SKU: 94136516980

The Electric Woman: A Memoir in Death-Defying Acts

Sale price$12.24 Regular price$13.60
Save 10%

Pay in installments of $3.40 with ShopPay, AfterPay and Klarna

Shipping Estimate
USA
  • USA
  • CAN

Ships within 48 hours · Estimated delivery Jul 31 - Aug 5

Promo Codes Available:

For Your Every Summer RSVP, with Code: SUMMER15

Description

The Electric Woman: A Memoir in Death-Defying ActsA New York Times Editors' Choice; A Southern Living Best Book of 2018; An Amazon Editors' Best Book of 2018; A Refinery29 Best Book of 2018; A New York Post Most Unforgettable Book of 2018 Fascinating. Vogue "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 . . . An adventure toward and through fear." Southern Living Tessa Fontaine's astonishing memoir of pushing past fear, The Electric

A New York Times Editors' Choice; A Southern Living Best Book of 2018; An Amazon Editors' Best Book of 2018; A Refinery29 Best Book of 2018; A New York Post Most Unforgettable Book of 2018

Fascinating. --Vogue

"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 . . . An adventure toward and through fear." --Southern Living

Tessa Fontaine's astonishing memoir of pushing past fear, The Electric Woman, follows the author on a life-affirming journey of loss and self-discovery--through her time on the road with the last traveling American sideshow and her relationship with an adventurous, spirited mother.

Turns out, one lesson applies to living through illness, keeping the show on the road, letting go of the person you love most, and eating fire:

The trick is there is no trick.
You eat fire by eating fire.

Two journeys--a daughter's and a mother's--bear witness to this lesson in The Electric Woman.

For three years Tessa Fontaine lived in a constant state of emergency as her mother battled stroke after stroke. But hospitals, wheelchairs, and loss of language couldn't hold back such a woman; she and her husband would see Italy together, come what may. Thus Fontaine became free to follow her own piper, a literal giant inviting her to "come play" in the World of Wonders, America's last traveling sideshow. How could she resist?

Transformed into an escape artist, a snake charmer, and a high-voltage Electra, Fontaine witnessed the marvels of carnival life: intense camaraderie and heartbreak, the guilty thrill of hard-earned cash exchanged for a peek into the impossible, and, most marvelous of all, the stories carnival folks tell about themselves. Through these, Fontaine trained her body to ignore fear and learned how to keep her heart open in the face of loss.

A story for anyone who has ever imagined running away with the circus, wanted to be someone else, or wanted a loved one to live forever, The Electric Woman is ultimately about death-defying acts of all kinds, especially that ever constant: good old-fashioned unconditional love.



Binding Type: Paperback
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Published: 05/07/2019
ISBN: 9780374538408
Pages: 384
Weight: 1.00lbs
Size: 8.70h x 5.70w x 1.10d
Shipping Notes
  • Free Standard Shipping on $100+ Orders to the USA.
  • Except Preorder products are shipped in 48 hours.
  • Delivery to the USA:
  1. Standard Shipping : 3-10 business days
  • If time is of the essence, please consider selecting expedited delivery for faster service.
Exchange/Return Notes
  • We offer a 30-day return/exchange service after receiving.
  • Final sale items are not eligible for returns or exchanges.
  • To process your return/exchange, please contact us at [email protected]
  • Please click here for more details>>> Return & Exchange Policy
SKU: 94136516980

