Anita Bartholomew

The Midget’s House is the residence rumored to have been designed for a midget in this area of Florida where Circus people winter. Its last resident Enid was the daughter of the Circus owner, who died in the fire that burned down the main house. All the original property has been sold off to developers, the house and its grounds are all that remains of the original estate.

The unexpected inheritance of the house, makes Marisa Delano determined to bring back to its original quality, this house she had lived in for a short time as a child. As Marisa searches for a way to save the house from developers she is pulled further and further into history of the circus and its owners.
Multiple story lines: a murder mystery, a ghostly inhabitant, a lifetime tenant and a developer who must have the property. Very enjoyable.… (altro)

I loved this book. Now I might have been a bit pre-disposed to enjoy it considering it’s full of things that interest me: ghosts, history and circus performers, but there is enough charm and grace in the book to entrance any reader.

The book essentially tells the story of two women, Marisa, who is starting her life over after loss, and the ghostly Lucinda, whose truth has been lost in time. Their stories interweave in a fascinating tale of mystery, ghosts, romance, and circus history until they collide in a tense conclusion.

The perspective of this novel is told from two points-of views, Marisa’s and Lucinda’s, and shifts the reader back and forth from the modern day to the early 20th century. Now this change could have easily become disjointed, but the author makes the transition seamless, and as a reader I flowed through the story effortlessly. Both Marisa and Lucinda are compelling characters -never seeming helpless or weak, even when they faced adversity- and you are naturally pulled into their captivating parallel stories.

The book is also rich in alluring backdrops of setting and description. Both worlds come to life exquisitely as the book takes you on a charismatic journey through modern Florida and the bygone era of the heydays of carnivals and circuses. This lovely detailing keeps the book’s pace flowing perfectly until the end.

The Midget’s House is an easy and enthusiastic recommend.… (altro)