Spieler Agency. (May)