Discover Niche Categories That Outsell

Top-Converting Item to Boost Your Average Order

4.4 ★★★★★
Based on 14 reviews
Sort
Highest Rating
Newest First
Oldest First
Product Reviews
K
Katrina Rhodes
Lake Worth, US
★★★★★ 5
Nice divider, serves it's purpose well!
Size: 3 Panel 12FT W
This room divider worked out very well for what I needed. I wanted a simple way to create a little more privacy and separation in a larger room without doing anything permanent, and this divider was an easy solution. The panels provide good coverage, and the black color gives it a clean, modern appearance that blends in nicely with different décor styles. Assembly was fairly straightforward, and once set up, the wider feet helped keep the divider stable on the floor. I was especially happy with how flexible the panels are to arrange. You can keep it mostly straight, angle it around furniture, or create a more enclosed private space depending on the layout you need. The material allows light to filter through slightly while still offering a noticeable sense of privacy. I’ve used it for separating a workspace area, but it would also work well in bedrooms, apartments, dorms, studios, or shared living spaces. Another plus is that it can be folded and moved without too much effort when you want to change the setup. Overall, this divider delivers a good balance of functionality, portability, and appearance. It’s a practical option for anyone needing temporary room separation without installing permanent walls or curtains.
WAS THIS REVIEW HELPFUL?YesReportShare
Reviewed in the United States on May 26, 2026
J
Jamie K.
West Palm Beach, US
★★★★★ 5
Perfect for Adding Privacy to a Piano Studio
Size: 2 Panel 8FT W, Size: 2 Panel 8FT W
I Ordered the 2 Panel version which is way too big for my needs... that's on me. So keep in mind that the picture shows a fabric made for two panels only being used on one and hence it is not pulled tight; it would pull tight and not be so wrinkly if it was set up properly as two panels. The metal pools that make up the panels seem to be well made, stable, and of good quality. They were very easy to put together and they stand up tall with plenty of height. The appearance of it with the fabric on it isn't as elegant as it could be, but it still looks good enough. The material is plenty solid, not allowing light through it, and thereby making a solid barrier. I am using it to block the view out the studio door when a student is sitting at the piano to avoid distractions from the hallway. It will allow a student to enter the studio with our distracting the student who is at the piano.
WAS THIS REVIEW HELPFUL?YesReportShare
Reviewed in the United States on May 18, 2026
J
Just Me
Fort Morgan, US
★★★★★ 5
Room Divider That Gives Instant “This Is a Separate Space Now” Energy
Size: 3 Panel 12FT W
The Siebwin 3 Panel Folding Privacy Screen is surprisingly effective at changing the feel of a room without requiring construction, commitment, or somebody yelling about load bearing walls. The 12 foot width gives a substantial amount of coverage, making it useful for creating privacy, dividing open areas, blocking visual clutter, or setting up temporary sections within larger rooms. This saved us a ton of time and money in our new studio and enabled us to create a kitchen and office in one room. The wider feet make a huge difference because flimsy room dividers that collapse every time someone exhales too aggressively are deeply annoying. This one feels more stable and grounded once positioned. The folding design makes it easy to move around or adjust depending on the space, and it folds down relatively compactly when not in use. It is basically the introvert curtain wall of dreams. The material has a clean, neutral look that blends well into different room styles without screaming “temporary office cubicle panic.” It works well for apartments, studios, shared spaces, dressing areas, or simply hiding the mountain of chaos you swear you are going to organize tomorrow. Practical, portable, and refreshingly easy to use without turning setup into a three hour emotional event.
WAS THIS REVIEW HELPFUL?YesReportShare
Reviewed in the United States on May 16, 2026
S
Skeetre
Fort Morgan, US
★★★★★ 4
It's 2 panels holding 1 big privacy screen. Can't use as 2 separate 4' panels, but works great.
Size: 2 Panel 8FT W
This 2 panel privacy screen works well. Assembly was very straight forward, with easily labeled tubes. My son and I had it together in about 10 minutes, which was probably 3 minutes of me telling him to quit playing around and hand me the parts. It feels very sturdy, not likely to fall over or anything. The material fits well, with the Velcro being very strong. Measurements are all very accurate, with all pieces attaching properly. We have a similar privacy screen at work that we have to try and stretch out because the top and bottom Velcro doesn't fit quite right... this model does not have any issues though. The material is thin and light weight, but solid black so that you can't see anything through or behind it. I definitely think it's a great deal for the money. What I think would have given it 5 stars though, is if you had 2 totally separate 4' panels instead of 2 panels with one big screen. It really wouldn't cost any extra to make it so that the screen was in 2 pieces and you could use it as 2 separate panels instead of having to use it as one big panel. It says 2 panel folding privacy screens, but it's really one big one that folds in the middle.
WAS THIS REVIEW HELPFUL?YesReportShare
Reviewed in the United States on May 25, 2026
C
Verified Purchase
Chris Stockbridge
Boise, US
★★★★★ 5
Worth the investment
Size: 1 Panel, Size: 1 Panel
I had to order this in an emergency. To put it in brief words, I live in a two level studio unit. My bedroom TV fell backwards off the bureau accidentally and down the stairs to its demise. Putting this together was no problem, instructions were thorough and easy. It came with several bars that connected together smoothly and an Allen key for the brackets and screws for the feet. I did one less horizontal bar on top and bottom so it could fit, which was great because with all of them on it was too long. However I ran into the difficulty of the horizontal bars popping out of the brackets during the last stages, but eventually got it done. I was also looking for a specific type of divider where I could adjust the feet so I could tuck it in between the dresser and banister. Glad I made this purchase.
WAS THIS REVIEW HELPFUL?YesReportShare
Reviewed in the United States on February 19, 2026

recommand products