The Museum of Extraordinary Things in Pick-a-Shelf

Feb 01, 2014 Kathy rated it really liked it

Shelves: setting-as-a-character

The highlights of this book for me were the historical elements, especially those concerning New York's Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire and the Dreamland Amusement Park fire in Coney Island, both major events in 1911 for this rapidly changing city. These two events, in March 1911 and May 1911, bookend the action in the novel, although there is background material for the two main characters which start the book. This background material is presented in an italic print in the form of each charac The highlights of this book for me were the historical elements, especially those concerning New York's Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire and the Dreamland Amusement Park fire in Coney Island, both major events in 1911 for this rapidly changing city. These two events, in March 1911 and May 1911, bookend the action in the novel, although there is background material for the two main characters which start the book. This background material is presented in an italic print in the form of each character thinking back over their personal histories. The whole book is patterned in a flashback for Coralie Sardie, present day for Coralie Sardie, flashback for Eddie Cohen, present day for Eddie Cohen. After the initial set of accounts, the reader gets used to this format. The two characters’ stories intertwine rather early on, but they don't actually meet until well over halfway into the book.

The novel consists of the stories of these two people with vastly different backgrounds, who in their search for an identity separate from their past find one another amidst all the swirling activity and changes of 1911 New York City. Coralie Sardie has spent her first 18 years of life surrounded by a vast array of unusual people and displays in her father’s Museum of Extraordinary Things in Coney Island. Her father, a fierce, demanding man of dark secrets and insidious requests of Coralie, has trapped his daughter into a life of fear. He has played upon her insecurities that he minor deformity excludes her from a life of “normal” people and limits her to being part of the freak show world. Coralie’s one strength is her swimming ability, which enables her to gain her first glimpse of Eddie Cohen in the woods with his dog. Eddie came to New York as a young boy, escaping with his father from the Ukraine and its pogroms against the Jews. Having become disenchanted with his father’s ways of life and the harsh conditions of the sewing factories, Eddie struck out on his own to look for his own place in the world, separate from the expectations of a religion that asked too much and gave too little, and a father that was in a constant state of grief. Eddie finds photography as his saving grace, but he is still without the purpose and direction that he longs for in a city that too often seems cruel to the core. The Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire in March of 1911 further shatters Eddie’s faith in humanity, and this horrendous day in history results in a missing girl whose father insists Eddie is the one to find her. With little hope for a good outcome, Eddie agrees to search for the girl, last seen going to work at Triangle. It is through his investigation on this matter that Eddie’s life collides with Coralie’s. His meeting Coralie changes everything. Yet, as both Coralie and Eddie have thus experienced in life, happiness is a mercurial state. Coralie’s nefarious father is determined that Coralie will never be free, and her only ally in the world of the bizarre is their housekeeper who has raised and loved her. Eddie has not only the mystery of the missing girl to solve, but he is fighting to reconcile his old life and new life into a place where he is worthy of love and Coralie. The ending of this book is the big show and ultimate showdown. Hoffman certainly knows how to go out with a bang.
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Mar 13, 2024 Tien rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: historical-fiction, kindle, magical-realism, mm-24

I don't really know what to expect of this book except for magical realism component as I believe author's known for. There wasn't anything too magical in this one (unless if you count love) as I do believe many people have been born with different conditions for a long time and this book features many of these wonders.

One of the protagonist, Coralie, is one who was born with 'webbing' between her fingers and she was trained to be able to hold her breath under water for a long time. A near merma ...more

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May 18, 2014 Mmars rated it it was amazing

4.75 stars

Alice Hoffman has crafted a remarkably fresh telling of NYC circa 1911. Her writing is mesmerizing. This is how she paints her scenes:

“The horses in the stable were just waking, ready for their breakfast, restless in their stalls. Their keeper was there and had already piled up hay with a pitchfork. Several of his prized pigeons perched along the old wooden beams. The liveryman sang to them as he brought out their breakfast of seed. With great trust and familiarity, his pigeons came t 4.75 stars

Alice Hoffman has crafted a remarkably fresh telling of NYC circa 1911. Her writing is mesmerizing. This is how she paints her scenes:

“The horses in the stable were just waking, ready for their breakfast, restless in their stalls. Their keeper was there and had already piled up hay with a pitchfork. Several of his prized pigeons perched along the old wooden beams. The liveryman sang to them as he brought out their breakfast of seed. With great trust and familiarity, his pigeons came to eat from his wide, callused hands. He turned, wary when he heard the door slide open, suspicious of who might arrive at such an ungodly hour, but broke into a grin when he spied Eddie and the dog. They’d been good neighbors over the years.”

Tension and release. On the next page we learn the liveryman is an ex-con. He “swore he’d committed no offenses…Eddie had assumed something about his companion’s station in life from his scars, tattoos, and gold-tapped teeth. But time in Sing Sing meant a serious criminal background.”

This story is told, as are many others’ stories. But always it is the appearance that comes first. The Museum of Extraordinary Things on Coney Island and it’s counterpart across the street are filled with the people with deformities and animals from far-flung places which draw crowds to view these marvels.

But the story digs deeply into what is behind those appearances. Not the behind-the-scenes day-to-day life of the exhibits, but behind and underneath one’s skin. Not behind doors but behind the streets and wilds of New York City. The pulse. From the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire to new inventions such as photography. And of the tangle of people who inhabit the city.

Since others can summarize the book better than I can, please read those.

I love this period of history and Hoffman has definitely done her research. She even includes a bibliography for further reading at the end of the book. Anyone who follows my reviews knows that I can be hypercritical of the publishing industry. But this book is done right. Love the cover, the layout, the type. For once the publisher has done the author justice. Congratulations to Ms. Hoffman and Simon Schuster.

This is, at times, a brutal read and not for the weak of heart. And it was far from perfect. It’s a bit repetitive and predictable. And I felt the denoument a bit too long and implausible. But oh, the writing!
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Mar 18, 2014 Kate rated it liked it

Shelves: historical-fiction

3.5. The story is extremely well crafted, if a little too tidy. Very engaging for historical fiction. Excellent premise and story structure. Characters could have been great, but I feel they were held back. Loved the flow and symbolism of fire and water. Too much text in italics.

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Oct 07, 2014 Rachel N. rated it liked it

Coralie is the daughter of a former magician who now runs the museum of extraordinary things on Coney Island. Coralie was born with webbed hands and her father has trained her to be able to swim long distances and hold her breath for long periods of time so she can be the mermaid in his museum. Eddie is a photographer whose life soon intersects Coralie's. The book has a lot of wonderful descriptive language. Unfortunately there are a lot of long, boring stretches where not much happens. ...more

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Feb 28, 2016 Rebekah rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: genre-fantasy, genre-historical-fiction, genre-adult, genre-adult-fiction, rating-4, genre-magical-realism, genre-romance, genre-mystery, genre-new-york, setting-us-new-york

Ooh this was a good one! Moody atmosphere and set in 1900s NYC, it was a fascinating look at how workers, individuals with disabilities, immigrants, women, children, and other vulnerable populations were treated during this time period. I definitely want to read more by this author! It veered slightly towards the unrealistic and unlikely, but the writing was indeed beautiful. It was a bit creepy and disturbing, and I had some nightmares the night I finally finished it!

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Oct 15, 2013 Donna marked it as to-read

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