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The Autobiography of Mrs. Tom Thumb

by Melanie Benjamin (Goodreads Author)

3.63 of 5 stars 3.63 · rating details · 4,041 ratings · 902 reviews

In her national bestseller Alice I Have Been, Melanie Benjamin imagined the life of the woman who inspired Alice in Wonderland. Now, in this jubilant new novel, Benjamin shines a dazzling spotlight on another fascinating female figure whose story has never fully been told: a woman who became a nineteenth century icon and inspiration—and whose most daunting limitation becam...more

Hardcover, 424 pages

Published July 26th 2011 by Delacorte Press

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Historical Fiction 2011

32nd out of 115 books — 582 voters

Something Wicked This Way Comes by Ray Bradbury

The Carnivorous Carnival by Lemony Snicket

Circus/Carnival Books

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Jul 10, 2011 Susan rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: arc-edition, historical-fiction, goodreads-authors

If you don't see the “A Novel” part of the title, don't confuse this novel for an autobiography or a biography. Ms. Benjamin (aka Melanie Hauser) has taken the bits of available knowledge about Mrs. General Tom Thumb's life, and woven it into a fictionalized and highly entertaining story. Apparently, the actual autobiography read more like a travelogue and was a bit boring.

At 32” full-grown, Vinnie did not want to be defined by her size, wanted to make her own way in the world. Unfortunately, th...more If you don't see the “A Novel” part of the title, don't confuse this novel for an autobiography or a biography. Ms. Benjamin (aka Melanie Hauser) has taken the bits of available knowledge about Mrs. General Tom Thumb's life, and woven it into a fictionalized and highly entertaining story. Apparently, the actual autobiography read more like a travelogue and was a bit boring.

At 32” full-grown, Vinnie did not want to be defined by her size, wanted to make her own way in the world. Unfortunately, there were few options for almost all women other than housewife, school teacher, or spending a life dependent on family. It was no comfort when a doctor consulted by her parents when she was a child likened Vinnie to “an excellent example of Nature's Occasional Mistakes.” “He assured my increasingly distressed parents that this was not a bad thing, for it made the world a much more interesting place, just as the occasional two-headed toad and one-eyed kitten did.”

How strange that a woman who didn't want to be defined by her size ended up with a career based solely on her size. And that her marriage, from her point of view anyway, was little more than a publicity stunt. Stunt or not, Vinnie became Mrs. Colonel Tom Thumb. And she dragged her even tinier sister, Minnie, into the farce as well.

I very much enjoyed this book. However, I don't think I would have liked Vinnie very much, at least not as she was portrayed. She was very adamant about being treated as an adult woman should be, yet she treated her sister, and then her husband, as though they were children. She was bossy and sometimes demanding, often judgmental when she hated being judged herself. Vinnie was complex and full of contradictions.

There were some writing quirks that bothered me a bit. I don't know how many times Vinnie mentioned her tiny, delicate, well-manicured hands, but after the third or so time, it became annoying. And Vinnie had a habit of giving us, the readers, intimations of what were going to come. Some outcomes were too predictable, even to someone like me who knows nothing of Vinnie's actual life.

All in all, this is a highly readable and entertaining story, but falls a little short of my expectations.

I was given an advance reader's edition of this book and the quotes may change in the final edition.(less)

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Feb 10, 2013 Lisa rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: adultfiction-womenwriters, squeaky-clean-fiction

A novelization of the life of Mrs. Lavinia (Vinnie)Warren Bump Stratton, who married Gen. Tom Thumb with as much fanfare and fame as Prince Charles and Lady Diana.

This book was captivating; I listened to part of it on playaway, read part of if it as an eBook and checked out the book too; just so I could read it as fast as possible.

Based mostly on strong research, the author gives the petite lady an "autobiography" that she always wanted to write herself. Mrs. Stratton was a very intelligent wo...more

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Jan 05, 2013 Emma rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: historical-fiction, united-states, 3-stars, historical-women

This is an entertaining novel about a colorful historical figure; however, it doesn't rise much above average and it has a couple of unfortunate flaws.

Lavinia "Vinnie" Warren was a pre-Civil War celebrity: less than three feet tall as an adult, but dignified and ladylike, she made a career as an entertainer and married another little person, General Tom Thumb. The real Lavinia's autobiography was an unfinished and apparently quite dull travelogue, mostly listing places she'd been and people she'...more This is an entertaining novel about a colorful historical figure; however, it doesn't rise much above average and it has a couple of unfortunate flaws.

