Thursday, March 13, 2014

The Museum of Extraordinary Things, by Alice Hoffman

I think Alice Hoffman is a writer of extraordinary things, and this story that pivots around two historic events (the Triangle Shirtwaist factory fire and the Coney Island fire of 1911) is special.  The books two narrators are Coralee Sardie, a performer in a boardwalk museum of living wonders, by virtue of her webbed fingers and exceptional lung capacity; and Eddie Cohen, a photographer and finder of lost people, who is estranged from his father and his faith.  The story deals with age old themes: love, kindness, loyalty, and hope; and cruelty, class, exploitation, discrimination, and disenchantment.

No comments:

Post a Comment