The Autobiography of Mrs. Tom Thumb by Melanie Benjamin – 424 pages
Book Blurb:
She was only two-foot eight-inches tall, but her legend reaches out to us more than a century later. As a child, Mercy Lavinia “Vinnie” Bump was encouraged to live a life hidden away from the public. Instead, she reached out to the immortal impresario P. T. Barnum, married the tiny superstar General Tom Thumb in the wedding of the century, and transformed into the world’s most unexpected celebrity.
Here, in Vinnie’s singular and spirited voice, is her amazing adventure—from a showboat “freak” revue where she endured jeering mobs to her fateful meeting with the two men who would change her life: P. T. Barnum and Charles Stratton, AKA Tom Thumb. Their wedding would captivate the nation, preempt coverage of the Civil War, and usher them into the White House and the company of presidents and queens. But Vinnie’s fame would also endanger the person she prized most: her similarly-sized sister, Minnie, a gentle soul unable to escape the glare of Vinnie’s spotlight.
My Review: 2.5 stars
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I tried hard to like this book more than I did and “keep up with other’s reviews” but honestly this book fell short even with its extreme length.
I had a hard time connecting with the characters and often felt this book was more of a monologue/travelogue with recitations of their travels on the road than what was promised. I enjoyed the parts with Vinnie’s mother, father and sister as it was in those segments that I grew (no pun intended) to like her and connect with her as a person.
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