Lavinia "Vinnie" Warren was a pre-Civil War celebrity: less than three feet tall as an adult, but dignified and ladylike, she made a career as an entertainer and married another little person, General Tom Thumb. The real Lavinia's autobiography was an unfinished and apparently quite dull travelogue, mostly listing places she'd been and people she'd met, and so Benjamin imagines a much more intimate story of her life in this novel.

Benjamin's version is a highly entertaining book. Lavinia had an eventful life: beginning in small-town Massachusetts, where she was born and, as a teenager, briefly worked as a schoolteacher; to a sleazy carnival boat on the Mississippi; to her employment with the famous P.T. Barnum, for whom Benjamin posits that she felt a lifelong unrequited love. Vinnie has a strong voice and a strong personality, and is consistently interesting in her contradictions. She's flawed and, like many people, she misidentifies her flaws: for instance, after convincing her even smaller sister, Minnie, to join her in her work, Vinnie berates herself for not sheltering Minnie more, when the reader can see that the real problem is Vinnie's failure to treat Minnie as an adult. Flawed, complex characters make for good fiction, and Vinnie is certainly both.

On the other hand, the book is quite average in other ways. The supporting cast is mostly one-note: Tom Thumb is childlike, Vinnie's parents loving but ineffectual, Minnie overly perfect. The writing style is adequate but nothing special, with lots of foreshadowing that's about as subtle as a sledgehammer. The recreation of mid 19th century America is always interesting and sometimes quite vivid, but it's not the most immersive example that I've seen.

One of the major problems, though, is that the "autobiography" conceit lacks credibility. This is a novel through and through: not just in the structure, dialogue, and so on (which I can overlook, because I like dialogue), but in that it's simply not believable that the reserved, prudish, always proper Vinnie would write this sort of story for public consumption. Details about sexual encounters and feelings, when she's horrified by even the mention of sex? Private shames, embarrassments and guilts that she keeps even from her closest confidantes? No: Vinnie would write exactly the sort of autobiography the real Lavinia did write, and Benjamin does nothing to convince readers otherwise.

Second, although the book initially promises to celebrate Vinnie's unconventionality, it winds up reinforcing gender stereotypes. "I suppose it would be fashionable to admit to some reservations as I undertake to write the History of My Life," Vinnie says in the prologue. "We women are timid creatures, after all; we must retire behind a veil of secrecy. . . . Rubbish!" Later on, however, the book criticizes Vinnie heavily for her failure to coo at babies (treating it as a major character flaw) and her refusal to become pregnant. She knows that, given her size, childbirth would probably kill her; but apparently her unwillingness to risk it is somehow "cowardly," rather than common sense. This is in stark contrast to Minnie, who's portrayed as a perfect angel as a result of her more traditional baby-loving femininity.

In the end, then, this book did not quite live up to the promise of its early chapters. It's an easy, entertaining read, but not quite as well thought out as it could have been. (less)

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Jun 28, 2012 Staciel rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: historical-fiction

I don't think that one character has made me feel such a range of emotions as Vinnie, the main character in this book has. In the beginning of the book, I was thinking, 'YOU GO, GIRL! Way to not let the size of your body stop you from fulfilling your dreams!' But then for 2/3 of the book, I didn't like her at all- thinking that she was arrogant, heartless and snobby...she says on page 256, " That was it, pure and simple; my life was onstage, next to my husband, either reenacting a pretend weddin...more

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Oct 07, 2011 Ckg rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: favorites

Good historical fiction implants the desire within the reader to learn the facts that surround the narrative. This book does not disappoint. I finished this book a couple of weeks back and have been researching P.T. Barnum and his Museum of Curiosities since I shelved the book. I was completely unaware of Ms. Benjamin and if you follow my reviews, (which I was recently reminded, some do.), few and far between though they may be; you know about my reading difficulties. I'm not going to lie. Weigh...more

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Mar 18, 2012 Tabitha the Pabkins rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: first-reads, books-won, own

I received this book from a GoodReads First Reads giveaway.

*on an aggravated note - I just wrote this whole thing and then the internet ate it last night - so this version is going to be shorter* Copy and paste before you click people!!

