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The Autobiography of Mrs. Tom Thumb
The Autobiography of Mrs. Tom Thumb: A Novel | Melanie Benjamin
26 posts | 35 read | 18 to read
Mid-nineteenth-century little person Mercy Levinia Warren Bump comes of age in the antebellum south before being invited to join the P. T. Barnum circus, through which she meets her future husband, General Tom Thumb, and pursues limitless international opportunities.
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smalldogs_bigbooks2419
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I haven‘t a clue what this story is about, but the tiny woman on the cover caught my attention.

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ATB
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I do like this book but it is taking me a minute to read it. Maybe I‘ll finish it on this 3 hour flight.

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ATB
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Afternoon/Evening Reading

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ATB
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Outside reading on Nov 2nd. That my friends is a win.

Bklover Today was a perfect day here too! 1y
5 likes1 comment
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bookandbedandtea
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Pickpick

Lavinia is only 32" tall but she has ambition to spare which leads her to leave the safety of her family's New England farm to pursue a life on the stage. She ends up working for, and befriending, P.T. Barnum. This fictional account of her life read like a real autobiography and she sure lived a fascinating life.

TheAromaofBooks Woohoo!!! 2y
23 likes2 stack adds2 comments
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lynneamch
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Circus A master of publicity and promtion, P.T., Barnum made a #circus of curiousities, both genuine and fake The marriage and life of General and Mrs Tom Thumb is revealed as both in this fascinating #historical fiction. Background pic of Freekshow wine at Costco. Haven't tried it yet. #SavvySettings @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks @eggs

Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks Perfect!! 🎪 2y
Eggs Great collage!! 🎪🐘🤡 2y
34 likes2 comments
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bookandbedandtea
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Starting this tonight

robinb What a beautiful cover. 💛 2y
bookandbedandtea @robinb I agree! It's the reason I'm reading this. I've noticed that I'm ever more influenced by covers, for better or worse. 🙃 2y
robinb @bookandbedandtea I think it's hard not to be. I think many of us need that visual stimulation before diving in. And it also helps, in many cases, to get the imagination rolling. :) 2y
31 likes1 stack add3 comments
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Tex2Flo
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Delighted to see this today. I‘ve had this on my TBR for YEARS now.

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VanessaCW
Pickpick

A well written and researched story which imaginatively fills in the gaps of Lavinia Warren Bump‘s (aka Mrs Tom Thumb) life and her association with P T Barnum. I loved it.
5⭐️

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Jee_HookedOnBookz
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Loved this book! Was meant to post this yesterday for the #tiny prompt in the #ANewChapter picture challenge..

@vkois88 @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks

vkois88 Oh, this sounds fun! 5y
Jee_HookedOnBookz @vkois88 hi Tori!!! You're back!! Yayyyy!! How have you been? How are you? Yes this was a fun read for me... Read it many years back. 5y
60 likes1 stack add2 comments
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MelissaS
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Mehso-so

This started strong but came up short in the last 150 pages (pardon the pun!). I felt like I had to keep slogging through to finish it. The historical events dispersed through the chapters were interesting. The only character I really cared for was Minnie.

MinDea 😆😆😆😆 pardon the pun 😆 This was my least favorite book by Melanie Benjamin but I found it fun to read about the circus and the historical piece of this story. 6y
Jee_HookedOnBookz Loved Minnie! I enjoyed this book :) 5y
17 likes2 comments
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Foragingfantasy
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Pickpick

I thoroughly enjoyed this story. I feel like aspects of this helped the story line of the movie, The Greatest Showman. I love that movie! It was interesting to see what life was like for differently gifted people at that time. And y‘all know I love anything to do with the circus.

Soubhiville Hey it looks like you won a 24in48 prize? Hour 15! Unless someone else out there has your name... congrats! 6y
Soubhiville Ps I liked this book! 6y
heikemarie ‘Grats on your door prize, was so excited when I saw your name! 6y
See All 9 Comments
Foragingfantasy 😱😱😱😱 6y
Foragingfantasy @heikemarie thanks for the heads up y‘all! I had a very busy day yesterday. Outside. In Texas. In 110 degrees. 😖🔥 @Soubhiville 6y
VanessaCW Love the photo. And loved the book and movie. 5y
Foragingfantasy @VanessaCW I didn‘t know there was a movie!! I‘ll have to look it up! 5y
VanessaCW @Foragingfantasy The Greatest Showman is the movie I meant. Sorry for the confusion, although Tom Thumb does feature in it. (edited) 5y
Foragingfantasy @VanessaCW yes! Love that movie 5y
31 likes9 comments
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MelissaS
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I‘m going to stay in the mid-1800s for another book.

