"The Museum of Extraordinary Things," by Alice Hoffman

This year I decided to begin reading in earnest again, as last year I fell off the bookaholic wagon and only managed to read 31 books (if I counted right on Goodreads, because I wasn't much for social media last year). This book stood out to me on my TBR shelf because it is by one of my favorite authors, and to my knowledge I have never read halfway through an Alice Hoffman book without finishing the rest in short order.

One of the main characters in this book, Coralie, has a charismatic father who runs a "freak" show, though through her perspective at the time, it seems more like a house of dreams than a house of horrors. She has a deformity of her hands- webbing between her fingers- that her father insists she keep from the public by wearing gloves. Her caretaker, Maureen, is much more involved in her day to day life, encouraging her to think more freely than her father would like her to, which basically spurs some of the events in the book.

The Plot (As Seen on Goodreads):
'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.'

Eddie is the other main character in this book, and I much preferred his perspective, as it was much less rosily tinted than Coralie's. Raised in the Hasidic Jewish tradition, he changes his ways after dismissing his father as weak and his traditions as restrictive to their new life in a new world. As an immigrant among many other immigrants, he sees his best path forward is to stand out rather than fit in, though he later finds his past is more useful than he thought.

Though the characters are the main focus of this book, the historical setting is always a welcome addition to books for me. The Museum of Extraordinary Things couldn't have been set during a better period, as the early 20th century was a trying time for U.S. immigrants and still supported an audience for peculiarities like Coralie's father's museum. Though I am better versed in worker's rights with regards to the mining profession, this book focuses more on textile and sewing factories, so I did learn a bit more about that.

The Museum of Extraordinary Things does have all the elements I've come to expect from Ms. Hoffman's books: magical beings, unusual experiences, and mystical coincidences. The characters were rendered realistically, though I often found myself reading for the story rather than their experience of it. In the end, I found myself slightly underwhelmed, which is why I didn't rate this book higher, even though Alice Hoffman is one of my favorite writers (and perhaps, because of it). If you love magical things happening in an immersive, historical setting, The Museum of Extraordinary Things may be the book for you.

Rating: 3.5 of 5 Stars for my first great read of 2019!

Age Advisory: Ages 16+ for sexual assault, violent elements, and coercive sexual situations.

Page Count: 361 pages in my paperback edition