I found this good-condition hardcover in the Little Free Library on Pond Street in Marblehead MA, while dropping off some books of my own. It's a fictional biography of Lavinia Warren, who was famously courted by both Tom Thumb and Commodore Nutt, and eventually married the former.

I'd never given much thought to the lives of these famed performers, and while the author notes that she had to fabricate a lot of things due to the lack of personal information in the surviving writings of the main characters, she did a good job of depicting the trials of little people in that time and place. I found Lavinia a very likable character as depicted here, coping as best she could with the limitations of being female AND tiny, and I enjoyed the descriptions of her transition from teacher at a local schoolhouse to internationally-famed performer.

The book touches on the shadier aspects of Barnum's shows, such as the series of hired babies used to portray the offspring of Tom Thumb and Lavinia. [Whether Lavinia herself opted out of marital relations out of a very valid fear of the trauma of giving birth to a normal-sized infant, as speculated here, or if there were other reasons for her childlessness, I have no idea. In-story, the situation made sense, and was echoed in the tragic death of her sister Minnie in childbirth.]

The heart of the story is Lavinia's relationship with Barnum, shown here as a friendship that sustained them both through the ups and downs of their marital lives and professional relationship. Barnum's not shown as being perfect, by any means - his focus on showmanship often trumped personal responsibility, as in the "rent-a-baby" situation - but we do get to see another side of him here.

And the details of life in a traveling show, from the high-end days of visits to royalty to the low-end, supporting-player days, certainly made me feel for the characters.

I plan to leave this book, bagged against the elements, on the wall of Merrill Cemetery (on Merrill Road next to the Mall of New Hampshire) at around 2 or so; it is said that Commodore Nutt, the rival for Lavinia's affections (though only a minor character in this book) is buried there. Hope the finder enjoys the book!

*** Released as part of the 2015 What's In A Name release challenge. ***