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The Thunder of Giants

Joel Fishbane (Goodreads Author)

3.52 · Rating details · 391 ratings · 88 reviews

Mixing the eccentricity of the circus world and the heart of a love story, The Thunder of Giants is a warm and engaging debut about two exceptional women -- both almost 8-feet tall

The year is 1937 and Andorra Kelsey – 7’11 and just under 320 pounds – is on her way to Hollywood to become a star. Hoping to escape both poverty and the ghost of her dead husband, she accepts an ...more

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Hardcover, 278 pages

Published April 14th 2015 by St. Martin's Press

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· 391 ratings · 88 reviews

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Nov 01, 2014 Tara Chevrestt rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: 2015-release, historical-fiction, kindle, netgalley

Sometimes I read a book that I just love--and not a moment too soon, especially after a month of duds (You readers know what I speak of, when every book you pick up stinks to high heaven and you begin to despair that you'll ever read another good book...and maybe the problem is you!) and I'm left speechless and don't really know what to say but, "I loved it!!! Read it! You don't want to miss this one!"

I loved this novel and just like Anna Swan's husband's appendage makes the poor examining docto Sometimes I read a book that I just love--and not a moment too soon, especially after a month of duds (You readers know what I speak of, when every book you pick up stinks to high heaven and you begin to despair that you'll ever read another good book...and maybe the problem is you!) and I'm left speechless and don't really know what to say but, "I loved it!!! Read it! You don't want to miss this one!"

I loved this novel and just like Anna Swan's husband's appendage makes the poor examining doctor feel wholly inadequate, I fear my review will be wholly inadequate, but I will do my best.

First of all, this novel not only transported to me two different times and places in history, but it also made me laugh. From the mention of nervous farts to the witty offhand remarks between characters to the scenes themselves either in the tailor's shop involving a broken foot or the set of a Hollywood movie, the book fairly burst with surprise laughs.

Second, we learn about not one remarkable woman giant, but two, the first--Anna Swan--having been a real woman. I'm sure some artistic license was taken here, but we get the basics of the real woman, her size, her working for Barnum, her marriage and tours. Anna Swan is def my favorite of the two heroines. She's brave and amazing. She saves orphans, helps soldiers during the Civil War, all the while battling with her size. Her parts bring up issues of exploitation and even marriage. She's told she should marry someone like her. But what's so different about her really? She's may be large, may be called a giant lady, but really, she's just a lady. And we follow this lady from childhood in Canada (Pilgrims and New Yorkers will be shot! LOL) to "performing" in a museum to war to marriage, thru loss.

The second story is just after WWI, and another large lady deals with many of the same issues, combined with guilt over the death of her husband and feelings that things out of her control were caused by her. As another character later points out, she may be the reason for some decisions others made, but she didn't make their decisions for them. But she must realize that for herself.

So we have humor, history told in an entertaining way, two remarkable heroines, real-life struggles, food-for-thought, and all this told in a very engaging narrative.

Full review and favorite quotes: http://wwwbookbabe.blogspot.com/2015/... ...more

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Nov 13, 2019 gaudeo rated it did not like it

Boy, am I ever finished! With main characters whose names are so similar it's hard to keep them straight, the jumping around in time periods (not to mention flashbacks and foreshadowing), and inapt language, it's hard to like this book. I hung in there through 75% of it, but just can't see it through to the end. ...more

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Jun 06, 2015 Elizabeth (NC) rated it it was ok

Shelves: hive-2015

I wanted to like this book more than I did. The ending was good and almost pulled it up to three stars. If I read it at a different time, I might have been able to pay better attention. Instead, the stories were too close, and I was just confused much of the time.

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Oct 21, 2018 Helen rated it really liked it

Shelves: historical-fiction, canadian

Should fantasy be one of the tags? Possibly.
The historical part is the life of Anna Swan, a giant born in Tatamagouche, Nova Scotia, in the 19th century. She went to New York where she became part of PT Barnam's show. Fishbane addresses the problems involved in being so outsize - she was over 8 feet tall - since furniture isn't made to suit, doorways are too low, rooms are too small, and how do you build real relationships with people?
The other half of the story is that of a fictional giant nam ...more

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Aug 26, 2021 Joyce rated it it was ok

Shelves: books-read-in-2021, historical-fiction, fiction

This was a disappointing book for me. I thought the premise sounded very interesting since it involved 2 women who were 'giants' in size. One of them was Anna Swan who was born in Nova Scotia and lived in the 19th century. Her part of the story is based on true facts about the life of Anna Swan. The second female giant, a fictional character, was Andora Kelsey. Andora was born in a tiny principality between France and Spain but lived most of her life in the United States.

