Review Detail

WE ARE ALL HIS CREATURES by Deborah Noyes is a series of eleven short stories about the beloved showman, P.T. Barnum, his family, and performers in his show. Though fictionalized, we get a deeper look into the lives of his daughters, General Tom Thumb, Jenny Lind, the Bearded Lady, and many more. Each story offers a new perspective and different time in Barnum’s life, painting him as a more nuanced man than the one in the most recent movie, starring Hugh Jackman. Still, those who are fans of the movie will find this book to be a special treat.

My favorite stories in this novel are the ones about his daughters. Though the movie paints Barnum as quite the family man, Noyes’ stories suggest it wasn’t always easy to be his children. In fact, instead of a childhood steeped in magic and mystery, in Noyes’ version, the girls are kept away from the museum and left with their despondent mother. The only way they get to see the museum is by sneaking into it. Later on, the eldest travels with the show, but even then, she’s just a decoy for Jenny Lind.

I also wasn’t aware that Barnum’s third daughter died at such a young age, or that he had fires at both his home and museum. He had even bigger troubles than I originally realized and it’s amazing that he found the strength to keep rebuilding. In this vein, I love how Noyes painted the relationship between the third daughter and General Tom Thumb, and how when she passed due to illness, we feel the loss through Thumb.

Overall, WE ARE ALL HIS CREATURES gives us snapshots of what P.T. Barnum’s life and show could have looked like. We get a behind-the-scenes glimpse of what it would be like to run off and join the circus and what it would be like to work with such a visionary and supreme entertainer. The book echoes many similar themes to the movie, such as fitting in when you feel and appear to be different, attempting to make a mark on the world, resilience, the public’s attraction to the unusual, and losing oneself in the pursuit of success. Beyond that, the book’s cover is beautiful and vibrant, just like Barnum himself.