The Museum of Extraordinary Things: A Novel

I have looked forward to reading this each night after teaching a long day, and I am saddened to have reached the end of this incredible story.

What is the difference between a freak and a monster? The difference is what lies beneath the surface of the skin. Coralie Sardie often refers to herself as a monster due to a birth defect that produced webbing between her fingers. In the year of 1911, her webbed fingers are a curiosity that lead to a childhood of exploitation. Forced to spend 8-hours each day as a “mermaid” performing in a tank in her father’s museum, she ends up with a naive and distorted worldview. Eddie Cohen, a Russian Immigrant, Orthodox Jew, and photographer, also has a distorted view of the world. His stems from tragedy and his experiences as an mistreated laborer in the garment district. Neither Coralie nor Eddie see their fathers for who they really are, and these misconceptions shape them as they struggle to come of age. Drawn together by the river, shaped by water and fire, these two characters eventually save each other.The backdrop of their story is New York City in the year 1911. A year fraught with labor disputes and tragedy. An era where police were not public servants, but held in the employ of businessmen to do their bidding. Justice was hard to come by, if it existed at all. Women, children, and immigrants were commonly exploited. “Freaks” like Coralie were misunderstood, feared, and studied by the general public. They were commonly misused and abused in carnival side-shows. Despite these sad realities, it was a fascinating time.Hoffman deftly captures the history, the heartache, and the struggle of these citizens while enlightening the reader as to the political and social realities of the time. Coralie and Eddie have their faults but are drawn with depth and empathy. Hoffman’s tendency to repeat (sometimes verbatim) information previously given and to intersperse factual data whenever possible regardless of its relevance to the story sometimes makes for cumbersome reading. The narrative thread is occasionally lost amidst all the information (however interesting it may sometimes be).Most of the prose is fluid and, at times, nearly poetic in its imagery and word choice. The story even incorporates a bit of magical realism which is characteristic of Hoffman’s writing (along with her tendency to be didactic). Coralie and Eddie are unique characters who, while not always likeable, have points of view worth experiencing. The story was not only educational, it was immersive. Hoffman’s attention to detail rewards the reader with the sense of being in New York City in 1911 and experiencing a time and place both foreign and familiar. Highly recommended for fans of historical fiction.

It’s been years since I’ve read an Alice Hoffman book, and I’m reminded that I let far too much time pass (I fell in love with Here on Earth back in the 90s). I thoroughly enjoyed this book – from the extraordinary people and animals in the museum to the quirky habits and shared sadness of the main characters Coralie and Eddie.This is the kind of book that can be read and enjoyed for its entertaining storyline alone – OR the kind of novel that, if you dig in a little and examine the words and content, you’ll discover incredible treasures: themes, symbolism, and ideas about humanity (and its failures) not necessarily apparent on the surface, yet simmering beneath the keystrokes of such a skilled author. Fish, wolves, water, night-blooming flowers and fire ... they all take on significance in this tale.While this is not an environmental story at its core, nature themes flowed through the narrative like a gentle current. Eddie was connected to the river; Coralie was attached to water and an imprisoned tortoise; and they both observed the quick disintegration of New York’s farm and river land as the population swelled. Hoffman’s sensitivity for this issue – occurring at en ever more staggering rate today worldwide – was felt throughout, which made me love the story even more. “Each tree was an individual, a soldier in the fight against pavement and bricks.” That, alone, to me was a story within a story.And because of my enthusiasm for photography, I was immersed in Eddie’s photographic view of the world he saw. I was greatly affected when Eddie was admonished by another character: “You took his photograph” (of a fish) “… now you’re responsible for his soul. You should give him back to the river.” It made me think of the soulful eyes of the deer I’ve been photographing for the past few months. Perhaps we do catch a soul in each photograph, if we’re lucky – or at least we are able to preserve it. And this: “A camera has its own eye, my mentor had told me. He insisted his could see the truth even when he’d begun to grow blind.”On the surface, this is a book about finding love and fitting in. It’s a story about what we see and don’t see: “…not only could a man’s eyes mislead him but his mind could deceive him as well.” It’s a story about evil, control, greed, exploitation, forgiveness and secrecy.Any book that provides historical context without preaching is one I’m sure to love. In that area, this book did not disappoint. Readers learn about the horrors of the Triangle Shirtwaist Fire, as well as the Coney Island fire that occurred only two months later. We learn of the stark realities for women during the late 1800s and early 1900s, painted with a skilled brushstroke. I so enjoyed glimpsing a New York that is now foreign to us all, imagining it as it was before ‘progress’ paved the way – literally – over natural habitat and simpler life.The imagery is lovely in this book filled with hints of myth and magic. “She would be nothing but glimmering bones scattered beneath the brambles, and the strands of her hair would be taken up by sparrows to use in their nests.”My only criticism was that I felt the ending was rushed. But perhaps that is much more an issue of my not wanting to let go of the well-drawn characters, wishing to keep them in MY world a little longer.