The novel alternated be ...more

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Jul 30, 2019 Lisa James rated it liked it

This book about the life of Anna Swan, one of PT Barnum's giants back in NY, was as truly sad as it was fascinating. Gigantism is such a very rare disorder that it's fascinating to begin with. Sadly it does bring about a host of other ailments, & a shortened lifespan, so for Anna's husband to live to be in his early 80's is almost unheard of. ...more

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Mar 12, 2018 thereadingowlvina (Elvina Ulrich) rated it it was ok

This is a dual timeline historical fiction about the extraordinary lives of two women, Anna Swan (19th century) and Andorra Kelsey (1930s), and although separated by decades of years, their lives are connected by one likeness- both are giantesses with an impressive height of almost 8 feet. Set against the backdrop of Civil War in the 19th century, and Depression in 1930s, we see their trials and struggles as they battle to survive in a world who refuses to accept them for who they truly are.

I a This is a dual timeline historical fiction about the extraordinary lives of two women, Anna Swan (19th century) and Andorra Kelsey (1930s), and although separated by decades of years, their lives are connected by one likeness- both are giantesses with an impressive height of almost 8 feet. Set against the backdrop of Civil War in the 19th century, and Depression in 1930s, we see their trials and struggles as they battle to survive in a world who refuses to accept them for who they truly are.

I am certainly intrigued by the plot since I enjoy circus themed stories, either fiction or non-fiction. Unfortunately, I was somewhat disappointed with the book. The plot was somehow lost in the middle of the story. I did not understand what was the main focus of the story except at the end it was about their struggles both in love and life. I enjoyed Anna's story more as it was more believable. Perhaps it was because it is based on a true historical character. http://www.nlc-bnc.ca/eppp-archive/10...
I thought there would be more written about her time as P.T Barnum's menagerie of oddities. Sadly, that was not the case. Andorra's story as the fictional character in this book was not appealing to me at all. It was too similar to Anna's story, somewhat boring and lacking substance.

I preferred Anna's character the most in this whole story. She was portrayed as a strong woman both in love and life. She was rational and calm with better judgement in decisions. As for Andorra, I absolutely dislike her. Selfish, childish and too whiny throughout the book. I find her to be overwhelming throughout the book. As for other characters, I felt they were not fully developed, and I could not connect with any of them. They seemed to be insignificant throughout the story due to lack of strong backstories.

My huge problem with this book is the storytelling part. While I always enjoy a dual timeline novel, unfortunately this book robbed me of that enjoyment. This story is narrated back and forth with alternating chapters of Anna and Andorra. However, in each chapters, there were too many flashbacks within flashbacks, and I kept having to refer to the beginning of the chapter to see who and what timeline that chapter is about. The timeline was not in a chronological order but rather scattered all over. Too confusing and too much work! Adding to the confusion was the fact that both Anna's and Andorra's stories were way too similar. Lastly, the connection between Anna and Andorra was minimal and weak. I couldn't comprehend the role of Andorra in this whole story.

In a nutshell, this is a book with a very promising plot and somewhat good story build up. However, it suffers from finesse in storytelling leaving me feeling frustrated and confused. Perhaps with a simpler plot and not too many twists in the story would render this book a delightful read. ...more

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Dec 26, 2014 Renae rated it liked it

Shelves: genre-historical, read-in-2015, time-1920s, time-great-depression, time-wwi, time-civil-war, setting-andorra, setting-canada

This is one of those books I knew I had to read as soon as I heard the premise: historical lady giants! Seriously. The Thunder of Giants is a dual-perspectived historical novel about two extremely tall women and how their lives, separated by decades, intersect. Overall, I was impressed with the strength of Joel Fishbane’s storytelling and the way he didn’t rely solely on the uniqueness of his characters, though of course Anna and Andorra were a big draw. Even so, the story did get a little telen This is one of those books I knew I had to read as soon as I heard the premise: historical lady giants! Seriously. The Thunder of Giants is a dual-perspectived historical novel about two extremely tall women and how their lives, separated by decades, intersect. Overall, I was impressed with the strength of Joel Fishbane’s storytelling and the way he didn’t rely solely on the uniqueness of his characters, though of course Anna and Andorra were a big draw. Even so, the story did get a little telenovela-ish towards the end, and while it was a satisfying conclusion, it was perhaps too sentimental.

The narrative, as I said, is split between two women, Andorra in the 1930s and Anna in the 1860s. Both are about 8 feet tall, and therefore have somewhat difficult lives as a consequence, though in different ways. Their lives intersect when a Hollywood talent scout asks Andorra to play the part of Anna in a film his wife is producing. Yet aside from this seemingly superficial connection of physical similarities, the two lady giants are both quite different, though by the end of The Thunder of Giants, their stories intersect much more completely.

