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The Palace Of Curiosities (2013)

by Rosie Garland(Favorite Author)

3.54 of 5 Votes: 3

ISBN

0007492774 (ISBN13: 9780007492770)

languge

English

genre

Historical Fiction

publisher

Harper Collins

review 1: A stunningly written book about the Victorian underworld, and it's freak-show characters. With more than a nod to Angela Carter, Garland presents Eve, the Lion-Faced Girl, and Abel, the Flayed Man. Garland, herself an eclectic performer, captures in sometimes-uncomfortable graphic detail, the sights, smells and dangers of Victorian society, through the alternate voices of Eve and Abel, in language so rich and lush that every page becomes a wonder. I loved it.
review 2: This book is very strange and very graphic, so be warned! I feel like this is probably a true representation of what it was like to be in the circus in the 1850's - I've read a few books set in a circus backdrop that tend to glamorize the experience, and this book definitely does not. I found the... more book very well-written and it kept me intrigued, but the subject matter was too bizarre for my personal tastes. Also, there are some very graphic occurrences that were too much for my sensibilities but I think the way they were written made them very intense and was well-done. Overall, this story and its characters were very unique, but I would only recommend this to people who won't be put off by a gritty depiction of life in a circus sideshow. less

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