
The freak flag flew high throughout the Victorian Age: the Queen herself was enthralled by General Tom Thumb. Meanwhile, the Siamese Twins, the Bearded Lady, giants, and other unusual personages were paraded by the likes of P.T. Barnum, and carnivals, sideshows, and midways thronged with spectators. Woolf strips away the bluster to reveal authentic people trapped in alarming bodies, who ought to be remembered not as freaks, but wonders. ~ Reviewed by Mike Hare