The Museum of Extraordinary Things: A Novel
The “spellbinding” (People) 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).
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).
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Community Reviews
Book #31: Karen's pick, Abby & Ro hosted in Coney Island where the book takes place (a show called by the title was featured at Coney Island)!
Interesting story, but I didn’t like how the story jumped back and forth between timelines and characters- it didn’t feel organized. The fire at the end made me so sad. I don’t trust authors who kill animals in their books. Book #16 in 2025
Disclaimer - I would give this book 3.5 stars overall, but not an option, so I've rounded down to 3.
Story: 3.5 stars
I liked that this story was set in a time and place that was unique and new to me. The juxtaposition of Coralee and Eddie's stories was an effective way of exploring two very different experiences of the time. Unfortunately, it wasn't always that compelling. I could put this book down for days at a time. When you get to one of the major events in the book, it ends soon after, and I think that would have been some of the most interesting tale to tell.
Writing: 3.5 stars
I've been a fan of Alice Hoffman for many years, I especially liked her early writing. There is no doubt that she is very talented, she can paint a picture with her words that takes the reader into the story. However, what I found fabulous about her early writing is how she could make the reader FEEL what the characters were feeling, and unfortunately, this book did not do that for me. But, I give her tons of credit for this one sentence, ". . . I couldn't imagine who could be poorer than we." She is the only author who I have ever read that wrote that type of sentence grammatically correct.
Characters: 3 stars
There is a lot of detail about Coralee and Eddie, but not enough depth. I should leave it at that - I get that they are both dealing with father issues. I just don't feel it. When they fall in love, I have no idea why - it's really so random that it almost spoils the whole book. And, as I mentioned before, my expectations were high for Ms. Hoffman's writing of the love story, so this made it even more disappointing. The other characters in the book were mere shadows.
Learning: 3 stars
I didn't know much if anything about the history of Coney Island and freak shows. I thought this book did a good job of exploring the different aspects of the freak show trade, but left me wanting more. I was hoping for something more like "Water for Elephants" where we got more than a glimpse into the lives of the performers, but had them as feature characters as well.
Ending: 3 stars
Kind of a cop out ending with writing a letter as a way of explaining what has happened to everyone.
Entertainment: 3.5 stars
This is one of those books where the sum of its parts added up to more. I definitely enjoyed reading it, and I would recommend it, but just not as a "must read". Overall, I had much higher expectations for this book in terms of the subject matter and how it was explored, and the characters and love story, so I found it disappointing, but it is a good book overall.
Story: 3.5 stars
I liked that this story was set in a time and place that was unique and new to me. The juxtaposition of Coralee and Eddie's stories was an effective way of exploring two very different experiences of the time. Unfortunately, it wasn't always that compelling. I could put this book down for days at a time. When you get to one of the major events in the book, it ends soon after, and I think that would have been some of the most interesting tale to tell.
Writing: 3.5 stars
I've been a fan of Alice Hoffman for many years, I especially liked her early writing. There is no doubt that she is very talented, she can paint a picture with her words that takes the reader into the story. However, what I found fabulous about her early writing is how she could make the reader FEEL what the characters were feeling, and unfortunately, this book did not do that for me. But, I give her tons of credit for this one sentence, ". . . I couldn't imagine who could be poorer than we." She is the only author who I have ever read that wrote that type of sentence grammatically correct.
Characters: 3 stars
There is a lot of detail about Coralee and Eddie, but not enough depth. I should leave it at that - I get that they are both dealing with father issues. I just don't feel it. When they fall in love, I have no idea why - it's really so random that it almost spoils the whole book. And, as I mentioned before, my expectations were high for Ms. Hoffman's writing of the love story, so this made it even more disappointing. The other characters in the book were mere shadows.
Learning: 3 stars
I didn't know much if anything about the history of Coney Island and freak shows. I thought this book did a good job of exploring the different aspects of the freak show trade, but left me wanting more. I was hoping for something more like "Water for Elephants" where we got more than a glimpse into the lives of the performers, but had them as feature characters as well.
Ending: 3 stars
Kind of a cop out ending with writing a letter as a way of explaining what has happened to everyone.
Entertainment: 3.5 stars
This is one of those books where the sum of its parts added up to more. I definitely enjoyed reading it, and I would recommend it, but just not as a "must read". Overall, I had much higher expectations for this book in terms of the subject matter and how it was explored, and the characters and love story, so I found it disappointing, but it is a good book overall.
Gritty. Macabre. Romance. Strife. All these elements make this novel a beautifully written book based in the 19th century when life wasn't at it's best. It's like a bittersweet chocolate bar that's too good not to finish.
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