Book Review: Magruder's Curiosity Cabinet by H.P Wood

Why I read this: I requested and received a copy from NetGalley. I thought the cover was awesome and the description really interesting. It is hard to resist a carnival novel!

Genre: Historical Fiction with a dash of magical realism

In a Nutshell: Coney island, plague, lots of death and some graphic scenes

Would suit fans of: Jessie Burton and Alice Hoffman

Magruder's Curiosity Cabinet by H.P. Wood


Set on Coney Island in 1904, this story follows an unlikely group of friends as the island is thrown into quaratine due to an outbreak of the plague.
Although there is some historical basis for the book, the plague never did hit Coney Island (or the east coast of the US), so for the most part this is a work of fiction about what may have happened if it did
.
So, if not exploring historical events what is this book about? There is a quote that I highlighted
"...But here on Coney Island, we learn to take each other as we are"
and for me this is the overriding theme and purpose of the novel. We have such an interesting bunch of characters including a man with no legs, a young boy with a flea circus, a con artist, a politician's son, and English lady, a leopard trainer, a "half and half" (one side male, one side female) and even an automaton. This doesn't even cover all of the characters, who call themselves "unusuals", but gives you a flavour of whom you will meet.

Towards the end of the book there is quite a bit happening, and I think that the sheer volume of characters did the book a disservice as the end felt like it was a rushed attempt to let the reader know what happened to everyone. However, I did really enjoy this novel and felt like I was on Coney Island right along with them.

3.5 stars


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