Customer Reviews

The Transformation of Bartholomew Fortuno: A Novel

5 star:		(19)
4 star:		(14)
3 star:		(11)
2 star:		(11)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I should have loved this book: historical fiction about human oddities after the assassination of Abraham Lincoln, pretty compelling idea. The intriguing premise of the novel, however, did not deliver.

Barthy was a little too self-righteous to feel any real connection to and his intrigue did not compell me to read. The other characters did not engage me early on. Overall the story started with mystery and promise, but after the first chapter there was very little that kept me reading (other than my own desire to finish and write this review).

Strange, this should have been so much better ... not recommended.

Overall, I liked the book, but did not love it. I thought it was very well written, and the characters and historical setting were interesting. However, I had two main issues with the book: Firstly, I found the main character, Bartholomew, not very likeable. He had his moments, but overall was self-indulgent and defensive even when treating other people badly. Secondly, the last two hundred pages were no different than the first one hundred pages. Not much more happened in terms of plot or character development. And the big surprise at the end: come on--anyone could have seen that coming a mile away. Given the potential of the setting and the characters, I would have liked to have seen something more dramatic. But overall, a good debut.

I remembered when I started reading Water for Elephants that the absolute last thing I thought I would want to read about was a circus. Water for Elephants proved me wrong. It was a fantastic book so when The Transformation of Bartholomew Fortuno came along I thought I should give it a go. The characters although freakish were boring. Their thoughts, words and actions were facile. The story began well enough but then just rambled on to its ho hum ending.

Having worked his way up in the freak show world from a traveling menagerie to the Barnum Museum, Bartholomew Fortuno feels certain his primary gift is not his freakishness... and his gift will soon be realized. As the thinnest man in the world, nothing good ever came from subjecting himself to the outside world. But those same people who recoiled in fright on the streets were willing to plunk their nickels down to gawk and stare at the circus. Able to eat only six green beans at a meal, he carefully cuts each into thirds and chews each bite twenty-five times. Next to him sits Martina, able to eat and eat and eat. Bartholomew's dearest friend is no other than the fattest woman in the world, Matina, a complex woman whose beginnings were as a second rate act on a riverboat show.

"Our uniqueness alone is enough to justify our special place in the world. But even more, our destiny insists we use our gifts to show others who they really are or show them what, in an ideal world, they could become. It may shock them at first, but, deep down, we open their eyes to greater possibilities."

Bartholomew's dearest friend, Matina, becomes jealous when the new act, the bearded lady, Iell, joins the show. Bartholomew is overcome, smitten with this woman and everyone wants to know, who she is, what her secret is.

I sped through the first hundred pages hours after it arrived in my mailbox. I loved the characters and the bit of mystery and the oddity of the characters, but then past the middle heading toward the last quarter of the book, it began to draaaag. The characters were not developing further, the plot was getting old, the dialogue began to bore me but I simply needed to finish reading it so I could find out in the end what happened to all these people. It did not satisfy.

Ellen Bryson's first novel is a "freaky" tour de force. When I read an early review that likened the book to "Like Water for Elephants," I knew that I had to read the book. I am a sucker for any well-written book about the circus or those who perform in circuses. That fact that I lived briefly in Bridgeport, CT that boasts it own P.T. Barnum Museum gave me even more incentive to read this fictionalized work about his famous New York City museum. Ironically, I am writing this review just a few days after the Bridgeport museum suffered serious damage in the recent Bridgeport tornado, echoing the destruction by fire of the New York City museum in July of 1865.

On the surface, this is a novel about the inner lives of the cast of freaks and oddities that Barnum put on display at his popular museum - and later in the circus that he ran. Narrated by Bartholomew Fortune, "the world's thinnest man," the novel is a deep exploration of the source of one's identity and the quest for freedom from those forces that would seek to interfere with truly becoming who one is meant to be. The theme of freedom emerges in many of the scenes in the book, and ties together many of the characters and the actions and dialogue that bind them together. Here is an excellent example of how the author treats the topic of freedom - its gifts and its pitfalls. In this example, caged birds represent the novel's characters in their individual pursuits of freedom - Fortuno;Iell,the enigmatic bearded lady who carries a secret known only to a few; Matina, the fat lady, the Strong Man, The Rubber Man, et al.

"And finally, with everyone's attention riveted upward, the doors to all the little birdcages popped open - they had been rigged with strings pulled by lads running along beneath them - and a hundred frenzied songbirds dashed out into the height of the cavernous theater, a cockatoo and a conspicuous blue parrot among them as the boys released all my birds as well.

The birds, set free, swooped about in fifty-foot drops, careening over our heads, and then dashed up again, as if they were trying to make sense of a world without limits. I leaped to my feet with the rest of the audience, bedazzled by the spectacle, hope and fear rising in me in equal measure. Many of the birds settled on balconies or seatbacks for a moment or two before taking off into the air again, and my heart soared with them. But an unlucky few seemed to lose their way, and, rather than fly with their brethrenm they swooped too high or too low and ended up smashing themselves against the walls, discovering the hard way exactly what freedom meant." (Page 306)

This novel is well worth reading to learn how this gifted first-time novelist, Ellen Bryson, depicts how each of the human curiosities - her cast of characters - soars too high or swoops too low in search of their own brand of freedom.

