The Museum of Extraordinary Things by Alice Hoffman

Lynnie
Amy   

historical fiction, magical realism

Lynnie's Review:

There is a lot to like about The Museum of Extraordinary Things, but also a fair amount that I could've done without.

The main characters (Eddie and Coralie) had interesting stories to tell, but I got hung up with the historical depiction that Alice Hoffman constantly relied on.  When the historical aspects of the novel fit with the narrative of the characters (the Shirtwaist Factory fire or the Dreamland fire are examples), everything flowed wonderfully.  However, it was very common for the character narrative to be interrupted by some "rich historical detail" that Hoffman felt the need to enlighten me about, but really added very little to the story of the characters.  I suppose some might consider New York City in the early 1900s to be a character itself, but if that was the aim, I often felt that her need for detail detracted from the story she was trying to tell.

I enjoyed the story, and the ending was satisfying, although predictable. I would recommend this book, but with the caveat that you are a person who enjoys reading about the history of a time period as much as you enjoy reading about the characters. 

Amy's Review:

This novel gives you a very complete picture of the New York City area in the early 1900s. It follows two main characters, switching between their points of view as well as their own past vs. current experiences, from childhood through their 20s. Their stories include personal challenges, parental issues, financial struggles, interesting secondary characters who influence their lives, assumptions about circumstances, animals, good and evil, and love at first sight. It was an interesting story that kept me wanting to continue reading.

Alice Hoffman succeeds at submerging the reader into the atmosphere of the times. However, she does so a bit forcefully. There were times I felt like I was reading a history book or a magazine article or a nonfiction novel. I don’t feel she wove the story into the history in a graceful way but rather wrote a fictional story and then inserted long passages of historical fact throughout. The story would suddenly snap, in the midst of a section about our featured characters, to a broader description of New York’s history and then stay there for so many paragraphs that I had to remind myself what the characters had been in the midst of doing when the storyline suddenly left them. But, I did eventually get used to the abrupt changes of view.

I loved the characters. They were very well drawn and appealing in their struggles, desires, and sensibilities. I wanted to keep reading in order to find out how everything turned out for them. And I liked the way things ended.

I find it interesting that, somehow, this story has drawn comparisons to The Night Circus by Erin Morganstern. I suppose, when forced to contemplate, it is because there are magicians in both books (although, the magic in The Museum of Extraordinary Things is not the focus of the novel as it is in The Night Circus) and both center around a boy and a girl dealing with growing up to meet others’ expectations for them. Also, there are references to a carnival/circus type atmosphere now and then. But, I really had to stop and think about it to notice any similarity. So, I disagree with any parallels that might be drawn between the two novels.

Also, I must say that the idea that a body that had been submerged for so long would be visibly recognizable is simply wrong from every other account I've ever heard of submerged bodies. Waterlogged bodies become very bloated. Usually, dental records are needed for correct identification. The ignorance of this scientific fact really bothered me as I read the story.