Barely five feet tall, suicidally courageous, obsessed with tigers, and sexually eccentric, Mabel Stark was the greatest female tiger trainer in history. Clad in her leather suits and married five times, she was the Mae West of tiger taming. In the 1910s and 1920s, when circus was the most popular entertainment in America, Mabel Stark was the biggest attraction for the Ringling Brothers Barnum & Bailey circus.
This vibrant and moving fictional autobiography begins in 1968. Mabel is turning 80 and is about to lose her job. Faced with the loss of her beloved cats, she looks back on her life, her escapades and tragedies, her love affairs with tigers and men. She confronts her darkest secrets, her guilt at committing the worst thing one person can do to another. Now, with the end of life in sight, there is one thing above all else she needs to do. Mabel wants to confess.
Exuberant and inventive, The Final Confession of Mabel Stark transports its readers to the carnival world of the Big Top to an age before cinema and television, when circus performers were superstars.
Download and start listening now!
"I don't think I've given a book an A+ since Matthew Kneale's English Passengers. I had just finished Wicked and loved it, but then I read this one and it was one of those rare books where you miss it when it's away from you. I carried this book with me everywhere I went, cracking it over while riding elevators, waiting in line (for anything), and even while walking down the street. Though a fiction book, it's written about the real life of Mabel Stark, a tiger tamer during the heyday of the circus (first half of the 20th century). Despite this woman's unbelievable life and circumstances, you buy it, every word. She has an insight into people (especially men) which is refreshing, insightful, and always amusing. You cheer her on through her several marriages and tut tut through her even more numerous tiger-inducing injuries. Despite the multiple scary attacks from her striped beasts, you are swept up in her deep passion and understanding for these creatures (even if once in awhile you think she needs a reality check). This book was good from beginning to end and only had one part which was a bit too predictable (though still one of the most poignant moments in the book). I loved it. You'll enjoy it. Buy it, read it now!"
—
Jennifer (5 out of 5 stars)