Enjoy.

Al

I like new fiction and I picked up this book because the first chapter seemed promising. I wish I hadn't!! It is very slow and I got to a point when I just didn't care anymore about the characters. Finally I realized that I read for fun and this book wasn't fun. I skipped to the last chapter to see if I missed anything and I didn't. Skip this one!

Barnum's museum is one of America's great forgotten places. Filled with oddities like the fake "fiji mermaid" and "prodigies" like General Tom Thumb, Barnum's mastery of giving the public what he wants them to want is one of the first truly great examples of advertising at its most outrageous. Bryson does a fine of putting the reader in the setting; the descriptions and initial interactions of the performers in their gilded cages grab the reader at the beginning, but lose steam once we get to the actual plot. A plot that deals with a new attraction, someone that immediately upsets the life of our narrator, the human skeleton, Bartholomew Fortuno. Mysterious packages from Chinatown, the secrets behind all the performers and the big reveal at the end are so blatantly obvious that you realize that the book is so much better when it deals with the researched material. The acts that Barnum's oddities put on, the daily life of these performers with accompanying postings of the acts, and the descriptions of rooms like Barnum's aviary are so much better than the plot that I started going back and re-reading those sections. All the books big "secrets" just aren't all that secret and poor Bartholomew suffers in comparison to his surroundings; they are so much more interesting than he is.

Phineas Taylor Barnum revolutionized our culture with his bold new concept: a museum that featured constantly changing displays of unique acts and oddities. For the "oddities", it seemed a step up from a carnival freak show. But for Bartholomew Fortuno, the world's thinnest man, the life Barnum offered him gave him hope. Rather than viewing himself as a freak, Fortuno saw his distinctiveness as a gift. He believed that he enlightened and educated people through his performances: "Under Barnum's care, we were celebrated as Curiosities and given proper respect for our gifts, but without his showmanship the public would see us simply as freaks."

Now, in 1865, Fortuno has begun a transformation. For years, things have gone along as he expected they would. He fits in well with his "colleagues." His shows still draw good crowds and enough gasps from his audience to let him know they're paying attention. In short, his life at the Museum is comfortable. But maybe it has become too comfortable, for the seed of dissatisfaction is starting to grow.

He looks around himself and sees things in a different light. For years, Fortuno has considered Matina, the fat lady, his closest friend. A strange couple, to be sure, but their relationship is defined more by friendship than physical attraction. It may have blossomed into more but for the circumstances of that summer of 1865. Fortuno hears that Barnum has acquired a new act, a gorgeous creature named Iell Adams. The nature of her act remains a mystery for a time, and Fortuno becomes obsessed with getting a glimpse of her. Once he does, he can't seem to stay away.

Shortly after Iell's arrival, Barnum sends Fortuno on a special mission. He brims with excitement, for not only does it put him in Barnum's good graces, it involves a favor for the beautiful Iell. He soon discovers that these errands also relates to her dark secret. At least one of them, for she has many. As Fortuno's interest in Iell grows, so does Matina's jealousy. Her old friend has been making a colossal fool of himself, and everyone can see it plainly except him. Matina has noticed Fortuno's odd behavior and his strange absences. He's taking chances that could compromise his future.

It doesn't take long before Fortuno suffers from an onslaught of disturbing dreams, seemingly caused by the new performer. He finds himself drifting off when people are talking to him. Flashes from his past have begun to assail him frequently, and they make him highly uncomfortable. Doubts creep in, and he wonders for the first time how he became so thin. Is it in his genes? Did he get that way by design? Was it some kind of reaction to a tragedy? Or maybe it was his mother's fault. All along, Fortuno believed he was a serious performer, but now he's having second thoughts. Does he have a gift, or is he a fake? His realization that he may be simply a Curiosity could be hard for him to swallow.

To add to the tension, there's an arsonist on the loose. The fires have been easily controlled so far, but if they escalate, the entire troupe could be out of a home and a job. Is it someone from the inside, or an outsider with a distaste for Barnum's show?

THE TRANSFORMATION OF BARTHOLOMEW FORTUNO is a fanciful book that lends insight into P. T. Barnum and his American Museum in the disguise of a love story. Filled with quirky yet lovable characters, it is a fun journey back to an interesting time in America's history.

This was such a fascinating novel that brought us behind the scenes of a museum that showcased odd specimens and performers that were likely also viewed as sideshows at circuses. I think that Ellen Bryson did some excellent research for this novel because P.T. Barnum did own such a museum full of eccentric performers, and to also throw into the mix how all were affected by the assassination of President Lincoln just kept me reading more.

