The Manikin

by Joanna Scott

Book Overview

The Manikin is not a mannequin, but the curious estate of Henry Craxton, Sr. in a rural western New York State. Dubbed the "Henry Ford of Natural History," by 1917 Craxton has become America's preeminent taxidermist. Into this magic box of a world-filled with eerily inanimate gibbons and bats, owls and peacocks, quetzals and crocodiles-wanders young Peg Griswood, daughter of Craxton's newest housekeeper. Part coming-of-age story, part gothic mystery,...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0312421389
• ISBN13: 9780312421380
• Release Date: December 2002
• Publisher: Picador USA
• Length: 288 Pages
• Weight: 0.60 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 5.5" x 8.5"

Customer Reviews

The best from one of the best novelists in America today

Words fail me to convey the talent and charm of this writer and this book, but I'll give it a try. For my money and that of the Federal reserve, Joanna Scott is one of the brightest lights of contemporary American fiction. So bright you'll need sunglasses to read her stuff. Her fictional world distiles imagery, grace and language 99% of writers would kill for. The other 1% would sell their moms and aunts ( or at least lease them ) for it. The Manikin is her best yet and simply one of the best novels I've read in years and years, and I've read plenty. This a book for those who love to read, who relish the magic and the music in the language, who want to plunge into a wonderful world of mystery and narrative alchemy. The Manikin works as gothic mystery, as historical romance, as a meditation on lost innocence and life and as a soul tonic for those in need of great literature and greater fun... The prose itself is dynamite stuff that will elevate your life and brain tone faster than a pint of Ben & Jerry's. Don't deny yourself the extraordinary experience of reading this book or this author. Do it just for the fun and the pleasure of indulging in such a fascinating and engrossing read. As you read the last sentence, you'll rush to get Ms.Scott's other books because, by then, you'll be addicted to one of the premier storytellers of this generation. I am.