Queen of the Air: A True Story of Love and Tragedy at the Circus by Dean N. Jensen

Circus performers at the Valencia music-hall in Copenhagen in 1931 were astonished to see a small figure dressed in white who smiled at them.  Her eyes were sad, but her smile was like warm sunshine.  They were astonished because the figure was Lillian Lietzel, and she was dead.

I loved this book, the true story of the amazing life of the petite Lillian Lietzel, who was acclaimed as the 'Queen of the Air'.  She was a huge star of the biggest circus ever, the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus.  The book also relates her strange love story with the handsome Alfredo Codona, famous for his death-defying stunts.  There is also an Australian mentioned in the book, the pretty Vera Bruce.

This lyrically written book is a riveting and surprisingly haunting true story.