MinDea I love Melanie Benjamin!!! 6y
15 likes1 comment
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JenlovesJT47
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Yay, my first #FeedAReader package is here!!! 🤗 Thank you so much @Kendyl !! I've been wanting to read this book for forever and was super excited when I pulled it out of the package! And this recipe for lasagna soup sounds great, I'm going to try to make it this week. Will let you know how it goes! Thank you to my lovely hosts for putting this together. My package will be sent out by Friday! #bookmail #catsoflitsy #Nala #recipe

🧀🍤🍔🍝🍕🥗🍜

MinDea Yeah! Melanie Benjamin!!! 6y
JenlovesJT47 @MinDea my thoughts exactly! 🤓 6y
TricksyTails 👏😁 The soup sounds delicious! 6y
Kendyl @JenlovesJT47 I somehow totally missed this and was just stalking you to make sure that you received it! So glad you liked it. Have you tried the soup? Hope you enjoy it! 6y
JenlovesJT47 @Kendyl I haven't tried it yet but hoping to make it this week. Thanks again! 🤗 6y
72 likes5 comments
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Coleen
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Pickpick

Knowing virtually nothing about Gen. Tom Thumb or his worldly famous marriage to fellow little person “Vinnie” Bump, this was an enlightening & entertaining piece of historical fiction for me. Unlike the more well-known forms of dwarfism, these little people (brought together by P.T. Barnum in the 1800‘s) had “proportionate dwarfism”, with proportions the same as typical adults, but in miniature.

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Mamashep
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When the author says this is her favorite of the books she has written, you know you need to take advantage of this deal and pick it up!

DebinHawaii I grabbed this one too! 📚👍 7y
14 likes1 comment
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Beck9lol
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Even LeRoy is enjoying this one. I picked this up at the library on a hunch. So far so good!

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theladygreer
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Pickpick

Coming into the home stretch of #womenshistoryreads! Today I want to spotlight THE AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF MRS. TOM THUMB, the story of Lavinia Warren (pictured here) who, fully grown at 2 feet 8 inches, captured America's attention & affection as a star attraction in P.T. Barnum's show. This isn't the best-known of Benjamin's novels but it's my personal favorite, & I think you'll love "Vinnie"'s story. #histfic #historicalfiction

annahenke This is a great audiobook! 7y
lynneamch Thanks @annahenke I'm always on the lookout for audio recs. And thanks, Greer, for helping me with picks about interesting women! 7y
VanessaCW Love looking at the photos of Vinnie and co. I loved the book, Vinnie is such an interesting character and the author has given her such a big personality. 5y
28 likes4 stack adds3 comments
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Cinfhen
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#FeistyFeb These four novels center around performers, so for them #AllTheWorldsAStage

107 likes2 stack adds
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Smangela
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#Booktober #UnforgettableWomen Miss Mercy Lavinia Warren Bump! I loved Melanie Benjamin's take on Alice in Wonderland and the real people behind it and this has been on my TBR for quite sometime. Vinnie had proportionate dwarfism from a pituitary disorder; at least with Benjamin's take on Lavinia she is a strong woman who took action to get what she wanted in life. I can't wait to see how the rest of her life unfolds in this book!

annahenke I really enjoyed the book on audio! 7y
22 likes1 stack add1 comment
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Silver_Lass
Pickpick

A grand story about some lovely little people and how they made a big impact on their world.

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Luv2readbookz
Pickpick

Mrs. Tom Thumb was a little person with huge guts and determination. I admired how she overcame her obstacles at a time when someone like her would have been hidden away. Enjoyable read.

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stacybmartin
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Today's workday entertainment!

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NattieBelle
Pickpick

I really enjoyed this book. Despite being fiction, the author made her story very believable. This woman had an amazing personality.