The Museum of Extraordinary Things, Alice Hoffman
The Museum of Extraordinary Things, Alice Hoffman
16 Rating(s)
List: $26.99 | Sale: $18.89
Club: $13.49

The Museum of Extraordinary Things

Author: Alice Hoffman

Narrator: Judith Light, Grace Gummer, Zach Appelman

Unabridged: 12 hr 18 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 02/18/2014


Synopsis

The “spellbinding” (People, 4 stars), New York Times bestseller from the author of The Dovekeepers: an extraordinary novel about an electric and impassioned love affair—“an enchanting love story rich with history and a sense of place” (USA TODAY).

Coralie Sardie is the daughter of the sinister impresario behind The Museum of Extraordinary Things, a Coney Island freak show that thrills the masses. An exceptional swimmer, Coralie appears as the Mermaid in her father’s “museum,” alongside performers like the Wolfman and the Butterfly Girl. 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 community and his job as a tailor’s apprentice. When Eddie photographs the infamous Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire, he becomes embroiled in the mystery behind a young woman’s disappearance. And he ignites the heart of Coralie.

Alice Hoffman weaves her trademark magic, romance, and masterful storytelling to unite Coralie and Eddie in a tender and moving story of young love in tumultuous times. The Museum of Extraordinary Things is, “a lavish tale about strange yet sympathetic people” (The New York Times Book Review).

About Alice Hoffman

Alice Hoffman is the author of more than thirty works of fiction, including The Book of MagicMagic LessonsThe World That We KnewPractical MagicThe Rules of Magic (a Reese Witherspoon Book Club Pick), the Oprah’s Book Club Selection Here on EarthThe Red GardenThe DovekeepersThe Museum of Extraordinary ThingsThe Marriage of Opposites, and Faithful. She lives near Boston.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Stuart on August 12, 2013

It’s everything that I wanted Night Circus to be. It’s everything Water for Elephants aspired to be and just wasn’t. It has that gloomy mood of the Broadway show Side Show (book by Bill Russell) mixed with that “freak” nature that made me love Geek Love by Katherine Dunn (1989). It has hints of poli......more

Goodreads review by Katie on December 09, 2013

I fear that I am a little close to this subject to be able to appropriately judge it. For the sake of full disclosure, I have to admit that I manage the museum collection for the Coney Island Museum, so I know the history, I know the stories of the Dreamland fire, the various visits by famous people......more

Goodreads review by Debra on October 14, 2020

4.5 stars. This was a very unique book. I found the writing to be quite beautiful. The alternating story lines really appealed to me. I often don't like when books alternate between characters points of view but in this book it really worked for me. I found the characters to be very unique and origi......more

Goodreads review by Heidi on May 10, 2018

The Museum of Extraordinary Things is a beautifully written book about belonging, love and beauty, among other things. It is the story of Coralie, a girl with webbing between her fingers who lives with her father and his collection of extraordinary things and people. "My father was both a scientist an......more