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seknight61's review against another edition
3.0
I kept confusing the story lines, even till the very end.
mikaiten's review against another edition
3.0
Andorra, an 8 foot tall woman, is discovered on the streets of Detroit by a talent scout who wants her to star in a movie about another giant woman named Anna Swan who lived in Nova Scotia and may have been related to his wife’s family.
The story jumps back and forth between the stories of Andorra and Anna, addressing the many issues both woman had growing up as giants in their very different families. Both women are desperate to be seen as more than just the “sum of their measurements”, to be loved for themselves, and to be forgiven their past mistakes. As their personalities begin to transcend their size, their stories grow closer and closer, beginning to overlap in amazing ways.
I absolutely flew through this book. Over a 24 hour period I read it every second I had free (break times, on the bus, in line to get coffee) finally staying up far past when I usually go to bed just to read the last few pages. This is one of those books that when you finish it you are devastated it’s over because real life just can’t compare.
The story jumps back and forth between the stories of Andorra and Anna, addressing the many issues both woman had growing up as giants in their very different families. Both women are desperate to be seen as more than just the “sum of their measurements”, to be loved for themselves, and to be forgiven their past mistakes. As their personalities begin to transcend their size, their stories grow closer and closer, beginning to overlap in amazing ways.
I absolutely flew through this book. Over a 24 hour period I read it every second I had free (break times, on the bus, in line to get coffee) finally staying up far past when I usually go to bed just to read the last few pages. This is one of those books that when you finish it you are devastated it’s over because real life just can’t compare.
horrordearest's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
informative
inspiring
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
heatherbirchall's review
2.0
I should have loved this book, but I just found it too jerky - I kept forgetting what was happening as it constantly went back and forth, forth and back in time. I honestly had no idea what was happening!
taste_of_mace's review against another edition
4.0
I am so glad to have read this book. It was so interesting from start to finish, it payed off on everything the author set up at the beginning of the novel, and the main characters were both so unique and multi-dimensional it was incredibly easy to dive into their lives. I could easily see these characters each having their own novel unto themselves, as their lives were both so interesting, but the author built the suspense expertly by combining their stories.
My one and only complaint about this book is it seemed to portray the main characters' first encounters with love as something they must suffer for - there was one line about Anna not eating as she no longer had an appetite now that she was in love. But this was also a relatively minor complaint when viewing the book as a whole.
My one and only complaint about this book is it seemed to portray the main characters' first encounters with love as something they must suffer for - there was one line about Anna not eating as she no longer had an appetite now that she was in love. But this was also a relatively minor complaint when viewing the book as a whole.
exurbanis's review against another edition
4.0
I always knew that my dad had been a life-long fan of the Detroit Tigers, but it wasn't until I read Thunder of Giants which touched on the 1934 and 1935 World Series (in both of which the Tigers played) that I really understood how that came about. Those years he would have been 8 and 9 years old - prime years for a boy of that time to begin to follow professional baseball and to be caught up in the excitement that must have gripped both Detriot and my dad's hometown - the city of Windsor Ontario, just across the St. Clair River from Detroit.
That connection to this book would have been enough to recommend it to me, but it also is the story of real-life 19th century giantess Anna Swan, born and raised in the hamlet of New Annan Nova Scotia, just down the road from the village of Tatamagouche where her museum stands today. Tatamagouche has been my home for the past 16 years and to see it mentioned (many times) in a novel is - well, novel indeed.
The third story strand of The Thunder of Giants is about fictional giantess Andorra Kelsey, on her way in 1937 from her hometown of Detroit to Hollywood to make a movie about Anna Swan.
The timelines seem at first to be linked only by that thin thread, but other connections emerge that bring to life Anna and her husband, extending their timeline into the 20th century.
All in all, an excellent story and recommended reading.
I made a note of a line from the closing page, regarding Anna Swan: "Maybe she would have been happy knowing that today she was no longer the famed Nova Scotia giantess; today she was just another woman who had died." Not around here, she isn't. In these parts, she's still the famed Nova Scotia giantess.
That connection to this book would have been enough to recommend it to me, but it also is the story of real-life 19th century giantess Anna Swan, born and raised in the hamlet of New Annan Nova Scotia, just down the road from the village of Tatamagouche where her museum stands today. Tatamagouche has been my home for the past 16 years and to see it mentioned (many times) in a novel is - well, novel indeed.
The third story strand of The Thunder of Giants is about fictional giantess Andorra Kelsey, on her way in 1937 from her hometown of Detroit to Hollywood to make a movie about Anna Swan.
The timelines seem at first to be linked only by that thin thread, but other connections emerge that bring to life Anna and her husband, extending their timeline into the 20th century.
All in all, an excellent story and recommended reading.
I made a note of a line from the closing page, regarding Anna Swan: "Maybe she would have been happy knowing that today she was no longer the famed Nova Scotia giantess; today she was just another woman who had died." Not around here, she isn't. In these parts, she's still the famed Nova Scotia giantess.
borrowedbooks's review against another edition
2.0
The idea of this book is great, the execution leaves things to be desired. The time lines are very close together and there's a great deal of overlapping names which makes it confusing. I wonder if planning the chapters in a different order would have made it easier to follow. Because it's based on true stories there are moments when it sounds like the characters are recurring facts at me, and not saying anything for the benefit of the other characters. It's an interesting storyline though.
rubenstein's review
3.0
Throughout the novel there are threads involving family secrets, mysterious parentage, and lost love. Characters I adored at first I grew to hate and characters I didn't particularly care for ended up stealing the show. There is a moral at the end and while I wouldn't exactly label it a sitcom-style ending (it's certainly not all sunshine and roses) I was satisfied. Even better, Joel Fishbane did his job and now I'm curious about diving deeper into Anna Swan's life. So for that, congratulations, Mr. Fishbane!
For the full review and more, head over to The Pretty Good Gatsby!
For the full review and more, head over to The Pretty Good Gatsby!
jillieb's review against another edition
3.0
Thunder of Giants follows two giant women, 19th century Anna Swan and Andorra Kelsey, the 20th century woman hired to play Anna in a movie. Both have conflicted relationships with their parents, early heartbreak, and a desire to be more than a freak show performer.
Anna Swan is a historical figure, Andorra is pure fiction. Their lives run parallel as the story dips between centuries, and touch in unexpected ways.
Anna Swan is a historical figure, Andorra is pure fiction. Their lives run parallel as the story dips between centuries, and touch in unexpected ways.
timeunspun's review against another edition
3.0
The historical, fairy tale vibe elevated the work beyond the prose. The parallel structure worked, and deftly dodged falling into saccharine moments.