This book was definitely not what I expected. I was expecting more of a fiction feel to it but I didn't get much of that. The writing was vivid and clear so much so that I really did feel like I was in a different time. I think that is important as many other his...more

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Oct 20, 2011 Orsolya rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: historical-fiction, library, wishlist, favorites, oddities

Enchanting, engaging, moving, and beautiful. These are just a few words which can amply describe The Autobiography of Mrs. Tom Thumb… and that was only by page 27!

The Autobiography of Mrs. Tom Thumb instantly grabs 110% of your attention with vivid imagery, bright descriptions, emotional currents, and a strong plot without the usual fictional fluff. A coming of age story, depicting self-acceptance and growth; The Autobiography of Mrs. Tom Thumb is a traditional theme and yet far from it and muc...more Enchanting, engaging, moving, and beautiful. These are just a few words which can amply describe The Autobiography of Mrs. Tom Thumb… and that was only by page 27!

The Autobiography of Mrs. Tom Thumb instantly grabs 110% of your attention with vivid imagery, bright descriptions, emotional currents, and a strong plot without the usual fictional fluff. A coming of age story, depicting self-acceptance and growth; The Autobiography of Mrs. Tom Thumb is a traditional theme and yet far from it and much more magical. The story reads with depth and instantaneous character development.

Focusing on the character of Vinnie, the reader forgets that he/she was just introduced to the story and to her character; one with a strong voice and bold personality, coming alive before your eyes. Vinnie powerfully evokes a bond with the reader, thus resulting in a shared emotional up and down journey. From the first time she was called a “dwarf” to the death of her sister, Vinnie shares her joys and failures with the reader.

Melanie Benjamin’s language and text style is intelligent and skillfully written, yet easy and smooth enough that one keeps turning the pages without even noticing the clock minutes ticking by. The story never drags, even in parts which would in other novels. Basically, it flows like butter and dissolves into the bigger picture of developments and sequencing. It is rare to find a book with NO slow parts but The Autobiography of Mrs. Tom Thumb was genuinely contained and a constantly rotating, engaging, and well-developed novel. Never did I imagine I would tear up at a goodbye scene between a little person and a giantess. It isn’t even a scene I ever even considered! But guess who was blurry-eyed? My favorite chapter was depicting the death of Vinnie’s sister during childbirth. A highly pivotal point to the rest of the book, it evoked much emotion and changed the tone in a moving and satisfying way.

At times, Vinnie is egotistical and vain, putting on airs with society. This causes her brief lapses of realization but then she returns to forgetting her roots. Although this may anger some readers (and perhaps it is supposed to, as it is not the typical path of human self-advancement); it demonstrated that Vinnie is“real” and with faults, just like anyone else. This is best portrayed when she meets some “freaks” while working on a sideshow at Barnum’s circus and although she is considered a novelty herself; she is disgusted by the other “creatures”.

One of the few (and maybe only) sections I could have done without were the “intermissions”: a page of news clippings in between chapters which are obviously placed to help set the scene and setting of the Civil War era. However, I don’t feel it helped much in that sense, nor was it a must-have for the story to progress.

Melanie Benjamin remained quite historically accurate with her work despite some of the fictional matter used to keep the book moving. The chronology and sequencing was in-line with major events and thus, the book isn’t as annoyingly speculated as other historical fiction pieces. Benjamin read the unpublished autobiography of the real Mrs. Tom Thumb (which is a rather dry compilation and is more of a travelogue devoid of any emotion); so it would appear that Vinnie would be very proud of this novel depicting her life.

I would have liked the book to continue onward to Vinnie’s second marriage after the death of General Tom Thumb but I enjoyed the inside look at P.T. Barnum which debunked (based on facts) many of Vinnie’s career and life moments/choices. A combination of “Showboat”, the film “Big Fish”, and “Water for Elephants”; this novel should be the next big film (or at least, play).

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Jun 18, 2012 Christi rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012-reads

This was an interesting book. I had no idea that Tom Thumb was a real person never mind that he had a wife. I pulled this book off the New Releases shelf at the library on a whim.

It's a novel based on the real life of Lavinia "Vinnie" Warren Bump who was a proportionate dwarf living in Middleborough MA in the mid-1800s. After teaching school for a few years in her hometown, she joins a sideshow on a Mississippi riverboat to see the world and spread her wings.

