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The Electric Woman: A Memoir in Death-Defying Acts, by Tessa Fontaine
Free PDF The Electric Woman: A Memoir in Death-Defying Acts, by Tessa Fontaine
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Amazon.com Review
An Amazon Best Book of May 2018: We all have things that we’re afraid of, from the mundane (spiders) to the profound (boasts about the size of one’s nuclear buttons). Tessa Fontaine’s greatest fear was losing her mother — and after suffering a series of debilitating strokes, this was imminently becoming a reality. Despite her precarious health, Fontaine’s mom decided to defer a dream no longer and tour Italy with her husband — a courageous, if not medically advised, adventure. It was also just the cue her daughter needed to cross off a bucket list item of her own: Join the circus. Like any other job, a certain skill set is required, one that Fontaine (not so convincingly) espoused. But she was a quick study, and over the course of a season with the World of Wonders, the last touring sideshow in America, she learned to eat fire, charm snakes, become a human flashlight, and fit in with her sideshow family (perhaps the biggest feat of all). Turns out, there isn’t much smoke and mirrors involved; to perform these death defying acts, you must “un-train your instincts, unlearn self-preservation.†You have to, essentially, make peace with pain. That also happens to be one of the keys to living a full life and the overarching message of this unique and moving memoir: If you don’t face your fears and open yourself up to heartache, you’re closing yourself off from the best life has to offer. The Electric Woman is a fascinating behind-the-scenes peek at carnival life and an ode to unconditional love. --Erin Kodicek, Amazon Book Review
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Review
A New York Times Editors' ChoiceAn Amazon Editors' Top 100 Pick of 2018An Amazon Best Memoir of 2018A BBC Book to Read in MayA Patch Book You Need To Read in MayA San Francisco Magazine Memoir to Read Right NowThe Interrobang Summer Reading Pick"An assured debut that doesn’t shy away from the task of holding the ordinary and otherworldly in its hand, at once. It’s herein that the book’s power lies . . . Throughout this narrative is the story of [Fontaine's] relationship with her mother, a story that is sometimes its own hard-to-watch sideshow act. Fontaine is unafraid to write the ugliness ― the imperfect care and love ― that takes place between people, and the memoir is most 'electric' when it doesn’t shy from that imperfection . . ." ―Rachel Khong, The New York Times Book Review "While caring for her mother following a stroke, Tessa Fontaine became enchanted by the world of the carnival sideshow, learning to charm snakes, swallow swords, and escape handcuffs. What Fontaine finds, as she recounts in her fascinating memoir, The Electric Woman (FSG), is that there's no trick to overcoming one's deepest fears." ―Vogue "Beautiful, disturbing and strange ― all combined in one hallucinatory package." ―Susannah Cahalan, New York Post"This is a fascinating, moving memoir about growing up and facing loss, and it also serves as a look behind the scenes at the circus." ―BookPage "This is the story of a daughter and her mother. It’s also a memoir, a love story, and a tale of high-flying stunts. It recounts an adventure toward and through fear as Tessa Fontaine performs as an escape artist, fire-eater, and snake charmer with the World of Wonders, a traveling sideshow." ―Southern Living"Astounding, amazing, inspiring and a little bit terrifying . . . Fontaine’s circus adventures are nicely juxtaposed against her mother’s long journey of recovery, as both women learn to overcome their fears and meet life’s challenges." ―Laurie Hertzel, Minneapolis Star Tribune "Marvellous . . . [Fontaine's] account of her coming-of-age summer on the road is filled with small miracles." ―BBC "Vivid and hallucinatory, joyful and disturbing―one of the most creative memoirs I’ve encountered." ―Susannah Cahalan, The New York Post "Chronicles of Fontaine’s frequently strange experiences with the carnival are interspersed with poignant reflections on the bonds shared by mother and daughter." ―San Francisco Chronicle "The Electric Woman is a story of loss, love and acceptance, of learning to overcome one's fears and insecurities and of letting go of what was in order to accept what is. She shows readers how to live each day to the fullest despite obstacles―or perhaps, because of them." ―Shelf Awareness "If you've ever dreamed of running away to join the circus, this is the book you need to read." ―Patch "Honest and emotionally vulnerable . . . In this memoir that seamlessly balances grief, loss and wild-eyed determination, Fontaine makes a compelling case for using fear as an unexpected gift."