The Museum of Extraordinary Things

The book relates a history of the early development of New York that is unknown to the majority of readers in the UK and possibly in the USA. It is totally fascinating - more so than the story of the fictional characters in the book. Not that the fictional story is not good. It is - but somehow, the major character is the early and developing city of New York. So, my sincere congratulations go to the author for the fantastic research task that underlies the fictional story. I doubt it could be bettered.

When I started this, I though it was great. A sure five star book. The writing is fantastic and full of imagination and the setting is conjured up wonderfully. I continued thinking this right up to about the halfway mark.However, as the book goes on I started getting, to be honest, confused. Why is each chapter divided into a first person and third person section? It seems there's no reason. Each chapter also seems to be from the perspective of one of the two main characters, but every now and then slips into the frame of someone else. There's a lot of mystery hinted at throughout the book, but none of it turns into anything tangible. Same goes for a lot of the plot strands. They're there and then they're either tied up or left unsatisfactorily and you're left wondering what was the point.This isn't the type of book to really focus too much on plot holes, but I will say there are some points where characters act completely at odds with how they've been so far portrayed purely for the author's convenience and that there is a great disconnect between what we're led to believe will happen early on in the book and what actually comes to pass.As mentioned, I thought the writing was so, so good. It's just a shame it had nowhere to go.

This book proves that you can judge a book by it's cover!So many of the themes explored in this book have been looked at before, but put together their stories interlinked add up to a story of wonder.A world where wonder was anywhere , as what was possible expanded exponentially , and sadly exploited. But the real wonder was the fight to right the wrongs , and rights for all be bravely battled for. For humanity is truly expressed in the right to live and love and be loved.

The Museum of Extraordinary Things is an engaging, sensitively written novel about what it is to be different and how our individual sense of being apart from the rest is exactly what joins us together.Coralie is born with a slight physical impairment and is exploited by her father, self-proclaimed professor of science and curator of a museum of curiosities. To add to her mystique she is kept apart from others, growing up solitary and self-conscious.Eddie is a Jewish immigrant, brought to New York was a child by his father following the death of his mother. Her loss and the traumas of the journey impact Eddie profoundly, but not as much as his father’s seeming inability to cope with either - the boy Eddie is made to feel responsible for his father’s well-being. One day Eddie just walks away, choosing a life apart from his faith and his community.The novel follows the stories of these two protagonists, both drawn in subtle, sensitive prose, as they make their inexorable way toward one another. Set against the bustling, colourful, emerging cities of New York and Manhattan, this is the coming of age story of two lost souls and also of a place. I loved the descriptions of the wild places by the Hudson river, the swamps and rough open commons being gradually swallowed by the metropolis, the wild creatures and wilder men being pushed to the edge of existence.The story is written in a variety of narrative forms; the first and in the third person. In the first person sections it was hard to tell which character was speaking. The first person sections were italicised - I really disliked that. I could see no reason and no benefit for it. I wished the writer had had the courage of her own narrative voice to tell their stories. Her voice and story-telling in the third person sections was much more compelling.This is an unusual book and I cannot think of much that compares with it. The Night Circus, perhaps, by Erin Morgenstern, or North of Here by Laurel Saville.

I absolutely loved this book. It reminded me of two books I love, The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern and Nights at the Circus by Angela Carter.I loved the setting. I really enjoyed fiction set in circuses, freak shows, funland’s and those sorts of places. They have huge potential. The author brings the setting to life. Coney Island and the sideshows and exhibits become a place of mystery and wonder if a little sinister and creepy.I loved the characters. I liked how the novel alternated between Coralie and Eddie’s perspective, showing how their two lives become gradually, fatally linked. Coralie and Eddie are great characters. I also loved the other people Coralie encounters growing up at her father’s museum.Coralie’s father is a horrible person. His exhibit is little more than a freak show, and one he rules with sheer cruelty. I was horrified when Coralie, with her deformed hands becomes a mermaid at the museum. What kind of monster could do that to his child. He does worse and my flesh crawled at times.The Museum of Extraordinary Things is not an easy book to read. Coralie’s father is a monster. The book is, however, a joy to read.

I loved this novel. Highlights life in New York, especially Staten Island and Brooklyn in the early 1900's. The novels subject matter is fascinating, an exhibition of freaks when that was the style on Staten Island. It led me to do more research on certain topics, the huge fire on Staten Island and the triangle dress shirt factory fire. The characters grabbed me immediately and held my attention throughout the novel. I am a fan of Alice Hoffman and this book cemented my admiration.

A strange but interesting plot giving insight into New York during early1900 from the perspective of the two likeable main characters. The book is well written and the storyline keeps one's interest engaged throughout. The characters are believable, well rounded and likeable/despicable as appropriate to keep the plot moving along at a good pace so I did not get bored at any point, which is always a plus for me.

This title really fascinated me. I liked the way the story unfolded.That period just before the First World War in and around New York City, is full of pathos, hope and prosperity. I tend to like that pictured in a literary way. I listened to this book, and it was great to have a voice for each main character.I have good thoughts about this book and I’ll recommend it readily.

I can't resist a book, or any other work of art, that features characters sideshow characters or history. Reading a rather negative review of Alice Hoffman's novel The Museum of Extraordinary Things, only made me eager to dive into it. Freaks, Coney Island, a mermaid . . . colour me enticed.full review at: http://drewrowsome.blogspot.ca/2014/04/the-siren-song-of-museum-of.html

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.

Wonderful imagery clothed in beautiful language. I loved the mixture of fantasy and romance beautifully presented. What made it most charming was the juxtaposition of the darkness of man, the beast to the lightness of unselfish love. Truly a great read.

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.

One of my fave books ever. This and Marriage of Opposites are on my re-reading list every couple years. Love Alice Hoffman!

I found the book overall very entertaining with interesting character development however I felt the closing, maybe the last 2-3 chapters were weak - was disappointed with that - could have been a four star read otherwise.

Utterly mesmerizing!

Alice Hoffman is my favourite author and I am never disappointed with her stories. Always rich with magical characters and unusual situations, always a book that I can't put down until it's done.

I just like Alice Hoffman , as a writer, her novels are interesting and perfect for an evening of leisure.

My book club loved this mystery/romance.

fast delivery, great book.

Great book; poignant