A wonderful immersive book. Absolutely enjoyed it. Very visual. Very real. One to keep and treasure. Heartily recommend. Great author

I took time to read this book with the thought that it would be light and fluffy reading. Wrong. It was insightful, powerful and full of motivation to continue reading.It is part historic and part fiction, which makes a very enjoyable read for someone who enjoys this type of literature.I thought that I could use it with a high school class, in conjunction with Miss Peregrine's Home For Peculiar Children, yet this novel is more adult oriented and has more breadth and depth.It was very satisfying reading this novel and a little sad when it came to an end, since I was left wanting more. Isn't that all that we can ask from a good novel?

The historical aspect was very interesting and obviously well researched by Alice Hoffmann, I could not get warm to the main characters and found various parts of the book annoying and repugnant.The characters were very black and white. The professor totally dispeccable and Coralie too meek, almost until the end.The sometimes objective and sometimes subjective view of the main protagonists was made clear with different typefaces but was I found tedious.Not her best book.

1911 est une année tumultueuse à New York. Tandis que les syndicats se révoltent contre les conditions de travail épouvantables imposées aux travailleurs, les riches se retranchent à l'abri des belles façades de la 5ème avenue. Deux incendies dramatiques surviennent presque coup sur coup: le premier dans une usine de vêtements où les couturières enfermées là par leurs patrons n'ont pas d'autre choix que de se jeter par les fenêtres ou de brûler vives, le second dans un gigantesque parc d'attractions de Coney Island où les flammes libèrent toute une ménagerie exotique que les forces de l'ordre sont contraintes d'abattre. Non loin de là, les flots de l'Hudson coulent noirs, glacés et insondables, à travers des marécages qui se dépeuplent rapidement de leur faune et seront bientôt grignotés par l'expansion implacable de la ville.Alors qu'il était enfant, Ezekiel Cohen a fui les pogroms en Ukraine avec son père. Désormais, il n'a plus que mépris pour cet homme brisé. Tournant le dos à sa foi, il se coupe les cheveux, se rebaptise Eddie et devient l'apprenti d'un photographe solitaire. Mais il a toujours eu un don pour retrouver les choses et les gens perdus. Après l'incendie du Triangle, un ami de son père vient lui demander de chercher sa fille Hanna, qui aurait dû travailler à l'usine ce jour-là mais ne s'est jamais présentée à son poste et a mystérieusement disparu. Une nuit, sur les bords de l'Hudson, Eddie croise la route d'une sirène qui se met à hanter ses rêves. C'est Coralie, la fille du sinistre professeur Sardie. Exposée comme un monstre dans son Musée des Créatures Extraordinaires, contrainte à s'exhiber de façon dégradante lors de soirées privées, elle ne rêve que de s'enfuir...Ca faisait très longtemps que je n'avais pas lu un roman d'Alice Hoffman, et je me demande bien pourquoi j'avais négligé cette auteure qui sait créer des atmosphères si particulières, à la fois tragiques et empreintes de magie. "The museum of extraordinary things"est une oeuvre dense, qui restitue son contexte historique à travers deux thèmes principaux: l'agitation sociale et l'opposition entre l'eau et le feu. Face à la violence des humains et des éléments, les deux héros sont, chacun à leur façon, en quête de leur identité et de leur place dans le monde. Ils ne les trouveront qu'en renonçant à ce qu'ils croyaient savoir de leurs propres origines. Autour d'eux, Alice Hoffman met en place toute une galerie de personnages secondaires frappants: les "monstres" du Musée, tellement plus beaux dans leur singularité, plus dignes dans leur vulnérabilité que le soi-disant scientifique qui les exploite; l'ermite du marécage qui a un loup pour animal de compagnie et une réputation d'homme dangereux, mais qui pleure en secret sa femme morte depuis des décennies; le cocher au passé criminel qui parle aux oiseaux et n'aspire plus qu'à se racheter; la servante rousse au visage brûlé à l'acide qui sert de mère à Coralie; l'homme-loup amoureux des livres; le Magicien de Manhattan, personnage charismatique qu'Eddie prend pour un charlatan mais qui ne l'est peut-être pas tant que ça; la fille de riche propriétaire que sa famille veut faire enfermer à l'asile parce qu'elle milite pour la cause des femmes et des ouvriers... Les deux incendies sont des scènes proprement hallucinantes. Celui de l'usine, avec les couturières qui se jettent par les fenêtres et Manhattan envahi par les cendres, rappelle de façon poignante les images du 11 septembre 2001. Celui du parc d'attractions, avec les animaux sauvages tout à coup libérés dans les rues en flammes de Coney Island, a une qualité presque surréaliste. Et bien que l'histoire se déroule il y a plus d'un siècle, l'opposition sanglante entre les riches et les pauvres trouve hélas bien des échos dans l'actualité. Un roman riche et envoûtant à plus d'un titre.

Fantastic book! What a fabulous story. It encouraged me to look up a map of New York and research places and historical events such as the Garment Factory Fire. New York itself becomes a character in this novel, constantly engaging you and enticing you into the secret past of her 19th century self. I love stories that weave historical facts into fiction and take me to places I have never been - especially when they are composed and as beautifully written as Alice Hoffman who keeps you engrossed in her work. This story has a different tone and pace to her previous novel 'The Dovekeepers;' an impressive novel of the siege of Masada. I fully recommend this novel to readers who love the world of new and extrodinary things.