―BookPage"A fascinating behind-the-scenes peek at carnival life, and an ode to unconditional love." ―Erin Kodicek, Omnivoracious "Fascinating . . . This remarkable, beautifully written memoir explores the depth of mother-daughter love and the courageous acts of overcoming fear and accepting change." ―Publishers Weekly, starred review"Fascinating and heartfelt, Fontaine’s memoir brushes with death but, more important, finds life and light in unexpected places, giving value to otherness in an unpredictable world." ―Booklist "Fontaine smashes together two distinct memoirs, one focused on grieving her mother’s prolonged illness and death, the other her unlikely, brave’n’crazy season as a small-time carnival performer . . . As exciting as the snake handling, card tricks, and “secret rituals†of the carnival’s insides are, it is the grinding journey of mom-grief that will resonate with readers . . . Take a walk on the wild side, why dontcha?" ―Library Journal“In a word: wow. I read The Electric Woman in a hallucinatory fever filled with hospital beds and carnival rides, gray eyes and biting boa constrictors, brain bleeds and headless bodies, fire eaters and electrified women. Tessa Fontaine is a real-life snake charmer―her writing hooked and hypnotized me from page one. I had to read just one more chapter, just one more until I reached the end of her extraordinary memoir, dismayed that it was over but so grateful for the unforgettable ride.†―Susannah Cahalan, author of Brain on Fire“Somewhere between knives and fire beats the heart of a young woman daring herself to live. In her memoir, The Electric Woman, Tessa Fontaine weaves her way through a mother-death story and a daughter-coming-alive story against the backdrop of America’s last traveling sideshow. There are so many ways to bring ourselves back to life. So many people along the way who become our secular guardian angels. This story is a breathtaking, fire-eating, heart-stopping, death-defying thrill.†―Lidia Yuknavitch, author of The Book of Joan“This is a memoir like no other. One in which reinvention means starting out as a heartbroken girl and becoming a fire eater, a snake charmer, an escape artist, an electric woman. These are not metaphors, and yet again they are: expertly developed, sustained, and revealed in intensifying and sometimes terrifying complexity, as Tessa Fontaine enters, embraces, and finally allows herself to be transformed by the carnival’s World of Wonders and the unforgettable cast of characters who calls the sideshow home.†―Pam Houston, author of Contents May Have Shifted“Yes, I have done it. I have run away to the circus, a realm of wonder, harsh reality, and colorful characters, vividly described by a remarkable writer who pulls off her own high-wire act with honesty and abandon, moving from loss to delight. In The Electric Woman, Tessa Fontaine is an escape artist determined to detonate the grim reality of mere existence, taking us on the most original journey I can remember in a recent memoir. As she moves through guises and adventures, she learns how to become the woman her mother loves and the person she didn’t think she could be: her own marvelous self.†―George Hodgman, author of Bettyville“A beautiful and ferocious book, The Electric Woman comes packed with magnificent stories of carnival tricks, transcending the limits of the body, and the bravery of survivors and caretakers. Yet, somehow no marvel is more wondrous than the writing itself. Fontaine's memoir is a brilliant testament to family, grief, love, and the astonishing trick of being―and feeling―alive.†―Annie Hartnett, author of Rabbit Cake“The Electric Woman is a love story, a coming-of-age, a brilliant exploration of discovery by a young woman ultimately set free by the flames of fire.†―Leslie Zemeckis, author of Goddess of Love Incarnate“With fearless grace and piercing intensity, Tessa Fontaine juxtaposes the thrill of eating fire with the luminous mystery of her mother’s devastating strokes and harrowing transformations. I have never read a book more tender or more true. We all live in a World of Wonders, a world of terror. The Electric Woman delivers us to the potent mercy of unmitigated love, the passion of shared suffering, the resilience of the spirit, and the ecstasies of our transfigurations. The heart breaks, and breaks open―in the divine light of despair, we discover radiant joy: the hidden holiness of every breath, every being, every moment.†―Melanie Rae Thon, author of Sweet Hearts
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Product details
Hardcover: 384 pages
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux; 1 edition (May 1, 2018)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0374158371
ISBN-13: 978-0374158378
Product Dimensions:
6.4 x 1.3 x 9.4 inches
Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
Average Customer Review:
4.5 out of 5 stars
46 customer reviews
Amazon Best Sellers Rank:
#173,141 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
With fearless grace and piercing intensity, Tessa Fontaine juxtaposes the thrill of eating fire with the luminous mystery of her mother’s devastating strokes and harrowing transformations. I have never read a book more tender or more true. We all live in a World of Wonders, a world of terror. The Electric Woman delivers us to the potent mercy of unmitigated love, the passion of shared suffering, the resilience of the spirit, and the ecstasies of our transfigurations. The heart breaks, and breaks open—in the divine light of despair, we discover radiant joy: the hidden holiness of every breath, every being, every moment.
Once you pick up this book, it will enthrall you and you will probably forget to make dinner, do the laundry, or even get dressed. Tessa has a unique and amazing story to tell; a very personal and touching story about her experience in the last traveling sideshow as well as her relationship with her mother. She weaves these two themes together brilliantly.