I think it’s interesting that Fishbane chose to write about a both real historical figure and a fictional one in this novel. Anna Bates (née Swan) was a real woman who was born in Canada, came to New York to do shows for P.T. Barnum, then married another giant from Kentucky before settling permanently in a custom-built house in Ohio. Yet the novel’s other protagonist, Andorra Kelsey, is completely a product of the author’s imagination. On the one hand, I did enjoy the fiction Andorra’s story more of the two, but on the other hand, maybe I would have liked a story devoted entirely to Anna Bates, since she actually lived. I’m conflicted. I like Andorra, but did Fishbane need her in this novel to tell Anna’s story? It seems like the intersection between the two women is minimal and circumstantial, so it might have been better to just have one protagonist and skip the dual-narrative entirely. This is often my struggle with historical fiction featuring two storylines; it so often doesn’t seem necessary.

Obviously, though, I still enjoyed The Thunder of Giants. I think Joel Fishbane is a talented author, both in terms of prose and in research. The historical periods (both of them) were fully realized and immersive, and though the book isn’t brimming with detail, I still found that the setting and time were done justice. Additionally, the two protagonists were well-drawn and interesting, making their separate stories easy to follow along with and enjoy. ...more

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Jan 21, 2015 MissSusie rated it really liked it

Shelves: netgalley, reviewed, 2015

In this book we meet two female giants Anna Swan who worked for PT Barnum during the civil war and Andorra Kelsey who in 1937 is discovered by a talent scout to play Anna Swan in a movie. This was a good story with sparse writing. I’d never heard of Anna Swan before and this was a fascinating look into her life. Some details of course changed for a narrative fiction story and I don't think Andorra existed but she was also an interesting woman.

Neither woman ever wanted to be a star they just want ...more

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Feb 02, 2015 Jessica Surgett rated it it was amazing

Shelves: books-i-own, first-reads

*I won this book in a Goodreads giveaway*

I'm so glad I received a copy of this book. It was a wonderful story and beautifully written. The real history behind it is fascinating, and while I'm well aware that much of the story is a work of fiction, the fact that it's rooted in truth made it even more interesting to me.

I really loved how everything unfolded. The switching back and forth between Andorra and Anna was a bit confusing at first, but I was still able to follow along easily enough. And ...more

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May 26, 2015 ExLibris_Kate rated it really liked it

3.5 Stars

I love books that combine historical facts with fiction, and The Thunder of Giants was such an unusual story, that I couldn’t pass it up. In alternating stores, we read about two “giants” Anna and Andorra, both over seven feet tall, who lived in different centuries. Their lives had many similarities, however. I think I was a little more drawn to Anna’s story, and it was full of both heartache and triumph. Both women were approached by unscrupulous people determined to exploit that which ...more

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Apr 26, 2015 Sarah rated it it was amazing

Shelves: 19th-century-historical-fiction, 20th-century-fiction, most-anticipated-of-2015

Wow, this book blew me away. I was looking for something unique and was always looking forward to this novel due to the unique subject matter. Especially after reading the novel on Mrs. Tom Thumb earlier this year, my anticipation for this one skyrocketed. My expectations were paid in full!

I loved both of our female giantess’, Andorra and Annie. They both faced very similar challenges due to their size and society’s views, but both me them with grace and grit. I liked seeing how each was affecte ...more

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Aug 16, 2015 Jan Pelosi rated it it was amazing

Shelves: historical-fiction

Loved this book! After reading so many disappointing books lately, it was great finding one so interesting. I love historical fiction as it allows me to learn new information that I otherwise wouldn't have even run across. I found myself stopping to Google all sorts of things while reading this book. I stumbled across this at the library in the "new releases," took one look at it's description, and checked it out. So glad I did.

I would highly recommend this book to my friends, although some may ...more

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Aug 27, 2015 Tanya Wiles-bell rated it liked it

A wonderful blend of historical fact and myth The Thunder of Giants tells the stories,of giants, Anna Swan (fact) and Andorra Kelsey. Anna's story takes place in I thoroughly enjoyed this book. The writing was clean and rich in detail and the characters were well developed. I appreciated the strong female characters and thought Mr. Fishbane did a nice job weaving the stories of the Anna and Andorra in a way that kept the reader entertained and yet curious enough to do some independent research o ...more

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Apr 23, 2015 Amye Robb rated it it was ok

These are the stories of two giant women who lived a hundred years apart. One worked for P.T. Barnum in the early 1800's and the other went to Hollywood to play the former one in the movies in the early 1900's. I found these stories didn't hold my interest and I had thought they would. They weren't compelling, and I wasn't rooting for these women as their stories played out. I waited for it to get better, but it never did. It missed the mark for me. ...more

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May 27, 2015 Beth rated it it was amazing

I read this book fast and in big chunks in order to keep all the delicious details in mind. I want to read page-turner books -- what happens next!? This is one of those. I love historical fiction and mystery and surprises. The Thunder of Giants does not disappoint!

