“Barnum knew, better than anyone, that human tendency to want to believe, to want see the extraordinary.” I really enjoyed the “simple magic” of transforming from mermaid to human it made sense, wasn’t overly complicated, and seemed plausible. The world Henry crafted is one where the mermaid – Amelia Douglas – was real, and a willing participant in the exhibitions in order to earn money and see the world of humans.Īmelia is a restless mermaid that wants to explore the world, leaving her world behind to explore the unknown. Barnum’s Feejee Mermaid Hoax of the 1840s. Told in third-person narration in three alternating perspectives, The Mermaid is an enchanting piece of historical fiction that looks into P.T. This post uses affiliate links and I may receive a small commission for purchases made through my links at no additional cost to you.

But Barnum has never given up a money-making scheme in his life, and he’s determined to hold on to his mermaid. He wanted to make his fortune, and an attraction like Amelia was just the ticket.Īmelia agreed to play the mermaid for Barnum, and she believes she can leave any time she likes.

Barnum was looking for marvelous attractions for his American Museum, and he’d heard a rumor of a mermaid who lived on a cliff by the sea. The mermaid, Amelia, became his wife, and they lived on a cliff above the ocean for ever so many years, until one day the fisherman rowed out to sea and did not return. But his eyes were lonely and caught her more surely than the net, and so she evoked a magic that allowed her to walk upon the shore. One day a fisherman trapped her in his net but couldn’t bear to keep her. Once there was a mermaid who longed to know of more than her ocean home and her people. However, leaving the museum may be harder than leaving the sea ever was. Barnum’s American Museum as the real Fiji mermaid. From the author of Lost Boy comes a historical fairy tale about a mermaid who leaves the sea for love and later finds herself in P.T.

The mermaid christina henry summary