At first, I wasn’t sure about the premise of Tessa Fontaine’s memoirs, the Electric Women. After all, what kind of person leaves a critically injured mother, debilitated by a stroke, just to join the circus? Skeptically, I began reading, and came upon this. “There is no trick. You eat fire by eating fire†(4). That’s the point. It isn’t what you do, it’s about who you become by doing it. So, the more I read the stronger my ‘aha’ moment was when I discovered Tessa Fontaine’s Electric Woman is a feminist hero’s journey. And, in classic Maureen Murdock style, Fontaine was crafting a true feminist awakening. She had me now.As in any feminist hero’s journey, their must be a separation between the hero and society’s prescribed role of femininity. For Fontaine, this catalyst was her mother’s massive stroke that rendered her infant-like and unable to care for herself. It is then Fontaine decides to join Worlds of Wonder, a travelling sideshow circus, leaving her mother in the capable hands of her husband, Tessa’s stepfather.Fontaine’s eschewing of the conventional feminine role of caregiving, appears to give voice to her opinion of an antiquated and dying notion of femininity, and ironically, are similar views her mother had rebelled against. Fontaine recalls watching her mother perform an act atop a surfer for onlookers in Hawaii. “She performs fearlessness. The board is unsteady atop the water and the surfer’s legs shake with the effort of balance and she quivers as she flexes her muscles to stay upright, and still she keeps one arm up, up, up toward the sky, that kind of queen pointing at the sun, that high†(14). This passage works for me because it a metaphor of the passing of the feminism baton in the mother/daughter dynamic of feminist ideology.Besides the idea of Fontaine setting out on a feminist hero’s journey, what I also find appealing and works well is the literary effect of alternating the narrative between a turbulent relationship with a once dynamic mother that lived life caught between feminism and conformity, and Fontaine’s own quest to understand her issues of fear of losing her mother that had plagued her for years. By seeking out danger in the sideshow, Fontaine hoped it would steel her spine and harden her heart to that deepest fear.Along her journey, Fontaine seeks validation from her male counterparts, eager to show she is just as capable as they are. She encounters all the requisite monsters of a proper quest, such as a giant, huge snakes, lots of fire, and even a human-swallowing dragon all the while questioning her own abilities and motivations for undertaking such a journey at a time when her mother’s fragile state is a constant crisis.Slowly Tessa masters the skills of fire eating, snake wrangling, sword swallowing. Most of all she learns she’s capable of conquering her fears in a manner which celebrates the feminine aspects of herself and not as traditional patriarchy demands. As the sideshow comes to an end, it is here Tessa receives a boon. A gift of knowledge that interconnects all women. Fontaine ultimately realizes letting go of fear brought her to her gift, the sacred feminine, passed from woman to woman, mother to daughter, sister to friend. It is the understanding that they are not incidental to men, they are not other. In her efforts to lose herself, Tessa Fontaine found her way. “I didn’t know the future. But I knew I had a little power†(192).Fontaine’s memoirs are beautifully written yielding an abundance of literary fruit yet, I found the inclusion of Raymond, the adult movie movie maker, and the dragon monster, Vore, who eats dominatrixes did not work for me. It felt disjointed from the storyline adding little more than a literal representation of being swallowed by something scary. “What is it made of?†I ask. Lady bodies, Raymond says (196). In this context it seems too much ‘on the nose’ But, it is more accurate to say it is more my issue of not understanding its relevance than of the author’s intentions. All in all a fascinating read, and a must for all fans of the feminist hero’s journey.A book similar in type to Tessa Fontaine’s Electric Woman is All You Can Ever Know: A Memoir by Nicole Chung is a story about losing your roots within your family and culture and what happens when you discover them. It too is a memoir about fear and abandonment and they multi-generational journey of the mother/daughter dynamic.
I had just met a group of other caretakers who were all struggling with the occasional despair of caretaking as well as the inevitable saying goodbye when I read this book. Maybe it was just the right book at the right time, but Tessa Fontaine hit exactly the right notes for me. It was interesting to learn about joining the last remaining side-show in America and the author did a great job of revealing that life and the characters she met. But she also wove her adventures into the adventures of her mother and her step-father. This is one of the few books I will re-read. It is both poignant and life-affirming and I highly recommend it.
This memoir has everything a good book should—action, suspense, and plenty of heart. The writer joins the last American traveling carnival sideshow (called The World of Wonders) and learns the tricks of the trade, climbing the ranks from bally girl to the titular electric woman. Meanwhile, she reckons with her mother's illness and a relationship that hasn;t always been easy, though it's clear the two women care for each other deeply. There's plenty of humor and love here, and the details Fontaine shares about her experience in the sideshow are both fascinating and awe-inspiring. I can't recommend this book enough!
Wow - this book blew me away! Sure, it's long but every word from the title to the epilogue is chosen with meticulous care. The result is just beautiful. I enjoyed reading about circus life - the gritty characters, physical exhaustion, and dismal economics - and the astonishing, complicated love between mother and daughter. This one will stick with me for a long time. I highly recommend it.
I have visited The Ringling Museum in Sarasota many times and was interested in learning more about life in the Circus. This Memoir is an excellent account of Tessa’s life with the circus, as a bally girl and a performer in many of the side show acts. It’s a peak behind the curtains to see the circus people,Their long days and short nights, putting on the show. Best line: The Trick is there is no trick.
I was fascinated by this book, and kept having to remind myself that it was nonfiction. I lost my own mother last year, so I enjoyed her thoughts on what it is like to lose someone, especially your mother. I was astounded by the harsh living conditions on the sideshow, and kept imagining myself trying to sleep and survive in that level of discomfort. Didn't sound good to me, so this 74 year-old will NOT be running away to the circus!
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