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3.62 AVERAGE
3.62 AVERAGE
The story itself was beautiful but the tone was a lot darker then I was expecting.
The Museum of Extraordinary Things really deserves more like 3.5 stars. This is a unique and fantastical historical fiction, which made it particularly interesting. I enjoyed Hoffman's storytelling, including her facility with characters. The biggest issue I encountered was the alternating use of voice, both between protagonists and 3rd and 1st person. The use of italics to denote this distinction was especially jarring to me. This choice affected the pace of the novel, making it difficult to settle into comfortably. Otherwise, it was a good read.
I loved this book when I got a chance to read it all the time. However, I had to put it down for three weeks and that turned longer and longer but I finally finished it. I expected there to be more romance to it than Coralie growing up. The romance didn't really take hold until the end, and though I liked the ending it seemed as though it was a love at first sight thing. Also the alternating chapters and italicized chapters seemed to make sense in the beginning but then toward the end all the timelines seem to come together, but not exactly.
note: no review on blog for above reasons
note: no review on blog for above reasons
I didn't take as much time reading this book as I would have liked to, since my library only allows us to check out new books for two week. However, this book is amazing! Set in the 1910s, this novel doesn't include "real" magic, but instead tells of characters with unusual features or abilties. While some scenes of abuse may be too much for certain readers, this is a must read for fans of novels like The Night Circus,which many people on Goodreads are comparing this to, as well as those who enjoy magical realism.
Liked the first half better than the second. Wonderful set up, all the puzzle pieces fell into place almost too easily (the love at first sight thing in particular.)
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 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.
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.
A fascinating concept and promising setting: Edwardian NYC; Coney Island and the museum; the contrast of lower Manhattan's factories with the mansions of the rich and the hermit's hut in the wilderness of upper Manhattan. All the elements were there to potentially capture my imagination and my heart.
Unfortunately, I feel like I experienced it all in a fog and at a distance.* The characters never came to life for me (especially Coralie). I barely knew or understood them, despite reading their backstories. Insta-love and a mostly off-camera courtship did not help. Nor did the ending, delivered via a lengthy letter that verged on "As You Know Bob." As for the letter's possible revelation, it's not something I'd even thought of before, nor did we see Coralie wonder about it, so it felt tacked on.
Overall, I'd give this a score in the high 3's. I did enjoy many parts of the book (especially the actual history) and hated none of it. Alice Hoffman's prose and imagery was lovely, and the depiction of the two big fires was vivid enough, but I really needed more depth and fire to the characterizations and the story itself in order to give this a higher score.
*Honestly, part of my odd detachment might be the psychological effect of reading page after page after page of italics on my tiny e-reader, almost half the book. I absolutely loathed that. Had I read it on paper, things might be different (but I'd still hate reading that much italicized text).
Unfortunately, I feel like I experienced it all in a fog and at a distance.* The characters never came to life for me (especially Coralie). I barely knew or understood them, despite reading their backstories. Insta-love and a mostly off-camera courtship did not help. Nor did the ending, delivered via a lengthy letter that verged on "As You Know Bob." As for the letter's possible revelation, it's not something I'd even thought of before, nor did we see Coralie wonder about it, so it felt tacked on.
Overall, I'd give this a score in the high 3's. I did enjoy many parts of the book (especially the actual history) and hated none of it. Alice Hoffman's prose and imagery was lovely, and the depiction of the two big fires was vivid enough, but I really needed more depth and fire to the characterizations and the story itself in order to give this a higher score.
*Honestly, part of my odd detachment might be the psychological effect of reading page after page after page of italics on my tiny e-reader, almost half the book. I absolutely loathed that. Had I read it on paper, things might be different (but I'd still hate reading that much italicized text).
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual assault, Sexual violence