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Dec 24, 2017 Heather rated it it was ok

I should have loved this book, but I just found it too jerky - I kept forgetting what was happening as it constantly went back and forth, forth and back in time. I honestly had no idea what was happening!

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Mar 30, 2018 Aliyah rated it it was ok

this book was OK. I found the plot kind of moved around a lot, and it was hard to follow anna's story vs. Andorra's.
I dont really know what i was expecting with this book. It wasnt bad, but it wasn't anything interesting. i definitely forced myself to finish reading this ...more

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Aug 07, 2019 Debbie rated it really liked it

I always knew that my dad had been a life-long fan of the Detroit Tigers, but it wasn't until I read Thunder of Giants which touched on the 1934 and 1935 World Series (in both of which the Tigers played) that I really understood how that came about. Those years he would have been 8 and 9 years old - prime years for a boy of that time to begin to follow professional baseball and to be caught up in the excitement that must have gripped both Detriot and my dad's hometown - the city of Windsor Ontar ...more

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Dec 14, 2018 Monica rated it it was ok

Shelves: 2018, solo-reads

I have no idea if this story comes from any historical accuracy; my only knowledge of P.T. Barnum’s circus and it’s participants appears in the form of that Hugh Jackman musical. However, the messed-up idea that an actual human being exploited other people into a “freak show” display can be spread out into multiple mediums, it seems.

In spite of that, Anna Swan’s story (who I believe is a real person? I have no idea) wasn’t as interesting to me as the story of Andorra, names after one of the most ...more

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Feb 17, 2018 Missy rated it really liked it

Shelves: owned

I am so glad to have read this book. It was so interesting from start to finish, it payed off on everything the author set up at the beginning of the novel, and the main characters were both so unique and multi-dimensional it was incredibly easy to dive into their lives. I could easily see these characters each having their own novel unto themselves, as their lives were both so interesting, but the author built the suspense expertly by combining their stories.

My one and only complaint about thi ...more

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May 26, 2018 Kitty Bachman rated it liked it

This is an interesting subject and I was eager to read this book. However, so much time was spent on what others felt about the women than what they actually thought and felt themselves. I had a difficult time keeping the two women giants separate. Their names were too similar. I would read about the one for awhile and then the book would switch to the other character. Maybe it was my frame of mind but I feel it could’ve been written differently with more details, etc.

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Jun 28, 2018 Cheryl rated it liked it

Two parallel stories about extra large women (one is 7'11", the other slightly less tall) and how they made their way through the world and how their lives intersected. Not until I finished the book did I realize that one of the women, Anna Swan, was a real person from Tatamagouche, Nova Scotia.

Although I enjoyed this book, I did get confused a couple of times, with the two different time lines, and the different stories of Anna and Anadorra ...more

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Feb 25, 2021 Rebecca rated it liked it

Shelves: 2021-book-challenge

If shit and piss weren't two very common words used in this story I probably could have pushed it to a 4 star rating. The story itself was pretty interesting, one main character a true person from history and one completely fictional, their stories were similar and yet unique. It was at times confusing with how it jumps back and forth between the two stories and in and out of the past, present and future. All in all not a bad read. ...more

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Sep 21, 2018 Becky rated it really liked it

Shelves: borrowed, audiobook

Apparently I forgot to review this one when I read it, which is weird. This one was weird for me. I wasn't really enjoying it until I switched to the audiobook. At which point I fell in love with the characters. I liked the more recent storyline (of trying to be in the movies in the 1930s) but wasn't much of a fan of the other one ...more

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Dec 20, 2017 Nancy rated it it was ok

Meh. Too many similar characters in a very confusing and overlapping plot. It was a grade less than ok. The characters were interesting, but there were so many there was little space to build them.

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Mar 27, 2019 Bamboozlepig rated it liked it

Shelves: drama, humor

This was a nice little read. Interesting characters, especially Anna Swan. One complaint is that it was hard to keep the narrative shifts apart and tell which section was Anna's and which section was Andorra's. Otherwise I liked it. ...more

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Mar 03, 2018 Lindsey Malick rated it liked it

The story of two giant women, one real and one fictional, was wonderful. I do wish the author had spent as much time describing Anna and Andorra, as he spent on the men in their lives.

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Jul 02, 2018 Lindsay rated it really liked it

This artfully written book wove two stories together in a beautiful and poetic way, with unexpected twists and a bittersweet ending. A thoroughly enjoyable read.

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