The parts I found most interesting...more

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Mar 24, 2013 Alan Smith rated it 4 of 5 stars

Every now and then you pick up a book you don't think you'll like, just to read on the bus, and it grabs you by the mind and won't let go! And here's an example. I started this one simply because I enjoyed "Water for Elephants" so much, and felt like sticking with the early American history/carnival theme, and to my surprise this book did not suffer in comparison in the slightest.

This work is a novel - not a biography - and has to be read as such. The good news is that it's far more entertainin...more

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Mar 08, 2013 Carla rated it 4 of 5 stars

Is is necessary to like the main character in order to thoroughly enjoy a story? This is a question I've been throwing around for awhile, and although the answer for most readers would be no I still haven't come to a personal conclusion. Mrs. Tom Thumb is imo unlikeable, and I felt very sorry for Mr. Tom Thumb, who deserved much better, since he was married to this self-centered midget...sorry, little person, although the portrayal of Vinnie led to my initial "not-so-politically-correct" physica...more

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Mar 03, 2013 Lauren rated it 2 of 5 stars

Recommended to Lauren by: My brother

A disclaimer before you read further: I've only read the first half of this book (about 200-some pages) so I'm not working with all of the content, and you could quite justifiably claim that discounts my opinion.

I understood from the get-go that this was a highly fictionalized account but I found it rather dull and predictable. The historical details here and there were interesting, but the characters were all 1-dimensional. Even Vinnie herself. We're never privy to any questions or doubts. For...more

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Feb 20, 2013 Smallworld rated it 4 of 5 stars

Reviewed on SmallWorld Reads

Like most kids, I was fascinated with the Guinness Book of World Records, especially the editions with the medical anomalies: the Chinese conjoined twin brothers were married sister, the "caterpillar" man, the lady with half a twin coming out of her belly, the tallest man in the world, and the smallest couple ever, General and Mrs. Tom Thumb. I think a part of me, as a child, never really believed those people to be real—they must be some trick of Guinness's.

But Mer...more

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Jan 30, 2013 Teresa Medeiros rated it 5 of 5 stars

I really liked Melanie Benjamin's fresh take on Alice Lidell (of ALICE IN WONDERLAND fame) in ALICE I HAVE BEEN and I loved THE AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF MRS. TOM THUMB even more. It reminded me of something you'd read as a kid that totally succeeds in bringing a historical era to life--like LITTLE HOUSE ON THE PRAIRIE or Gwen Bristow's JUBILEE TRAIL.

Mrs. Tom Thumb or Mercy Lavinia "Vinnie" Warren Bump is an unforgettable character and you become fascinated by seeing the world from her unique viewpoint...more

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Jan 01, 2013 Rachael rated it 3 of 5 stars

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. I realize that Benjamin had to create a character all her own, since very little is known about the real Mercy Lavinia Warren Bump Stratton, but was it necessary to make her such a cold, unfeeling person? There were times where I just wanted to smack Vinnie's little face, particularly when she talked about how "simple" her sister was, and how she had been the one who killed her by bringing her into show business. It never occurred to her that her sister was an adult, capable of making her own de...more

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Nov 01, 2012 Pat Bourke rated it 4 of 5 stars

This is an absorbing book for fans of historical fiction with a sassy twist. Vinnie Bump, fiercely intelligent and thirty-two inches tall, yearns for a much bigger life than the one she's carved out for herself as a teacher in her small town community. Her life is turned upside down when she agrees to work as an entertainer on a river paddle-boat in the southern US run by a showman who's a charlatan and a tyrant. This leads her to J. P. Barnum and she becomes the toast of New York society when s...more

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Oct 31, 2012 Cook Memorial Public Library rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: historical-fiction, visiting-author, book-club-book, biographical-fiction, 2011-staff-favorites

Mercy Lavinia “Vinnie’’ Warren Bump is only 32 inches tall, but she lives an enormous life, thanks to her feisty and determined personality. Her true story brilliantly unfolds with author Melanie Benjamin’s extensive research and compelling writing in “The Autobiography of Mrs. Tom Thumb’’.

