Advanced
Error loading page.
Try refreshing the page. If that doesn't work, there may be a network issue, and you can use our self test page to see what's preventing the page from loading.
Learn more about possible network issues or contact support for more help.
Title details for The Transformation of Bartholomew Fortuno by Ellen Bryson - Available

The Transformation of Bartholomew Fortuno

by Ellen Bryson
Jeff Woodman
Audiobook
1 of 1 copy available
Borrow Listen to a sample Listen to a sample
1 of 1 copy available
Ellen Bryson's first novel, The Transformation of Bartholomew Fortuno earned instant critical acclaim. This first-person narrative follows one of P.T. Barnum's socalled freaks on a mesmerizing journey of self-discovery. Bartholomew is a feature attraction at Barnum's American Museum as the world's thinnest man. He enjoys providing audiences with a glimpse at their inner selves reflected in his emaciated figure. Now, however, after a decade in the museum, Bartholomew finds his contentment waning while his desires to travel and explore grow. His opportunity arrives on the eve of President Lincoln's funeral, when a mysterious veiled woman appears, accompanied by Mr. Barnum. Everyone is captivated by this stranger-including the master showman himself, who enlists Bartholomew to monitor her movements and report back to him. America of 1865 is laid bare as Bartholomew's insightful gaze takes in the world around him. Through Jeff Woodman's masterful performance, listeners become immersed in a tale of love, freedom, and the heart's deepest longings.

  • Creators

  • Publisher

  • Release date

    March 28, 2011

  • Formats

    • OverDrive Listen audiobook

      • ISBN: 9781461826323
      • File size: 360446 KB
      • Duration: 12:30:55

  • Languages

    • English

  • Reviews

    • AudioFile Magazine
      Bartholomew Fortuno, the thinnest man in the world, believes himself to be a true prodigy. Alongside his colleagues--a fat lady, a giant, a bearded woman, and others--he works in P.T. Barnum's New York museum. Jeff Woodman puts on a show with his narration of Bartholomew's transformation as he provides a wide variety of accents and pitches that help paint a fuller picture of the "human curiosities" in Barnum's employ. The story, told from Bartholomew's point of view, is kept moving by Woodman's excitement and full range of expression in revealing Bartholomew's discoveries about himself and about the "real world." Woodman's voice goes up and down the scale with the dialogue of the hodgepodge of characters in Bartholomew's world, with the voice of the boisterous, slightly lecherous, and consummate showman Barnum being especially memorable. E.N. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award (c) AudioFile 2010, Portland, Maine
    • Publisher's Weekly

      April 12, 2010
      Inspired by a vintage circus photograph, Bryson’s first novel tells the fictional story of the unusual relationship between two human curiosities from P.T. Barnum’s American Museum. Bartholomew Fortuno, the world’s thinnest man, is asked by Barnum to keep an eye on his latest acquisition—Iell Adams, the bearded woman, who is kept in seclusion until the impresario can introduce her to the world. Fascinated by her and desiring a transformative experience, Bartholomew falls hopelessly in love with Iell, much to the surprise of his fellow Curiosities. Bartholomew also gets caught in the middle of a war between Barnum and his jealous wife for control of Iell’s future. The story culminates at Barnum’s birthday party, where Bartholomew is shocked to discover Iell’s big secret. Though thin on plot, this work sympathetically conjures up the backstage world of Barnum’s museum and the pecking order of his Curiosities, and 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.

Formats

  • OverDrive Listen audiobook

subjects

Languages

  • English

Loading