Although the story is narrated by Barthaolomew Fortuno, the skinniest man around, we also are introduced into the lives of his fellow co-workers. We have the opportunity to get to know these individuals with all of their eccentricities and oddities. We get an inside glimpse of their feelings and what makes them believe that they are special to be able to do what they are doing. Many of these performers, including the strong man, the fat lady, and Bartholomew, feel that they have been given a special gift that must be shared with the public.

All of the performers find themselves always trying to get into the good graces of Barnum. Barnum holds the keys to their futures and one wrong move can put them out on the street, or worse yet, back to a circus sideshow. Many of them feel that they have life pretty good living under Barnum's watchful eye of the museum. When Barnum approaches Bartholomew to ask a special favor of him, how could he deny his wish knowing that his denial could be his demise? Bartholomew finds himself venturing out into the public at Barnum's request to fetch a secret package from a chinese retailer. Bartholomew does this a few times for Barnum and although he doesn't peek at the contents, he is surprised when the retailer gives him an herbal root to cure himself. Bartholomew becomes quickly insulted as he has never considered his lack of body weight as a sickness, but something quickly changes inside of him as he ingests the herbal root.

Maybe it was all psychological for Bartholomew, or maybe not, but after eating that root he starts to feel different about his life and his appearance. He starts to reflect on his past and his childhood and questions about whether the museum is the best place for him. Maybe life on the outside does have more to offer to himself and his friends.

As Bartholomew changes inwardly he starts to feel romantic inclinations towards a friend that he never felt before. But when a new performer is introduced to the museum his lust for her seems to overpower his mind as he is drawn to her oddity in a strange way. I will not say much about the new addition to the museum as I don't want to give away an important part of the book, but I will say that this person was my main problem with the book. She was such an odd individual and as her secret is revealed at the end of the book, it all kind of came together for me. It still doesn't settle well for me but I feel that it was a sensible ending.

Although there were parts of this story that were disturbing, I found myself thoroughly enjoying Bryson's writing and I can't wait to see what she comes up with next. With themes of circuses, passion, love, friendship, and revelations this was a very interesting book. I think it would also be a great selection for a book club, but please be aware that it may be a bit much for a more reserved group.

It is the basic concept of Ellen Bryson's novel, "The Transformation of Bartholomew Fortuno," that stands this story on its ear. Most of us have probably known about Phineaus T. Barnum's famed "Museum" in New York City in the latter half of the 19th Century. The man who believed a fool was born every minute, did indeed gather together a huge grouping of world-acclaimed oddities, both man and animal, real and manufactured, which he displayed to make a fortune for many years in Manhattan. Author Bryson handles it all with the most delicate sensitivity and restraint, as though the characters involved were just like all others, like you and me.

Told from the point of view of Bartholomew Fortuno, the thinnest man in the world (6'8" tall and weighs 78 pounds), and his dearest friend, Matina, the fattest woman in the world, they even flirt with a relationship more intimate than best friends. Against that backdrop of theater, exhibits, persons viewed as tableau, dramatic readings, with and without music, and a host of animals, real and imagined, we also become acquainted with the eccentric ringmaster, P. T. Barnum and his even stronger wife.

One cannot help admiring the restraint of author Bryson who deftly handles descriptions of freakish individuals and events without once stepping over that mystical line that would have made the individuals and events comical. A major example of that might have been Bartholomew's falling love with a beautiful new member of the cast, Iell.

The following passage from the book illustrates the author's portrait of Bartholomew's attraction for this beautiful if unusual lady:

"It was kind of you to make this trip for me," Iell said as she led me across the blood red rug in the parlor. Silently I squeezed between the divans and the tea table in front of it. Iell cut a dramatic figure as she stood against the brocade drapery, her beard curled lightly at the ends, her dress some kind of oriental sarong. No hoopskirts for her, at least not in private. ... What was it about the woman that intrigued me so? It wasn't just the beard, it was so much else. She made me feel as if I were empty and full at the same time."

In another passage, author Bryson handles a sexual scene between the fattest woman and the thinnest man in the world with the same skill, never once yielding to caricature of the bearded beauty or the thinnest man's total enchantment with her.

Ellen Bryson is skilled, too, in creating scenes and using sometimes poetic language that cause us to stop and think, what a lovely way to say that, e.g., "When the sun finally broke the horizon, its radiance poured over the rooftops and then flowed down the museum like a river of gold." Nearly a flawless book for its handling of a difficult and unique group of characters, "The Transformation of Bartholomew Fortuno" is sometimes flawed by the use of contemporary colloquial expressions that break the imaginative trance, e.g. the use of the word "stonewalled" to describe resistance. Those occasions broke the spell and pulled me out of the historical moment.

Still, this is a book you won't want to miss, an author you'll want to follow.

Maybe I am naive but I was completely surprised by the ending of THE TRANSFORMATION OF BARTHOLOMEW FORTUNO.
I appreciated the verisimilitude. Set just after the assassination of Abraham Lincoln the novel offers a unique insight into the transformation of the country as well as its residents.

Enjoyed having PT Barnum as a character who was probably the ultimate character in real life.
Highly recommend this work. Look forward to Ellen Bryson's next endeavor.