On January 11, 2012, Suzanne Lang of KRCB’s delightful “A Novel Idea” discussed Among the Wonderful with Stacy Carlson. Listen here.

“Carlson ably exploits this historical milieu, describing the milling crowds in the exhibition halls; the malodorous, dangerous alleyways of the slum called Five Points; the swampy, still-wild edges of Upper Manhattan.  . . . [she] writes sensitively, often beautifully, of the desire to be free of the gaze of others, of the misery of serving as a mirror in which others may see themselves.”

New York Times Book Review 10/2/2011

On September 7, Stacy Carlson appeared on King 5 TV’s morning show, New Day Northwest ,to talk about Among the Wonderful. Check it out!

East Bay Express: Stacy Carlson Explores the Wonderful.

Oakland Tribune: Author Wanders ‘Among the Wonderful’ in PT Barnum’s World.

O, The Oprah Magazine features Among the Wonderful in the Reading Room section of its August issue.

“The great strength of this book is Carlson’s evocation of time and place. Who knew 19th-century taxidermy could be so interesting?”

Glad you liked it, Oprah!

Thank you IndieBound and the indie booksellers who nominated Among the Wonderful.

Here’s a link to the preview.

WORD Books in Greenpoint, Brooklyn, just announced Stacy Carlson’s August 4 reading with Alexander Yates, author of MOONDOGS. Check it out!

Bay Area readers save the date: August 11 @ 7pm.

See Diesel’s website for more information.

“Set against the outlandish arrival of showman P.T. Barnum in 1840s Manhattan, Carlson’s bighearted debut follows two employees of Barnum’s–a giantess and a taxidermist–as they struggle to break free of their personal and emotional shackles. Ana Swift, eight feet tall and resigned to being a spectacle, moves into the fifth floor of the museum Barnum’s bought and slowly learns that wild characters reside both inside and outside of the museum’s walls. Meanwhile, Emile Guillaudeu, a taxidermist who has worked at the museum since long before Barnum’s arrival, is disturbed by the recent death of his wife and the changes going on at the museum. As each ventures beyond their comfort zones, they find a larger physical and emotional world waiting to challenge them. Carlson beautifully evokes 1840s Manhattan–from the teeming downtown to the wilds of undeveloped northern Manhattan. The acrobats, bearded lady, Australian tribesman, Native Americans, and myriad of bizarre animals offer a constant source of fascination and surprise, and while Carlson rightfully revels in the oddities and curiosities, she also creates emotionally resonant characters who, despite being freakishly tall or joined at the hip, are driven by desires, fears, and that familiar need for human connection.”

-Publishers Weekly, April 25, 2011.