The Museum of Extraordinary Things

The cast of characters within The Museum of Extraordinary Things is large, diverse, and highly entertaining. It includes mobsters and reformed mobsters, immigrants, those who prey on immigrants, opportunists, the wealthy and the poverty-stricken, the curious and the ambivalent, idealists and realists and so many more. In spite of their backgrounds and likeability – some are more despicable than others – there is a beauty within each of their differences that Ms. Hoffman masterfully showcases. Even the most depraved of the lot have aspects that one finds admirable. It is a fascinating character study, one that highlights the gradations of humanity in all of its glory.

One must include Coney Island among the cast of characters. Unlike show more any other location within the story, it is the one area that receives pages upon pages of loving description with attention paid to the type of people who visit the attractions and those who make up the attractions. Its vibrancy is tangible, while Coralie’s enthusiasm for its tawdry beauty and its exponential growth is infectious. It is the one area described within the novel that is vividly clear with Ms. Hoffman’s breathtaking descriptions of the good, the bad, and the weird that makes up the island.

One of the more disappointing elements is the misleading emphasis on the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire. Given the synopsis, one might easily consider it to be a key scene within the story. While it is given the attention and gravitas such a serious accident deserves, it is by no means a key plot point. Rather, it is an occurrence that happens within Eddie’s life. The connections between what happens that fateful day and the rest of the story are given lesser attention than Coralie’s growth beyond her father’s influence. The lack of emphasis is not a big deal in the grand scheme of things, but readers should be warned that it is not the pivotal point within the story as the synopsis may lead one to believe.

The love story within The Museum of Extraordinary Things is a bit of a stretch. Coralie’s and Eddie’s love at first sight does not ring authentic, which is fitting given how sheltered Coralie is and how lonely Eddie is. Theirs is a relationship brought about by foreignness and need, respectively. To see their relationship bloom into something more substantial and long-lasting is beautiful to behold but is a there is an element of fantasy to it given how quickly it occurs with very minimal interaction between them. If this were a true romance novel, it would be easier to accept such sudden eternal love. However, since this story has romantic elements among its other characteristics, their relationship is a shade disconcerting.

The Museum of Extraordinary Things is a surprisingly quiet novel in spite of its characters and locale. Neither Coralie nor Eddie is an action-filled character, and it takes a lot for either one of them to gather the courage and the drive to take decisive action. This does not mean that the story is without action. The factory fire is not the only major scene of catastrophe and there are plenty of bad actions afoot in Eddie’s childhood. Still, there is a peaceful quality to the entire story that not only highlights the beauty within everyone regardless of outward appearance but also fills a reader with hope. show less

THE MUSEUM OF EXTRAORDINARY THINGS is an epic tale of love, loss, and the astounding city of New York in the early 20th century. The two main protagonists are Coralie, a girl with a curious deformity who becomes an attraction at her father’s museum of oddities, and Eddie, a photographer who’s abandoned his Jewish Orthodox faith and makes a living documenting the wonders and tragedies of the city. Eventually their paths cross when they become wrapped up in the mystery surrounding a missing garment worker.

Like all of Ms. Hoffman’s books I’ve read, the prose is gorgeous and mesmerizing, and her vivid descriptions make the time, place, and characters very real. The author includes her trademark magical realism and symbolism – show more fire, ice, water, birds, trees, the color red – which is always a delight to read. The actual historical events that were woven into the story were eye-opening to say the least. The pacing was a bit slow in spots and some scenes tended to go on too long for my taste. Still, I was intrigued by the mystery and was impatiently waiting to see how Eddie and Coralie would connect.

I listened to the audiobook which was performed by Judith Light (narrator), Grace Gummer (Coralie), and Zach Appelman (Eddie). All three performances were good, though their readings lacked a lot of emotion. I’m glad that the first person POVs of Coralie and Eddie where read by different narrators. It worked well for this story.

Source: Review copy from the publisher show less

Infrequently, there is a book so great it is difficult to follow with another. Such is the case of The Museum of Extraordinary Things. I wanted to finish it to see what happened, yet did not want it to end. And, when trying to follow with another book, I opened five different ones, but none grabbed me in the beginning like this one did.

I haven't read Alice Hoffman in awhile. She's written three books since I last read one of hers. Reading this book reinforced why she is one of my favorite authors.

Magical realism is how I would define her books. They contain a mystical, dreamlike feeling, while dealing with difficult subjects. Hoffman hasn't lost her touch and ability to continue to pull the reader into the pages, while holding them to show more continue page after page of beautiful phrases and vivid images.

