The Thunder of Giants, Joel Fishbane
The Thunder of Giants, Joel Fishbane
List: $19.99 | Sale: $13.99
Club: $9.99

The Thunder of Giants

Author: Joel Fishbane

Narrator: Tandy Cronyn

Unabridged: 8 hr 48 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Recorded Books

Published: 04/14/2015


Synopsis

Mixing the eccentricity of the circus world and the heart of a love story, The Thunder of Giants is a warm and engaging debut about two exceptional women -- both almost 8-feet tall The year is 1937 and Andorra Kelsey - 7'11 and just under 320 pounds - is on her way to Hollywood to become a star. Hoping to escape both poverty and the ghost of her dead husband, she accepts an offer from the wily Rutherford Simone to star in a movie about the life of Anna Swan, the Nova Scotia giantess who toured the world in the 19th century. Thus, Anna Swan's story unfurls. Where Andorra is seen as a disgrace by an embarrassed family, Anna Swan is quickly celebrated for her unique size. Drawn to New York, Anna becomes a famed attraction at P.T. Barnum's American Museum even as she falls in love with Gavin Clarke, a veteran of the Civil War. Quickly disenchanted with a life of fame, Anna struggles to prove to Gavin - and the world - that she is more than the sum of her measurements. The Thunder of Giants blends fact and fiction in a sweeping narrative that spans nearly a hundred years. Against the backdrop of epic events, two extraordinary women become reluctant celebrities in the hopes of surviving a world too small to contain them.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Tara on April 27, 2015

Sometimes I read a book that I just love--and not a moment too soon, especially after a month of duds (You readers know what I speak of, when every book you pick up stinks to high heaven and you begin to despair that you'll ever read another good book...and maybe the problem is you!) and I'm left sp......more

Goodreads review by Joyce on August 26, 2021

This was a disappointing book for me. I thought the premise sounded very interesting since it involved 2 women who were 'giants' in size. One of them was Anna Swan who was born in Nova Scotia and lived in the 19th century. Her part of the story is based on true facts about the life of Anna Swan. The......more

Goodreads review by Lisa on July 30, 2019

This book about the life of Anna Swan, one of PT Barnum's giants back in NY, was as truly sad as it was fascinating. Gigantism is such a very rare disorder that it's fascinating to begin with. Sadly it does bring about a host of other ailments, & a shortened lifespan, so for Anna's husband to live t......more