The Final Confession Of Mabel Stark (2004) - Plot & Excerpts
Written as a fictional autobiography in the first person, ‘The Final Confession of Mabel Stark’ is a true-life historical account of Mabel Stark who made a name for herself by becoming the world’s greatest female tiger trainer during the early to mid-1900’s when the circus was the most popular form of entertainment. Stark was a centre-ring act for the famous Ringling Brothers Barnum and Bailey Circus. Now 80-years-old, Mabel recounts her life and confesses to the proud and not so proud moments and events of her life, from a 17-year-old rebellious teenager growing up in Kentucky as Mary Haynie, through five marriages and at least a dozen severe maulings by the very tigers she became world famous for training. Through the colourful and descriptive narration you feel as though you’ve been transported back in time and are there, with Mabel, observing from somewhere underneath the big top! You can almost smell the oil from the tiger’s skin, breathe in the heady scent of the straw bales set out as seats for circus goers, and hear the crack of the tiger trainer’s whip, and shouts of instruction to the animals!! Mabel, a woman filled with love, courage, strength, tragedy, and adventure is not reluctant to show her abrasive and brash sides. She is not a woman to hold her tongue or pussy-foot her way around etiquette and manners, and is not adverse to projecting her tough-as-nails persona, creating antagonism, or speaking about her sexually promiscuous exploits. Robert Hough proves to us in this great piece of writing that even we imperfect and flawed human beings can contribute to society in positive and remembered ways. Mabel’s quick wit, sharp tongue and indelible stubbornness will leave you wanting to hear more of little Mary Haynie’s life. I couldn’t put this book down and didn’t want it to end! An extra nice touch was the few photos of Mabel Stark contained with the book.
Ich habe die wunderschöne Taschenbuchausgabe des Unionsverlags gelesen. Robert Hough hat einen mehrfach nominierten Roman über die amerikanische Tiigerbändigerin Mabel Stark geschrieben. Mabel Stark heiratete früh und landete dann direkt in einer Anstalt. Damals eine oftgenutzte Art, sich unliebsamer Ehefrauen zu entledigen. Von dort bricht sie aus und schliesst sich dem Zirkus an. Sie wird als Tigerbändigerin berühmt. Hough schreibt in einem Rückblick, in dem die alte Stark aus ihrem Leben erzählt- schnodderig und wie ihr der Schnabel gewachsen ist. Einerseits bin ich mit diesem Stil nicht so warm geworden und fand die Witzelei nicht immer passend, andererseits brachte der Autor mich manchmal sehr zum Lachen! Für meinen Geschmack hält Hough weder Spannung noch Humor durchgehend, sondern bricht immer wieder etwas ein. Dazwischen schafft er allerdings Szenen, bei denen man sich vor Lachen krümmt! Nicht unbedingt meine Art von Humor ist auch das Beschreiben der sexuellen Probleme Mabels mit ihren zahlreichen Ehemännern. Liebe oder Romantik findet sich da eher nicht. Bei Ehemann Nummer 1 war das noch ein guter Gag. Danach wurde es durch Wiederholung mit den anderen Ehemännern nicht besser. Spannend sind die Schilderungen der Zirkusarbeit und der Dressur. Auch das Drama gegen Ende des Buches verursacht Gänsehaut. Hough hat das Buch sorgfältig recherchiert nach Unterlagen, Briefen und mit Zeitzeugen. Eine tolle (und wahre) Geschichte, deren Art von Humor mir persönlich aber leider nicht liegt. Mabel Starks Leben wirkt hier schmuddelig... und nachdem ich das Buch zugeklappt habe, komme ich mir vor, als hätte der Tiger auch mich angesabbert und mit Essensresten besäftelt.
What do You think about The Final Confession Of Mabel Stark (2004)?
I didn't know at first that this book was historical fiction based in fact with the main character being an actual woman who existed. Sometimes I buy historical fiction where, you know, the characters are all dreamt up save maybe some important people mentioned here and there while the SETTING is all real. This is the second time that I've done this recently (with "Chasing the Devil's Tail" being the other one I picked up).This book is a wonderful tale of a woman who is beaten down again and aga
—Devon
Set in a time before television became our primary source of entertainment, Final Confession is an engrossing look not just at the life of a remarkable woman but also at a life style long gone, the traveling circus. Mabel Stark was a woman who really existed and Robert Hough has written a compelling novel about her life. I always ask myself when reading a book based on a real person how well done the research was and there is no way really of knowing but the end result is a very good story.Mabel was a fascinating person, women who step outside the "normal" roles expected of them always intrigue me and Mabel did it in a time when it was much more risky than it is today. Our book club read this book and were (for a change) undivided in enjoying it. The end is sad, but then ends often are and Mabels certainly was in real life.If you love unconventional women, big cats, circus stories or books set in the early 1900's this is a good book for you.
—Rose Reid
I'm about halfway through and only really started caring about the character around page 200. I think this novel is shackled by the author doing too much research and trying to include it all instead of getting in deeper touch with the character's emotions. Even though Mabel is brash on the outside, since it's told in first-person, I'd expect to see more vulnerability, especially given what she lives through in the first two chapters.The sex scenes, which are plentiful, are also distracting and feel as if written by a man, not a woman - meaning there's a lack of authenticity there. It's laugh-out-loud bewildering in places.Despite this, it is a novel about circus life in the 1900s - 1930s and the subject matter interests me enough to keep me reading on. You can learn a lot by reading books that aren't wholly successful and I'm sure I'll make it to the end.HAVING FINISHED:I think this novel is a lesson in how 1) deciding to stick to the facts of a person's life can keep your book from being as good as it could be and 2)that a "larger than life" character might be best viewed by someone else, rather than cast as a first person narrator.
—Nic