In The Museum of Extraordinary Things, the focus is on the year 1911. The setting is New York City, and in particular Coney Island. Two major historical events occurred that year. The Triangle Shirtwaist Factory burned, killing many young girls who, because the owner bolted the doors, could not escape, taking their lives in a ghastly conflagration, and, just as a major renovation costing millions, The Coney Island Dreamland amusement park caught fire. Destroying all newly built spectacular rides and killing rare, exotic animals, hundreds watched as lions, elephants and tigers were set free as they ran into the fire and were either burnt or killed by a bullet to contain them. The flames shot hundreds of feet into the air when a bucket of hot tar sparked and destroyed everything, including surrounding structures.

One other major non historical event occurred, Coralie Sardie began to look at her father in a totally different way. Now 18, and used as a freak in her father's house of extraordinary things, she began to rebel. Her webbed hand deformities kept her bound to him as he attached a fin-like apparatus to her body, hid a breathing tube behind some fake scenery, allowing her a daily existence in a tank of cold water, captivating those who would pay .40 to see her and various other "freaks" of her father's making.

The outside world called to Coralie as she, with her gloved hands, ventured over the rooftop each night and wandered down the board walk where she envisioned freedom.

As the Dreamland pier was building, her father's freak show was ending. The promise of the Dreamland experience drew her and many others who wanted more than looking at formaldehyde glass jars containing oddities. As Dreamland expansion began, his fortunes collapsed, leaving him increasingly desperate to find new sources of income, one of which exploited Coralie's body and soul.

This book is Alice Hoffman at her best. The images are so crisp and clear that the fuse in the readers mind. This is a story of longing, freedom, hope, determination and love. At the time when workers demanded a union for better working conditions, Coralie too demands what is rightfully hers -- a life free of soul numbing consequences.

As each of the wonderfully drawn characters present themselves on the pages, the reader identifies with every one of them in a magical way.

Deserving a high recommendation, this is a must read of Five Stars! show less

Hoffman writes books both for adults and for young adults; sometimes I’m not sure which audience a book is meant for- and I mean that as a good thing. This is one of those books.

The two main characters are both young- Coralie is 18 and Eddie not much older- and the book is partly coming of age tale. But, set mainly in 1911 New York, it also features the horrible conditions that factory workers had to deal with every day. The famous Triangle Shirtwaist fire stands so large in the story it is nearly a character itself. Eddie’s story is propelled by the labor conditions; a Russian Orthodox Jew who lost his mother and home in a Cossack attack on the village, he and his tailor father fled to America. Feeling his father is a coward, he show more runs away from the decrepit room they call home and finds his own way to earn a living, spending some time as an informal investigator, and eventually becoming a photographer.
Coralie is brought up by her father and his maid of all work, home schooled and sheltered from the world in the Museum. The museum houses exotic birds, man made hybrids created from parts of various species like those used by P.T. Barnum, and people who are visibly different from the average: an erudite wolf man completely covered with hair, conjoined twins, a girl born without arms, and the like. Coralie is at home with these people but not with everyday society. Coralie’s father has groomed her to be an exhibit in the Museum; she is born with webbed fingers, he trains her from early childhood to stay submerged in cold water for hours at a time. With a large tank and a silk & bamboo mermaid tail, she’s prime entertainment.

An accidental meeting leads to instant love for Eddie and Coralie, but her father has other plans for her. Not only is her father not the man she thinks he is, but he’s not a person to take no for an answer. And he’s got a lot to hide.

The story switches points of view frequently. Odd numbered chapters are about Coralie, first with a section in first person followed by a section in third person but concentrating on Coralie. Even numbered chapters are told from Eddie’s POV in first person, with a following section in third person. I didn’t have trouble with switching between Coralie and Eddie, but I did find switching from first to third person a little jarring. There were some rough edges working the Triangle fire into the narrative. The author is known for her magical realism, and with a subject like a museum of the unusual, I thoroughly expected to find that here. But there is no real magic in this one; the exhibits are all easily explainable and the Seer is really basically a private investigator. While I liked this book and it’s definitely worth reading, it’s not one of Hoffman’s best. show less

I associate Alice Hoffman with magical realism chick lit, along the lines of [a:Sarah Addison Allen|566874|Sarah Addison Allen|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/authors/1372537232p2/566874.jpg], but more consistent: small towns, magical powers, and, above all, charm -- a breathtaking departure from ordinary life. I know that she's branched out ([b:The Dovekeepers|10950924|The Dovekeepers|Alice Hoffman|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1306253903s/10950924.jpg|15868401] is on my to-read list), but my experience with her prior to this novel has been [b:Practical Magic|22896|Practical Magic|Alice Hoffman|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1388207715s/22896.jpg|4030671], [b:Here on Earth|5159|Here on Earth |Alice show more Hoffman|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1388299278s/5159.jpg|2606620], and [b:The Probable Future|146114|The Probable Future|Alice Hoffman|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1172178135s/146114.jpg|2606531].

