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bmsartori 's review for:
The Museum of Extraordinary Things
by Alice Hoffman
This is a quaint but engaging romance about two people outside of ordinary society whose lives eventually intertwine.
Coralie was born with a small deformity which makes her believe she is a freak of nature, a view reinforced by her father, with whom she lives in their Museum of Extraordinary Things. The place is filled with artefacts and people which are out of the ordinary and scientific wonders. However, as Coralie grows up and joins the collection of strange creatures, she is forced to come face to face with some hard truths about her father.
Eddie as a child runs away from his father and his Jewish life and takes to the streets. By chance he becomes a photographer, which is how he originally meets Coralie, when he randomly passes by the Museum and meets some of the "freaks" when they're not working. Eventually though, a missing girl brings them well and truly together as they find themselves, to each other's surprise, involved in the disappearance.
This really is a great read. Slightly gothic, at times heart-breaking and disturbing, but with great characters who you just fall in love with. This novel is set in 1911 on Coney Island and is filled with important historical events of the year interwoven with this unlikely love story.
Despite describing this as a romance, it really doesn't seem like one while reading it. It really is more about the Museum, the people who work there and the mystery of the missing girl, and as the book develops, about Coralie and her father.
Coralie was born with a small deformity which makes her believe she is a freak of nature, a view reinforced by her father, with whom she lives in their Museum of Extraordinary Things. The place is filled with artefacts and people which are out of the ordinary and scientific wonders. However, as Coralie grows up and joins the collection of strange creatures, she is forced to come face to face with some hard truths about her father.
Eddie as a child runs away from his father and his Jewish life and takes to the streets. By chance he becomes a photographer, which is how he originally meets Coralie, when he randomly passes by the Museum and meets some of the "freaks" when they're not working. Eventually though, a missing girl brings them well and truly together as they find themselves, to each other's surprise, involved in the disappearance.
This really is a great read. Slightly gothic, at times heart-breaking and disturbing, but with great characters who you just fall in love with. This novel is set in 1911 on Coney Island and is filled with important historical events of the year interwoven with this unlikely love story.
Despite describing this as a romance, it really doesn't seem like one while reading it. It really is more about the Museum, the people who work there and the mystery of the missing girl, and as the book develops, about Coralie and her father.