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In this sublimely moving story of one of the 19th century's most fabled human oddities, Strauss rescues the original Siamese twins, Chang and Eng Bunker, from the sideshow of history, drawing from their extraordinary conjoined lives a first novel of exceptional beauty.
Lucy Little, February 2, 2008 (view all comments by Lucy Little)
I enjoyed the read, but really can't give it more than three stars. The author wrote a fictional biography about Chang and Eng, the first well known conjoined twins. It follows their lives from their birth to poor parents in Siam through their marriage to two sisters in North Carolina. The basic dates and places are based on fact, but the details are fiction. I would have liked the story to not be so focused on the ongoing depair each of them felt, especially in their later years. The book alternates chapters between their early life and their married years. Looking for continuity, I eventually skipped every other chapter to complete one part of the story and then went back to finish the other.
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"Synopsis"
by Ingram,
In this sublimely moving story of one of the 19th century's most fabled human oddities, Strauss rescues the original Siamese twins, Chang and Eng Bunker, from the sideshow of history, drawing from their extraordinary conjoined lives a first novel of exceptional beauty.
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