Church of Marvels by Leslie Parry

Church of Marvels is a book of marvels: those of love in all its forms and iterations; of human compassion and the brave self-acceptance of those who live true to themselves outside of the norm, and suffer for it; of the decency and high character that can arise in those who struggle against the lowest of life’s circumstances. Parry’s writing evokes early Coney Island and the slums of  turn-of-the-century Manhattan so richly, it gives Dickensian London a run for its money. Then comes a twist so masterful and surprising that my jaw dropped like a fish – I never saw it coming. So what if some of the events seem a little (ok, maybe a lot) too coincidental – it’s still great storytelling that for me was wholly satisfying.

-Terri, Technical Services

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