The Autobiography of Mrs. Tom Thumb by @MelanieBen
Taking a small break from the YA lit, but this is a book that could easily cross over. I was just charmed by the cover and the title at ALA, so I couldn't resist when I got back to Michigan. One of the very first shows I remember seeing as a child was Barnum! and I have been charmed by antique circus tales ever since then.
As the title states, this is a novel told from the perspective of Miss Mercy Lavinia Warren Bump, a little person who escaped from small town farm life to the showboats on the Mississippi and eventually into the American Museum of P.T. Barnum himself. At thirty-two inches tall and proportional, Vinnie was exactly the type of curiosity that was highly desirable in the mid-1800s. The fact that she could sing pretty well, dance a bit, and was smart as a whip didn't hurt either.
Before she knows what's happening, Vinnie finds herself married to the General Tom Thumb (one of Barnum's most successful partners) in a Fairy Wedding that eclipsed even the Civil War. At this point, her sister Minnie (who is even smaller), gets drawn into the show-business life, something that Vinnie is never quite sure is a good idea.
I have to stop with the synopsis, not because I'm afraid of giving anything away but because I might just start re-writing the book. That's a waste of time. You should just go grab a copy. It's far better than anything I could replicate here.
What did I love? I loved the choice of character. Lavinia Warren lived a fascinating, full to the brim life and I really enjoyed following along. I mean, how cool would it have been to wander up and down the Mississippi performing for the locals. Or later to be one of the very first western travelers to Japan? Benjamin does not shirk one bit on the detail.
I also really liked that Vinnie was a rather flawed human being. She's a bit prissy and a little selfish, but she's got a good heart. What a perfect choice for a novel's narrator.
I am only mildly annoyed that Benjamin made me cry. I haven't cried at a book in ages.
Highly recommended for everyone over the age of 15. Positively marvelous!