Edgy historical fiction, is that a thing? What a beautiful story of the challenges of NYC during the great depression. It's a diary format so it's excellent at keeping the pace going. ( )

I really enjoyed this book. I liked how the story was fleshed out by a wide variety of people telling their memories or their family's memories of Mazie, sometimes many, many years later.

And I kind of loved Louis. He was such a gently and kind man at home with his family but had so many layers of life happening outside of the home. ( )

3.75

Written in a mix of epistolary and interview format, Saint Mazie tells a fictional account of the true-life Mazie Gordon Phillips. This story is a love letter to both New York and the family. The relationship Mazie had with her family, her sisters (one mentally ill, one prodigal) and her brother in law, as well as her street family, was truly heartwarming. As was her love for the city she lived in. I fell in love with these characters and this story. However, Attenberg bites off a bit more than she can chew by throwing in so many stories in one place, and never really quite having the time to flesh out any of the side stories of those on the periphery. Most of that material seems just tossed in to add layering to a story that truly didn't need it. I think a more bare-bones account would have worked just as well, if not a bit better.

The story also suffers from a bit of poor pacing as well. The most interesting part of Mazie's life, her helping out the down-and-outers that circled her cage at the Venice, was saved till the very end of the book. Less than 100 pages are dedicated to what she was known for, and much more is dedicated to speculation surrounding her personal life. This is something for readers to keep in mind that are hoping to hear a bit more of this real woman's life. If you want to know more about the real Mazie, I suggest reading the piece done in the New Yorker "Mazie" by Joseph Mitchell.

Overall, I did enjoy this fictionalization and Attenbergs attempt and filling in those blanks for us. A fine book, and honestly one I will probably read again. ( )

Very solid novel. Looking forward to reading attenberg's other books. Throughout the novel I was reminded of Sarah Waters' Tipping the Velvet, Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby, and Fannie Hurst's Imitation of Life. So I felt a bit gratified when Ms. Hurst herself popped up in the novel. NYC novels are tiring - Attenberg's historical fiction is anything but. ( )

> Babelio : https://www.babelio.com/livres/Attenberg-Mazie--Sainte-patronne-des-fauches-et-d...