Born in 1841, Vinnie decides she isn’t content to live a sedentary life on her family’s Massachusetts farm. When she has the opportunity to join a traveling riverboat show, she leaves behind her protective fa...more

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Sep 22, 2012 Louise rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: fiction, biographical-fiction, historical-fiction

Author Melanie Benjamin takes on the challenge of defining Mercy Lavinia Warren Bump, who is famous for her performances with her husband, "General Tom Thumb" under contract with P. T. Barnum.. It's a good intriguing read, particularly if you have familiarity with PT Barnum and the Strattons (aka the Thumbs).

Benjamin makes Lavinia the first person narrator, who starts off as a sympathetic character. While just over 2 feet tall, she is a loving and dutiful daughter. She cares for her sister who i...more

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Aug 25, 2012 Judith rated it 4 of 5 stars

I listened to this as an audio book in my car, and I noticed after awhile that I kept making excuses to myself to run errands so I could listen to more of the story. It was absolutely delightful. I had never heard of this person before the book and I had to check online to make sure she was a real person (though the story would have been a good one regardless). I was fascinated by the pictures of this tiny woman who was a miniature person, but not a dwarf or little person. In other words, she wa...more

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Aug 16, 2012 Book Concierge rated it 5 of 5 stars

Lavinia Warren was only 32 inches high, but had ambitions that were not limited by her diminutive size. She was a real person, more popularly known as Mrs General Tom Thumb – the wife of P T Barnum’s famous “oddity.” In the midst of Civil War, their wedding was front-page news. They were received by Queen Victoria, Abraham Lincoln, and heads of state around the world. They were befriended by the Astors, Vanderbilts and other high society families. They were the Brad and Angelina of their day, mo...more Lavinia Warren was only 32 inches high, but had ambitions that were not limited by her diminutive size. She was a real person, more popularly known as Mrs General Tom Thumb – the wife of P T Barnum’s famous “oddity.” In the midst of Civil War, their wedding was front-page news. They were received by Queen Victoria, Abraham Lincoln, and heads of state around the world. They were befriended by the Astors, Vanderbilts and other high society families. They were the Brad and Angelina of their day, mobbed by crowds wherever they went, written about by reporters, the subjects of gossip and rumor, and victims of their own fame. All of this is true, but this book is a work of fiction.

Benjamin does a wonderful job of bringing Vinnie to life. The novel depicts a woman of great intelligence and drive. She is shown to be cunning, witty, talented and strong-willed. She is also vulnerable, frightened, angry, and cold, suppressing her feelings to protect herself as best she can. Her partnership with Barnum is wonderfully imagined and beautifully told. Benjamin gives us a woman who is defined by her character, not her height. All this is presented against a backdrop of historical events – Civil War, the opening of the West, and life in the Gilded Age.

I really liked this book. I was completely mesmerized by Vinnie’s story, and that of the other members of her troupe. I grew up in San Antonio Texas, the home of the Hertzberg Circus Collection. When I was a child I spent many a Saturday visiting the collection, which was housed in the main Public Library downtown. It is the oldest and largest public collection of circus memorabilia in America. There is a significant amount of Tom Thumb memorabilia; one of the artifacts is the coach custom-made for General Tom Thumb. Unfortunately, by 2001 the building had deteriorated so much that the collection was at risk. It was moved to storage and is now conserved by the Witte Museum. It is not currently on display, though the many volumes of books and records are available to scholars for research (by appointment only).
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Aug 13, 2012 Barb rated it 5 of 5 stars

I actually listened to this book via Audible last summer while creating the art for my own book, Glamorous Glasses. Because the voice of the narrator so embodied what I imagined the voice of a little person to be, and it was so well read, and with such heartfelt emotion, the experience was simply wonderful. Read conventionally, it would certainly be pleasurable. But, if time is an issue and you are in the middle of a project as I was, don't dismiss the audible version.

