The Museum Of Extraordinary Things (2014) - Plot & Excerpts
I wanted to give this 3.5 stars. The prose was beautiful, even lyrical. Hoffman's descriptions of the time were lush and transporting. It helps that she could have been describing the history of my own people (Jewish immigrant experience, Coney Island, Triangle Shirtwaist Factory), so I was pulled in immediately. I see other reviewers here commenting that the story was all over the place - I didn't mind. Parts of the story were truly horrifying (factory fire, for one ... I don't want to spoil by divulging more), but also very real. For me, Hoffman loses a star because of the far-fetched way that she connects all the dots at the end, and another 1/2 star because the dialogue doesn't ring true. I can't imagine any of the characters speaking exactly as she would have them. Yes, I was transported (and enjoyed the book very much), but I would have been transported even more had Hoffman captured some of the jargon and peculiarities of speech that were specific to the people, time, and locale. Nu?! An unusual but quite believable story set in Brooklyn and Coney Island when the rights of factory workers and women's rights were becoming more widely known. Is the man who allows audiences to see (for a fee) amazing wonders of nature a magician, a scientist, or a fraud? Is he rescuing extraordinary creatures from a cruel world, or is he crueler still in his exploitation of those creatures? Alice Hoffman has an enthralling command of words, pulling this reader into time and place. Weaving the ethnic backgrounds of the primary characters is genius, as it gives insight to who they are and why they make the choices they make.
What do You think about The Museum Of Extraordinary Things (2014)?
I just couldn't get into this. Slow moving and just didn't care too much about the story.
—tbmk09
This is a very well written book. Lots of twists and turns. I really enjoyed it!
—GeeGeeBoo
A decent read; interesting to me because of the focus on bodily difference.
—sani16
Interesting setting but the plot was dry. Could have been far better.
—peeta74
great audio book version, loved every moment of it.
—Ginseng
