Pat D. (pat0814) reviewed on 6/26/2010 + 379 more book reviews

This novel is set in the mid-nineteenth century and is narrated by "the thinnest man in the world," Bartholomew Fortuno, who is featured by P.T. Barnum in his American museum. Fortuno is captivated by the sudden appearance of Mrs. Iell Adams, a mysterious attraction in the museum. This is a sometimes uncomfortable glimpse into the world of the "freaks and oddities" and those who pay to see them. I found it difficult to sustain an interest in Fortuno's life and musings, which seemed self-deceptive and became, for me, ultimately onerous.

Although fiction, I assume that the characters were based on real people with physical aberrations who allowed (and often encouraged) their own exploitation as a way of earning a living. I didn't like this book and cannot recommend it

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