The novel is the story--an...more

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Jun 26, 2012 Grace rated it 5 of 5 stars

Author: Melanie Benjamin
Title: The Autobiography of Mrs. Tom Thumb
Description: Lavinia Warren Bump (Vinnie) was a normal baby, but as a toddler, she stopped growing. She topped out at 32” tall, and her little sister Minnie was just a little shorter. Although she started out as a schoolteacher, she wanted to see the world, and her size gave her an excuse to leave home and travel. After a rough start as a sideshow attraction, she met P.T. Barnum and became one of his wonders.
Review source: I got...more

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May 21, 2012 Susan Howard rated it 3 of 5 stars

Benjamin shines a dazzling spotlight on another fascinating female figure whose story has never fully been told: a woman who became a nineteenth century icon and inspiration—and whose most daunting limitation became her greatest strength.
“Never would I allow my size to define me. Instead, I would define it.”
She was only two-foot eight-inches tall, but her legend reaches out to us more than a century later. As a child, Mercy Lavinia “Vinnie” Bump was encouraged to live a life hidden away from t...more

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Apr 26, 2012 Tia rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: circus, should-have-been-better

I truly wanted to like this story more than I did. Most of it was very repetative. I felt as if I was reading the same lines over and over again. I did find Vinnie's imagained life to be an interesting read. My favorite parts were the relationship between her and Minnie and her and Barnum. I felt the book could have been much shorter and still gotten its point across. It also could have been more exciting. Parts of the story were boring and really unneeded to advance the story. I hated the inter...more

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Feb 24, 2012 Jen3n rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: history, literature

Like her other novel that I read recently and enjoyed (Alice I have Been,) Melanie Benjamin has taken the (as she puts it) bones of historical fact and fleshed it out with the skin of fictionalized suposition and fancy, to very charming and touching results.

I like actual biographies and historical non-fiction in general, but there is something very alluring about a fictionalized account, especially when that account seems to use rational supposition rather than bending or pandering to the more p...more Like her other novel that I read recently and enjoyed (Alice I have Been,) Melanie Benjamin has taken the (as she puts it) bones of historical fact and fleshed it out with the skin of fictionalized suposition and fancy, to very charming and touching results.

I like actual biographies and historical non-fiction in general, but there is something very alluring about a fictionalized account, especially when that account seems to use rational supposition rather than bending or pandering to the more purient rumors that generally suround historical members of the "B team"; and by "B Team" I mean people, usually women or girls, who seemed to have only a supporting role in their own lives. Like Alice Lidell from Ms. Benjamin's first book, a girl who in real life was a part of the inspiration for a pair of classic, beautiful fantasy novels, but who most people seem only interested to speculate was OBVIOUSLY merely the dim-witted prey of a vicious paedophile without much evidence to back it up and without thinking about the rest of her life or the context of that life and her personal choices and et cetera. In this book, the protagonist is Lavinia Warner, wife of Charles Sutton who was better known as General Tom Thumb. Being fond of the 19th centruy and also the life of PT Barnum, I knew who she was, but most accounts either gloss over her entirely or suggest she was a very simple little person and that was all. So it's appealing to have a fictionalized version of history that feels more plausable. A version which allows for human beings to be multifacited (just like real people) and to make good and bad choices (just like in real life). I find this fictional novel no less plausable in it's speculation and invention than I do actual non-fiction stories about these women's lives that are either extremely light on detail or full of losely-based speculation which can not be called fiction because it is scholarly speculation.

So. I seem to have found a nerve. I'll get off my high horse now and pack away the soapbox (to mix a metephore) and say that I enjoyed this fictional novelization of a real woman's life. I thought it was well written and made me feel happy and miserable and afraid when in the narrative such feelings were appropreate.

Recommended. But only if you're into this sort of thing.(less)

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Feb 13, 2012 Leslie rated it 2 of 5 stars

While I understand that this book is a historical NOVEL, I think Ms. Benjamin would have been better served to write a novel about a fictional character. It is obvious that there was very little actual historical information about Vinnie Bump. Therefore, Ms Benjamin basically had to repeat herself over and over and over. After the first hundred pages, I wanted to throw the book or burn it for kindling. There are only so many ways to convey that Vinnie was a self-absorbed person with no idea that...more

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Oct 27, 2011 Linda rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: historical-fiction, new-york-city, 19th-century, dwarfism, circus, p-t-barnum