This novel, set in New York City in 1911, specifically on Coney and Manhattan islands, is very different. There is still an element of the magical here -- the Coney Island setting centers around the establishment from the title, populated by a menagerie of "freaks" and presided over by a magician-slash-scientist-slash-con-artist. (His young adult daughter is our heroine.) But the story is firmly set in a gritty, historically important place and time. Our hero is an Orthodox Jewish emigrant who has completely abandoned his faith and his father. The novel is told from these two points of view in alternating chapters. Each chapter is then divided into two halves -- the italic (first person) and the normal (third limited). Throw in two historical fires and a whole lot of fictional conflict, and you have a novel that tries to be a symphony and almost succeeds.

Perhaps I'm judging Hoffman more harshly than I would an unfamiliar author. But I know how lyrical her prose CAN be, and I just feel like it isn't here. I'm rating it as 3 stars, and would give it 3.5 if I could, but a 4 star book to me is one that I would recommend enthusiastically, and I just don't feel that way about this one. show less

The Museum is a freak show run by Professor Sardie, seen through the eyes of his daughter, Coralie. Coralie has webbed hands and her father has been grooming her to be a feature in his show as a mermaid. She joins the show at 10.As she grows she begins to question her father's ethics and to rebel. The final break is his attempted creation of a new wonder for his show.

The other main character is a Russian Orthodox Jew who immigrated with his father at the age of 7. His father works in the clothing sweat shops. Ezekiel gradually grows away from his father and his religion, changing his name to Ed and joining a band of kids who assist a fake psychic locate missing persons. He becomes one of the best finders but feels hollow until he meets show more a photographer and falls in love with photography. This culminates into his photographing the Triangle Shirtwaist Co. fire and a request to locate a girl who is missing. This search brings him and Coralie together.

What a great picture this was of the time and of Coney Island. The immigrant experience and the world of fantasy where people escaped to forget their lives. My only quibble is that the second half of the book seemed to be rushed and the ending neatly tied up everything. But still a great read. show less

I have enjoyed Alice Hoffman’s historical fiction novels. She picks a pivotal time in history, develops wonderfully complex characters who might live ordinary lives, but due to circumstances of the time, rise to the occasion and are heroic, not necessarily accomplishing epic feats, but are heroic in their ability to survive a horrific or brutal situation.

The setting for The Museum of Extraordinary Things is perfect for an Alice Hoffman tale – New York City in the early 20th century. It is a tumultuous time period in history; unions are just beginning to make their appearance to protest abject conditions in the city’s factories and crowds head out to Coney Island to escape their humdrum lives and find some excitement. Coralie show more Sardie has been born with a defect – the webbing on her hands has not separated leaving her fingers joined together. Her shyster father takes advantage of her deformity, and with the aid of a pump and some rubber tubing, and puts her on display in an aquarium tank as part of his Coney Island attraction, the Museum of Extraordinary Things. Coralie is the Living Mermaid and people pay admission to stare at her and other oddities like the Wolfman or the Butterfly Girl.

In New York City, Eddie Cohen, is a young man who has run away from his Russian Orthodox Jewish roots to become a photographer. He goes around the city capturing images when he stumbles on one of the biggest tragedies of the decade, the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire. His photographs of dead girls who jumped to escape the flames lead him to investigate the mystery behind a missing girl – an employee of the factory, but whose body was not found.

With her vivid descriptions and a touch of magical realism, Hoffman weaves together an amazing story, filled with images of a bustling city. Some of the parts of the book, like the disaster of the Triangle Shirtwaist Fire were so descriptive that I felt I was watching the tragedy unfold. Girls crying from upper windows, pleading for help and then jumping to their deaths – the images were devastating and I felt like a voyeur – not wanting to know, but unable to stop listening to the audiobook.

As an audiobook, this was an enjoyable performance. The narration was performed by three narrators, Judith Light, Grace Gummer, and Zach Appelman, to accompany the different points of view of this story – Coralie, Eddie, and the omniscient narrator. All three gave a strong performance and having different narrators was useful for the transition.

Although there were all the ingredients for an all time favorite, somehow, at the end of the story, I didn’t feel satisfied. I loved the descriptions, and various components of the story, but at the end, I didn’t feel that same sense of satisfaction that I’ve had with other Hoffman novels. I don’t know if it’s that I didn’t like the main characters enough, or I was hoping for some heroic ending. I would still recommend this book just based on its historic fiction component and the amazing descriptions of a colorful era. show less