Orphans of the Carnival by Carol Birch

A veiled young woman enters the tent with guitar in hand and as she dances and sings folk songs from her native Mexico and others the crowd seems to love her but then they start to yell for her to take off the veil and it goes from admiration to horror. Julia was born completely covered in fur which brings her to the tragic world of circus freak shows. Her managers pretend to find her enchanting just as the audiences she and the others perform for but she can see the horror and revulsion in their eyes. As her fame grows she works even harder to be accepted for her talent not her novelty. Her new manager will become her husband and take her throughout Europe but she never achieves the one thing she wants - to be loved as a normal woman. Julia's story has been recreated so well that you can feel the pain she endured without complaint. Even after her death she was still paraded around by her husband. There is a secondary story that takes place in modern times that I felt was unnecessary but ties in with one of the characters. You will be captivated by Julia's gentle soul living in a soulless world.