The Transformation of Bartholomew Fortuno - By Ellen Bryson
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Bartholomew Fortuno, the World's Thinnest Man, believes that his unusual body is a gift. Hired by none other than P.T. Barnum to work at his spectacular American Museum a modern marvel of macabre displays and live performances by Barnum's cast of freaks and oddities Fortuno has reached the pinnacle of his career. But after a decade of solid performance, he finds his contentment flagging. When a carriage pulls up outside the museum in the dead of night, bearing Barnum and a mysterious veiled woman rumoured to be a new performer Fortuno's curiosity is piqued. And when Barnum asks Fortuno to follow her and report back on her whereabouts, his world is turned upside-down. Why is Barnum so obsessed with this woman? Who is she, really? And why has she taken such a hold of the hearts of those around her? The Transformation of Bartholomew Fortuno is a moving novel about human appetites and longings, exploring, in pitch-perfect prose, what it means to be profoundly unique -- and demonstrating love's ability to transcend even the greatest divisions. 'A rich tapestry of romance, illusory science, criminal trickery and human intrigue. Let the show begin' Kirkus 'Magically transports the reader back in time to Gilded Age New York. Fans of Water for Elephants are sure to want to enter this wondrous midway attraction of a novel' Publishers Weekly