The Transformation of Bartholomew Fortuno

In the late 1860s, as America was recovering from Lincoln’s assassination, a man named P. T. Barnum opened a museum in New York City. Filled with oddities from around the world, it also hosted a number of sideshow freaks – including Bartholomew Fortuno, the Human Skeleton. When a new act arrives on the scene, Bartholomew finds himself falling in love . . . and caught up in the intrigues of the great showman himself, P. T. Barnum.

Inspired by true events, The Transformation of Bartholomew Fortuno by Ellen Bryson is an atmospheric and utterly original story about human appetites and longings, exploring what it means to be profoundly unique – and demonstrating love’s power to transcend even the greatest divisions.

‘Wildly inventive, highly entertaining.’ – The Times

'A rich tapestry of romance, illusory science, criminal trickery and human intrigue. Let the show begin.’ – Kirkus