Audiobook Review: The Museum of Extraordinary Things by Alice Hoffman

Title:  The Museum of Extraordinary Things by Alice Hoffman

Author:  Alice Hoffman

Narrators:  Judith Light, Grace Gummer

Unabridged Length:  12 hrs, 20 mn.

Here is a summary of the book from the publisher's website:

Coralie Sardie is the daughter of the sinister impresario behind The Museum of Extraordinary Things, a Coney Island boardwalk freak show that thrills the masses. An exceptional swimmer, Coralie appears as the Mermaid in her father’s “museum,” alongside performers like the Wolfman, the Butterfly Girl, and a one-hundred-year-old turtle. One night Coralie stumbles upon a striking young man taking pictures of moonlit trees in the woods off the Hudson River.

The dashing photographer is Eddie Cohen, a Russian immigrant who has run away from his father’s Lower East Side Orthodox community and his job as a tailor’s apprentice. When Eddie photographs the devastation on the streets of New York following the infamous Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire, he becomes embroiled in the suspicious mystery behind a young woman’s disappearance and ignites the heart of Coralie.

With its colorful crowds of bootleggers, heiresses, thugs, and idealists, New York itself becomes a riveting character as Hoffman weaves her trademark magic, romance, and masterful storytelling to unite Coralie and Eddie in a sizzling, tender, and moving story of young love in tumultuous times. The Museum of Extraordinary Things is Alice Hoffman at her most spellbinding. - See more at: http://books.simonandschuster.com/Museum-of-Extraordinary-Things/Alice-Hoffman/9781451693560#sthash.0q9nkrox.dpuf

Coralie Sardie is the daughter of the sinister impresario behind The Museum of Extraordinary Things, a Coney Island boardwalk freak show that thrills the masses. An exceptional swimmer, Coralie appears as the Mermaid in her father's "museum" alongside performers like the Wolfman, the Butterfly Girl, and a one-hundred-year-old turtle. One night Coralie stumbles upon a striking young man taking pictures of moonlit trees in the woods off the Hudson River.

The dashing photographer is Eddie Cohen, a Russian immigrant who has run away from his father's Lower East Side Orthodox community and his job as a tailor's apprentice. When Eddie photographs the devastation on the streets of New York following the infamous Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire, he becomes embroiled in the suspicious mystery behind a young woman's disappearance and ignites the heart of Coralie.

With its colorful crowds of bootleggers, heiresses, thugs, and idealists, New York itself becomes a riveting character as Hoffman weaves her trademark magic, romance, and masterful storytelling to unite Coralie and Eddie in a sizzling, tender, and moving story of young love in tumultuous times. The Museum of Extraordinary Things is Alice Hoffman at her most spellbinding.

My Review:
Let me start by saying that Hoffman has seemed to be hit or miss for me.  Here on Earth was the first book I read by Hoffman and I absolutely loved it.  Her books I have read since then, not so much.  This audiobook kept me engaged, without including any mystical elements contained in some of her past books, allowing me to enjoy the story at hand.

Coralie is a young girl who possesses some odd, physical differences from the general population.  She longs to be a normal young girl, but can only seem to attain that feeling when she dons her white gloves before heading to the city.  While Coralie strives for normalcy, her father embraces her differences, using her appearance to create a new curiosity in his museum.  This sets Coralie on a new path, questioning her existence.

I think my favorite part of the book was the description and investigation of the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire.  When a piece of history that is new to me is included in a novel, I am not only finding personal enjoyment, but increasing my knowledge of historical events.  The fire was a horrendous event in our country's history and the events behind it incredibly corrupt.  As horrid as the fire was, this was the reason for Eddie and Coralie's meeting.

After meeting Eddie, Coralie finally believes she can lead a normal life.  The odds are not in their favor, especially when Coralie's father realizes Eddie's intentions.  This romance could cause him to lose one of his best performers from the museum so he does all he can to keep them apart.  In Coralie's fight to have a relationship with Eddie, secrets about Coralie's life are uncovered setting her on a new path once again.

Judith Light and Grace Gummer both did a wonderful job of narrating this fascinating novel.  I started listening with pretty low expectations, but was pleasantly surprised by the storyline.  With themes of secrets, love, corruption, and history, you may enjoy this novel as much as I did.  I highly recommend this novel for personal leisure or as a book club discussion.

My Rating:  4/5

Disclosure:  This audiobook was provided to me by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Coralie Sardie is the daughter of the sinister impresario behind The Museum of Extraordinary Things, a Coney Island boardwalk freak show that thrills the masses. An exceptional swimmer, Coralie appears as the Mermaid in her father’s “museum,” alongside performers like the Wolfman, the Butterfly Girl, and a one-hundred-year-old turtle. One night Coralie stumbles upon a striking young man taking pictures of moonlit trees in the woods off the Hudson River.

The dashing photographer is Eddie Cohen, a Russian immigrant who has run away from his father’s Lower East Side Orthodox community and his job as a tailor’s apprentice. When Eddie photographs the devastation on the streets of New York following the infamous Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire, he becomes embroiled in the suspicious mystery behind a young woman’s disappearance and ignites the heart of Coralie.

With its colorful crowds of bootleggers, heiresses, thugs, and idealists, New York itself becomes a riveting character as Hoffman weaves her trademark magic, romance, and masterful storytelling to unite Coralie and Eddie in a sizzling, tender, and moving story of young love in tumultuous times. The Museum of Extraordinary Things is Alice Hoffman at her most spellbinding. - See more at: http://books.simonandschuster.com/Museum-of-Extraordinary-Things/Alice-Hoffman/9781451693560#sthash.0q9nkrox.dpuf