I love Mary Stewart, and this is one of my favourite of her novels. I adore the descriptions of the circus, and the scene where the old horse performs his airs above the ground on the hillside above the circus gets me every time.
I like the spirited heroine, despite her tendency to dissolve into female helplessness if her husband is around. There's a great chase involving a steam train, and a lovely teenage sidekick.
BUT, I can't give this edition more than 2 stars. The narration was awful. The narrator really gave the impression that she was reading the sentences without understanding them, with the emphases in the wrong places on numerous occasions. The worst moment was her referring to someone "girding their lions".
I will re-read this book, but I won't be re-listening to this version.