Born a dwarf in the early 1800s, Lavinia Bump was part of a loving family and community. She constantly chafed against the limitations she had not only as a dwarf, but as a woman. Women were not typically educated in the 19th century, but Lavinia not only learned, but was a teacher for a period of time. Yearning to move beyond her restrictive environment, she took a job as an entertainer on a riverboat just prior to the Civil War. The man who "recruited" her was believed to be a family relative,...more Born a dwarf in the early 1800s, Lavinia Bump was part of a loving family and community. She constantly chafed against the limitations she had not only as a dwarf, but as a woman. Women were not typically educated in the 19th century, but Lavinia not only learned, but was a teacher for a period of time. Yearning to move beyond her restrictive environment, she took a job as an entertainer on a riverboat just prior to the Civil War. The man who "recruited" her was believed to be a family relative, but ultimately she became a member of a "freak" show and was all but sold into prostitution by her "cousin". She didn't let her narrow escape from the riverboat keep her from moving on. Eventually, she ended up as part of P.T. Barnum's show and circus. She met Tom Thumb (Charles Stratton), one of the best known and most-beloved performers in Barnum's show and married him. Lavinia and Charles had one of the most famous marriages of it's time, but it wasn't a love match. Together, they became one of Barnum's most popular performers. They traveled the world, had tea with the Queen of England and lived as part of high society in New York. P. T. Barnum was Lavinia's best friends and confidantes. He, alone, of everyone she knew thought the way she did and between the two of them the fame and fortune of Mr. and Mrs. Tom Thumb continued to grow, as did P.T. Barnum's.

Lavinia is a very strong character. She dearly loved her family, especially her younger sister, Minnie, who eventually became part of the troupe. She was very ambitious, though, and her career and fame was always first and foremost in her mind and in the decisions she made.

One of the most interesting features of this novel for me was the historical context. Benjamin did exhaustive research not only about Lavinia but also of the world in which she lived. I learned a lot about the Gilded Age, circus performing, and the life of a "small person" during a time when people paid to see "freaks" and were intolerant of anyone who is different.
This is a well-written book, full of history, romance, and performance.(less)

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Oct 08, 2011 Meg rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I can finally review this book since our book club (The Jolly Girls Book Club, ha!) has met and discussed. Growing up next to Bridgeport, CT I have always been fascinated with Lavinia Warren who stood 2 ft. 8 inches tall and was perfectly porportioned. This book was written as if from Lavinia's own hand. At times Vinnie's character is very raw, and hard to like. I would then remember what it must have been like for her, and found it much easier to relate. She was stubborn, brave, selfish, loving...more

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Sep 29, 2011 Jane rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I picked up this book because it was on the "new arrivals" shelf at the library. I don't read a lot of historical fiction, but scanned the inside jacket, decided to give it a read and am glad I did. Mercy Lavinia Warren Bump, 32 inches high, is from a farming family concerned with what life possibilities were available to her. Perhaps against their own better judgment they allow her to go to school where she excels, becomes the school teacher. But she wants more - and boy, does she get it.

This b...more

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Sep 24, 2011 Susan rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I almost passed on The Autobiography of Mrs. Tom Thumb. There was a part of me when I first saw the title in my public library enews that felt like I was participating in the objectification of little people. I dare say after listening to Kim Mai's excellent performance of Melanie Benjamin's fictional story, that I found myself admiring Mrs. General Tom Thumb, aka Lavinia Mercy Warren Bump Stratton.

Ms. Benjamin creates a deep and strong character in Vinnie, as Mrs. Stratton was commonly known, s...more

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Aug 28, 2011 Betty rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: biography-auto, arlington-library

Review from Amazon.com:

This is a novelization about Mrs. Tom Thumb who stood 2 feet, 8 inches tall. The novel is told in the first person, Vinnie's (Mrs. TT) and just as the title says, like an autobiography.

I was completely charmed by this little two foot narrator even though she isn't perfect. She is strong, determined, prideful and ashamed both, arrogant, selfish, and yet also extremely loving. Throughout the novel, she does wrong and she does right, just like everyone else and her narrative...more

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About Melanie Benjamin

Melanie Benjamin is the author of the national bestseller, ALICE I HAVE BEEN, THE AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF MRS. TOM THUMB, as well as the forthcoming THE AVIATOR'S WIFE, a novel about Anne Morrow Lindbergh. She lives in the Chicago area with her husband and two sons. She's currently at work on her next historical novel.

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“Never would I allow my size to define me. Instead I would define it.” — 7 people liked it

“My dear, simple little sister! Every mood so fleeting, yet so obvious; there was no mystery to Minnie, none at all. She loved whom she knew, distrusted everyone else, and shared her emotions, her thoughts, as freely as they occurred to her.” — 2 people liked it

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