canadian

In enjoyed the world of Mabel Stark! I thought she was such a character! But I had a problem with the occasional clumsy plotting and the ad hoc narrative flow with this book. I thought that Hough's main character was more than interesting, but I just felt that he didn't go far enough with her life. There were great gaps left out, especially in her later life, which I found myself really wanting to know about.

She certainly would have had to have been arguably the greatest (certainly the greatest female) tiger trainer of all time. Recounted as Stark is turning 80 in 1968, the faux memoir follows her path to superstardom through the 1910s and '20s as she learns to tame tigers and men, and finally tours with the famous Ringling Brothers Circus.

One of the best attributes of this novel is the wonderfully, colourful cover! It's a real swift read, layered with lots of other characters as well, which are all as equally entertaining. And I couldn't help sympathizing with Mabel, particularly her bad luck with men!

I think Renee Zellweger would be perfect for a movie version of her life.

Michael

Mabel Stark, a real life circus performer, is someone I never would have known about if not for this very amusing novel. In this fictional memoir, Ms. Stark recounts her life story from a rebellious Kentucky teenager through her various marriages and through her rise to superstardom under the big top. A real gender-breaker Ms. Stark becomes the world's first and foremost tiger trainer during the era when the circus was the king of entertainment. Through the colorful narrative of her tumultuous life we also get a glimpse into the universe of the circus and all the eclectic characters (human and otherwise) that dwell in it.

Author Robert Hough does a great job in keeping the action fresh and fast-paced in a writing style that is easy reading and highly entertaining. If you are looking for something different to read, try The Final Confession of Mabel Stark.

I gave this book five stars because I think its an origianl work and since this is huegh's first novel I'm super impressed. This is a fictinoal bio told in the first person. Mabel's expressions and emotions are laid out for the reader in a wonderful style. The story courses back and forth from present day 80 year old mabel to 20 something novice learning the ropes of big cat training. The reader is taken on the road with the circus and mabel and experinces the ups and downs of her affairs and her tiger act. A good portion of the story is spent with Raja mabel's true love a six hundred pound bengal tiger. The story is compelling, at times humorus, and bitter sweet.