Monday, September 7, 2020

February 2020 Host:  Stephanie

The Museum of Extraordinary Things by Alice Hoffman

Summary

The author tells the story of the textile factory fire that occurred in 1911 in New York in which over 140 young people, mostly women and girls were killed either by the fire, smoke inhalation, or jumping from the burning building. Her narrators are two people, one a lost soul who becomes a photographer who is greatly affected by the images he captures as a witness to the horrible blaze. The other is a young woman who is captured in a prison of her adoptive father's making in his museum that features oddities, human, plant or animal. The two meet through unusual circumstances and fall in love, which gives them each the impetus to escape the struggles of getting through life individually. They form a bond that carries them through some very difficult times. The author weaves the story masterfully from start to finish and keeps the reader riveted with her description of 1900's New York City.  We met at Rio Grande restaurant but I forgot to take a picture.  This is a picture of us at the same restaurant in 2016.

 



 


 

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