When Coralie steps into the lion’s cage, the trainer Bonavita tells her “you have a form of bravery inside you” (196). Why does Eddie feel compelled to solve the mystery of Hannah Weiss’s disappearance? What makes him a good “finder”?Ħ. Was Eddie able to let his past go? Did you sympathize with his decision to move away from his father?ĥ. Eddie says “the past was what we carried with us, threaded to the future, and we decided whether to keep it close or let it go” (139). Why does Coralie keep Maureen in the dark about her night swims and her father’s sexual exploitation? Would Maureen have been able to protect Coralie if she had known?Ĥ. How does Raymond Morris, known as the Wolfman, change Coralie’s perception of her father and their circumscribed world? What parallels does Coralie find between her own life and those of the characters in Jane Eyre?ģ. Why do you think the author chose to structure the novel this way? What effect does each fire have on the major characters and on the people of Manhattan and Brooklyn?Ģ. The novel is framed by two spectacular fires. The Museum of Extraordinary Things is, “a lavish tale about strange yet sympathetic people” ( The New York Times Book Review).1. And he ignites the heart of Coralie.Īlice 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. When Eddie photographs the infamous Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire, he becomes embroiled in the mystery behind a young woman’s disappearance. The dashing photographer is Eddie Cohen, a Russian immigrant who has run away from his community and his job as a tailor’s apprentice. One night Coralie stumbles upon a striking young man taking pictures of moonlit trees in the woods off the Hudson River. An exceptional swimmer, Coralie appears as the Mermaid in her father’s “museum,” alongside performers like the Wolfman and the Butterfly Girl.

The “spellbinding” ( People, 4 stars), 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).Ĭoralie Sardie is the daughter of the sinister impresario behind The Museum of Extraordinary Things, a Coney Island freak show that thrills the masses.

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