Spangle (novel)

Spangle is a historical novel written by Gary Jennings and first published in 1987.

Spangle
Hardback Cover
AuthorGary Jennings
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
GenreHistorical novel
PublisherAtheneum Books
Publication date
1987
Media typePrint (Hardback)
Pages869 pp
ISBN0-689-11723-X
OCLC14718906
813/.54 19
LC ClassPS3560.E518 S6 1987

Plot introduction

After surrendering at Appomattox Court House in Virginia at the end of the American Civil War, two Confederate soldiers wander off and join Florian’s Flourishing Florilegium of Wonders, a traveling circus that has managed to continue performing throughout the war. Escaping from the coming Reconstruction of the South, the circus embarks for Europe where they meet many adventures as they travel throughout Europe between 1865 and 1871.

Plot summary

Spangle is a historical novel written by Gary Jennings (1928–1999). Published in 1987, it follows a circus troupe known as "Florian's Flourishing Florilegium of Wonders" from the Confederate surrender at Appomattox to Europe, ending in France during the Franco-Prussian War. The book chronicles the rise of the troupe from a small "mud show" with few acts to the glittering toast of Paris, while delving into the evolving personal lives of its performers. The book is also an examination of the social structures of both post-Civil War America and Europe during a period in which the ancient system of monarchy was toppling. The main protagonist, other than the circus itself, is Zachary Edge, a former Confederate colonel embittered by war who accepts a position as the Florilegium's equestrian director. Edge's trials, both professional and personal, form the core of the plot, which details Edge's rise in the ranks of the circus in parallel to the rise of the Florilegium.

Important Characters

Artistes

NameNom de ThéâtreNationalityOccupationNotes
FlorianAlsatianCircus Owner/Governor
Ignatz RooseboomCaptain HotspurCape-DutchLion tamer and rosinback rider.
Jacob Brady RussumTiny Tim TrimmAmericanDwarf, joey clown.
Lieutenant Colonel Zachary EdgeColonel Ramrod, Buckskin Billy, Colonel Plantagenet-TudorConfederateEquestrian Director, trick rider, and trick shooter.
Sergeant Obie YountThe QuakemakerConfederateStrongman.
Magpie Maggie HagSpaniardFortune teller and seamstress.
Edith CoverleyClover LeeAmericanRosinback trick rider.
Sarah CoverleyMadame SolitaireAmericanRosinback trick rider.Mother of Clover Lee.
Jules Fontaine RouleauMonsieur RouletteCajunAcrobat and aeronaut.
Hannibal TyreeAbdullah the HinduFreed SlaveJuggler and Bull Man (Elephant trainer.)
Nellie CubbidgeAutumn AuburnEnglishTightrope walker.
Corporal Foursquare John FitzfarrisSir John DoeAmericanTattooed man and sideshow director.
Abner MullenaxBarnacle BillAmericanPig trainer, lion tamer, and "Crocodile Man."
Phoebe SimmsMadame AlpFreed SlaveFat lady.Mother of Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, and Quincy Simms.
Sunday SimmsMademoiselle ButterflyFreed Slave"White African Pygmy," tightrope walker.
Monday SimmsCinderellaFreed Slave"White African Pygmy," tightrope walker.
Tuesday SimmsFreed Slave"White African Pygmy."
Quincy SimmsAli BabaFreed SlaveContortionist.
Rosalie Brigid MayoPepperIrishPerch pole artist and hair hang artist.
Cecile MakkaiPaprikaHungarianPerch pole artist and trapeze artist.
Kim Pok-tongKoreanAntipodist.
Kim Tak-sungKoreanAntipodist.
Kim Hak-suKoreanAntipodist.
Pavlo SmodlakaSerbianDog trainer.Husband of Gavrila and father of Velja and Sava Smodlaka.
Gavrila SmodlakaSerbian
Velja SmodlakaSerbianAlbino.
Sava SmodlakaSerbianAlbino.
Spyros VasilakisThe Gluttonous GreekGreekSword swallower and fire eater.Husband of Meli Vasilakis.
Meli VasilakisAmazon maidenGreekSnake charmer.
Morris LevyMaurice LeVieFrenchTrapeze artist.
Giorgio BonvecinoZanniItalianToby clown.
Jörg PfeiferFünfünfWhiteface clown.
Samuel ReindorfLittle Major Minim, WimperPolishDwarf and joey clown.
Shadid SarkiogluThe Terrible TurkTurkishStrongman and velocipedist.
Agnete KnudsdatterMiss EelDanishContortionist.
Nella CornellaEmeraldina clown.
Bernhard NotkinHanswurst clown.
Ferdi SpenzKesperle clown.
Cecil WheelerThe Wheeling WheelersBritishVelocipedist and Plimpton skater.
Daphne WheelerThe Wheeling WheelersBritishVelocipedist and Plimpton skater.
Jean-François PemjeanLe Démon Débonnaire, Pemjean l'IntrépideFrenchLion tamer.
Szábo KatalinCricketHungarianDwarf and "Enchanted Globe."
Jászi ArpádHungarianTrick rider.
Jászi ZoltánHungarianTrick rider.
Jászi GustávHungarianTrick rider.
Timoféi SomovKostchei the DeathlessRussianScarred freak.
Princess Raisa Vasiliyevich Yusupova / "Olga Somova" (alias)BrunhildeRussianGiant.
Giuseppina Bozzacchi"The Music-Box Dancer"ItalianBallerina.

Notable Crew Members

NameAliasNationalityOccupationNotes
Dai GoesleStitches GoesleWelshCanvasmaster.
Carl BeckBoom-Boom BeckBavarianBandmaster, rigger, and calliope player.
Aleksander BanatSlovakRoustabout crew chief.
Baron Wilhelm Lothar WittelsbachWillie LotharBavarianChefpublizist.
Gombocz ElemérHungarianCimbalom player.
Ioan PetrescuRomanianSeamstress.
Pierre DelattreFrenchPlumber.

Menagerie

NameAliasBreedNotes
PeggyBrutusElephant.
MitziCaesarElephant.
MaximusLion.
ThunderClaybank quarter horse.Main performance horse, and former cavalry mount, for Zachary Edge.
LightningHorse.Former cavalry mount for Obie Yount.
BubblesDapple gray horse.Main performance horse for Clover Lee.
SnowballWhite horse.Main performance horse for Madame Solitaire.
TerryTerrier.One of three dogs used by the Smodlaka family.
TerrierTerrier.One of three dogs used by the Smodlaka family.
TerriestTerrier.One of three dogs used by the Smodlaka family.
Kewwy-DeeSyrian bear.Named due to Mullinax misunderstanding the phrase Q.E.D.
Kewwy-DahSyrian bear.
RajaBengal tiger.
RaniBengal tigress.
SivaBengal tigress.
AnwaltStriped hyena.
BeraterStriped hyena.
StarsZebra.
BarsZebra.
MustafaCamel.
RumpelstilzchenSouth American dwarf horse.
Auerhahn.
FafnirPython.

Release details

Also released as a trilogy mass market paperback:

See also

This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.