{"product_id":"the-man-who-laughs-a-romance-of-english-history","title":"The Man Who Laughs: A Romance of English History","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWhat if the face that makes crowds laugh hides a life they refuse to see?\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eOn a freezing English shore, a boy with a permanent grin cut into his face finds a baby in the snow. Gwynplaine and the blind girl, Dea, grow up in the wagon of Ursus, a gruff showman, with his tame wolf, Homo. Their strange household offers warmth in a cruel world.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eGwynplaine becomes a fairground attraction, but his kindness matters more to Dea than his looks. Beyond their wagon, the court of Queen Anne watches with very different desires. In The Man Who Laughs, Victor Hugo brings love and spectacle into conflict with rank, ambition, and the secrets that powerful people exploit.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eWhat you'll discover\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eA face beyond laughter\u003c\/strong\u003e – Meet a gentle performer whose fixed grin conceals compassion, seriousness, and a longing to be understood.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eLove built on trust\u003c\/strong\u003e – Follow Gwynplaine and Dea as their bond grows through kindness rather than appearances.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eA home on wheels\u003c\/strong\u003e – Step into Ursus's wooden wagon, where grumbling wisdom and generosity give two orphans a family.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eThe cruelty of rank\u003c\/strong\u003e – Enter a court where pride, flattery, and hidden malice threaten the lives beyond its circle.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eGothic sweep and feeling\u003c\/strong\u003e – Find storms, sea adventure, and a fierce question about what a face can hide.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\u003cp\u003ePerfect for readers who love big, emotional nineteenth-century novels, Gothic storms, villains, and searching speeches about justice.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eOpen the first page now and enter the strange, tender world behind Gwynplaine's grin.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Library of Alexandria Press","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":59534605156700,"sku":null,"price":0.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1027\/9442\/8764\/files\/01172_en_ebook-front_c24.jpg?v=1792174948","url":"https:\/\/libraryofalexandria.com\/products\/the-man-who-laughs-a-romance-of-english-history","provider":"The Library of Alexandria","version":"1.0","type":"link"}