The Transformation of Bartholomew Fortuno

By: Ellen Bryson

Narrated by: Jeff Woodman

First-time novelist Ellen Bryson offers listeners this stunning exploration of man’s struggle with contentment and the profound uniqueness of the human experience.

Bartholomew works for legendary showman P. T. Barnum as the world’s thinnest man. After a decade in the circus, Bartholomew feels his enthusiasm waning, until one evening when a mysterious woman arrives on the scene. Tasked with following her for Barnum, Bartholomew soon embarks on a magical journey of discovery.

©2010 Ellen Bryson (P)2010 Recorded Books, LLC

Critic reviews

"[T]his 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." ( Publishers Weekly)

Engrossing, Lively, Full of Color & Character

This book was of interest to me on several levels, the idea of circus people: their often close and special relationships, and a little insight into how they see themselves. I loved it that the main character saw his difference from others as a gift, and how he came to change all that through loving someone who was unattainable only because they had a very different "gift." Wonderful storytelling, lots of plots turns and twists, and a great surprise ending.