Review: The Museum of Extraordinary Things by Alice Hoffman ♥

The Museum of Extraordinary Things
         Alice Hoffman
        My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Coralie Sardie is the daughter of the sinister impresario behind The Museum of Extraordinary Things, a Coney Island boardwalk freak show that thrills the masses. An exceptional swimmer, Coralie appears as the Mermaid in her father's museum, alongside performers like the Wolfman, the Butterfly Girl, and a one-hundred-year-old turtle. 
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 father's Lower East Side Orthodox community and his job as a tailor's apprentice. When Eddie photographs the devastation on the streets of New York following the infamous Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire, he becomes embroiled in the suspicious mystery behind a young woman's disappearance and ignites the heart of Coralie.

I was immediately captivated when I saw the title cover of this book. Normally I'm interested in things a bit odd and extraordinary, the weird and bizarre.

So I read the inside flap, which describes the story, and I was easily convinced. I had to get this book!!

This enchanting tale is told in 1st and 3rd person points of view adding so much depth to the already flawless story. With an unforgettable cast of characters, some that stole my heart and some that I wanted to gut like a fish!!

 (Coralie, the main character's, father)

Hoffman transports readers to a time set in 1911 New York, describing The Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire and the bustling boardwalk of Coney Island. The shear imagery and beauty that Hoffman entails makes you feel as if you were there during this historical time.

(check out the story on the real Triangle Shritwaist Factory Fire here)

The story development was at a perfect pace. Stunningly crafted bringing love, history and a whole lot of mytery together to make one hell of a compelling masterpiece.

I'm not here to go into details about the book or to give away any spoilers or anything like that. What I am here to do is tell you that I LOVE this book and I recommend it to anyone who wants to read truly amazing story :)

♥ BIG hugs and Lots of Love ♥