Saint Mazie
Delightful
Vivid
Layered

Saint Mazie

From the bestselling author of The Middlesteins comes comes this unique novel about a forgotten heroine of the 1930s. Meet Mazie Phillips: big-hearted and feisty, she runs The Venice, the famed movie theatre in the rundown Bowery district of New York City. She spends her days taking tickets, chatting with drunks and eccentrics, and chasing out the troublemakers. After closing up, the nights are her own, and she fills them with romance and booze aplenty-even during Prohibition. When the Great Depression hits, and homelessness soars, Mazie opens The Venice to those in need, giving them shelter and dimes for food and booze, and earning the nickname 'Saint Mazie'. Inspired by Joseph Mitchell's essay about Mazie in Up in the Old Hotel, acclaimed author Jami Attenberg's novel honours an extraordinary life and heralds a completely original approach to writing historical fiction. Weaving together fictionalised diaries, writings and interviews, Attenberg has constructed an utterly convincing portrait of Mazie Philips, which is also a deeply moving portrait of New York as it passed through the First World War, Prohibition, the boom of the '20s, and then the terrible depression of the '30s.
Sign up to use

Reviews

Photo of Alyssa B.
Alyssa B.@crimsonlea
4.5 stars
Oct 10, 2023

After reading Joseph Mitchell's piece on Mazie for The New Yorker, I was dying to get to know her better. This is, of course, a fictional account of her life and likely quite far from her reality, but I enjoyed it as a tribute nonetheless. Jami Attenberg's version of Mazie sparkles with life. As she struggles to find her place in this world, she is always thinking of those around her. I wanted the world for her. I especially loved the way her deep relationship with Sister Tee was written. It felt shockingly real and was so affecting. The way this book is structured makes it an easy page-turner. Mazie's diary entries are interspersed with the thoughts of people who knew her or knew of her in some capacity. It's a fast-paced but thoughtful read, and I loved it.

+6
Photo of Libby G
Libby G@kindredbooks
4 stars
Mar 3, 2022

I couldn't ever decide what I felt about Maize. At some points I felt sorry for her, others I hated her. I figured that was the point. Maize was both a hero and a villain. But she tried her best to be good and isn't that the most that anyone of us can do?

Photo of Nora
Nora @ngoldie
4 stars
Jun 1, 2023
Photo of Stephanie Cox
Stephanie Cox@perstephani
4 stars
Feb 22, 2022