Emma Cowing

Emma Cowing

Author of The Show Woman, the debut historical fiction novel about the first all-female circus act

Order The Show Woman – out now!

Published by Hodder & Stoughton

‘Gorgeously written, with twists and turns worthy of a circus trapeze’ JENNIE GODFREY, author of The List of Suspicious Things

‘This gorgeously written novel about four very different women is compulsive, heartbreaking and like nothing else. Impossible not to get swept up into the fates of Lena, Violet, Rosie and Carmen and to feel yourself there with all the noise and clamour and conniving of the fairground. I loved it’ CLARE LESLIE HALL, author of Broken Country

‘Sequins and spite collide in this gorgeous novel . . . A tale of dazzle and determination. Cowing is sure-footed on the tempestuous dynamics of their friendships and the dark secrets that drive their ambition’ DAILY MAIL

‘I wanted to run away with this all-woman circus. Enthralling’ C.J. COOKE, author of The Book of Witching

‘Beautifully written, engaging plot and thoroughly researched’ STYLIST, top ten debuts by women of 2025

‘Beautifully crafted, fast-paced and compelling … easily the debut of the year so far!’ MIKE GAYLE, author of Hope Street

‘A dazzling debut… This evocative novel is a rare treat’ WOMAN’S WEEKLY

Suspenseful, authentic, sexy and uplifting, THE SHOW WOMAN is the ultimate ripping yarn.‘ ERIN KELLY, author of The House of Mirrors

‘A very special debut’ JENNY COLGAN, author of Midnight at the Christmas Bookshop

‘As well as being often enchanting, and presenting a vanished world and way of life, this is also a novel that tells a compelling and well-devised, often surprising story’ THE SCOTSMAN

‘Meticulously researched, superbly atmospheric, but most of all, a cracking story’ FRANCES QUINN, author of That Bonesetter Woman

‘A joy to read, so beautifully written, evoking the rich and often overlooked story of the travelling fairs of Edwardian-era Scotland’ SEAN LUSK, author of The Second Sight of Zachary Cloudesley

‘Dazzling… I could not put it down’ KATE FOSTER, author of The Maiden

‘There’s hardship and excitement and mystery and joy in this novel, and I couldn’t stop turning the pages’ SARAH BROOKS, author of The Cautious Traveller’s Guide to the Wastelands

‘An engrossing and evocative novel… inspiring and disturbing in equal measure, this fascinating book perfectly illustrates just what girl power can achieve’ HEAT MAGAZINE

‘Full of twists and turns as unexpected as they are thrilling’ KATE FURNIVALL, author of Child of the Ruins

‘Entrancing… take your seat and get lost in its wonders’ WIZ WHARTON, author of Ghost Girl, Banana

‘Gripping, heart-breaking, compelling’ NAOMI KELSEY, author of The Burnings

‘An addictive weave of beautiful prose, intricate storytelling and fierce women’ LUCY ROSE, author The Lamb

‘Heartfelt and compelling… a window into a fascinating and unknown world’ JOANNA MILLER, author of The Eights

‘Beautifully written, packed with interesting characters and unexpected twists’ FIZA SAEED MCLYNN, author of The Midnight Carousel

‘A riotous celebration of complex, dynamic, trailblazing women’ SETH INSUA, author of Human, Animal

THE SHOW MUST GO ON …

1910. With the disappearance of her mother and the sudden death of her father, Lena instantly loses any security she has within the circus she has known all her life. She is advised to sell the carousel her father cared for like a child and look for a husband, or a job in a factory.

Until flame-haired Violet, known to all in the fairgrounds as ‘the greatest trapeze artist that ever lived’, suggests they go it alone with their own, all-female act. With her outspoken ways and her refusal to marry, Violet is as much an outcast as Lena. What do they have to lose? Recruiting new performers including bareback horse-rider Rosie, on the run from her abusive father, and Carmen whose rainbow ribbons hide the darkness in her past, the four women form an unbreakable bond.

Thrust into a harsh and dangerous world that treats them with suspicion, disdain and even violence, they must forge their own path in search of freedom, security, and love.

Deeply rooted in the Edwardian era, THE SHOW WOMAN is brilliantly realised and expertly interlaces strong female characters, deeply-woven family secrets and heartfelt love stories.

Emma Cowing is an award-winning journalist and author. She has written for a wide number of publications including The Sunday Times, The Scottish Daily Mail, Guardian Weekend Magazine, Scotland on Sunday and The Scotsman.

Emma is a former Feature Writer of the Year at the Scottish Press Awards, and two-time Interviewer of the Year. She holds an Ochberg Fellowship in Journalism and Trauma at Columbia Journalism School in New York, for her work covering the war in Afghanistan, and its aftermath.

Emma was shortlisted for the 2023 Cheshire Novel Prize, and longlisted for the 2023 Bath Novel Award and Blue Pencil First Novel Award. She lives in Glasgow with her husband Jonathan and their cat, Moses. The Show Woman is her first novel.

Events

Run away to the circus with Emma Cowing at the Book Nook, Stewarton, Saturday 14 June, 7pm

Debut historical fiction panel, Forum Books, Corbridge, Northumberland, Wednesday 18 June, 7pm

Wimbledon Book Festival with Fiza Saeed McLynn, Saturday 18 October, 5pm

Publicity enquiries

Alainna Hadjigeorgiou alainna.georgiou@hodder.co.uk

Kallie Townsend kallie.townsend@hodder.co.uk

Emma is represented by Amanda Harris at Maven Literary