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outcolder's review against another edition
5.0
The story of a zaftig tzaddik with a yiddish nishoma and a Catholic heart, a lover of the street life who stays loyal to her allrightnik family. Multiple POVs and episodic plots keep this ultimately positive but often tragic story moving. Another review compared it with Frank Capra and I was also thinking of Damon Runyan when I was reading it but be prepared for some explicit sex, death and alcohol served with New York attitude. The description of some historical events draw eerie parallels to today, for example the Wall Street car bomb in 1920 is like a premonition of the 2001 Twin Towers attack and then a few years later a terrible economic crisis, the crash of 1929 feeling like the crisis of 2008 all viewed and smelled from street level.
suvata's review against another edition
4.0
Author Interview:
http://pictorial.jezebel.com/an-interview-with-jami-attenberg-author-of-saint-mazie-1706959879
Saint Mazie is a fictionalized memoir of a real-life woman named Mazie Phillips, the Queen of the Bowery. She ran the ticket booth of New York’s famous Venice movie theater in Manhattan for 30 years. Her story starts during Prohibition and continues through the end of the Great Depression. Mazie had great compassion for the people who resided in the Bowery. She walked through the neighborhood handing out money and bars of soap to the homeless who resided there. In the winter, it was not unusual for her to spring for a hotel room so that the "bums" could get warm, even if for just one night.
Mazie was quite a character and truly deserves to have her name memorialized. Jami Attenberg does a marvelous job bringing Mazie back to life for all of us. The story of Mazie's life is inspirational. It's also a little shocking, a little humorous, a little heartbreaking, and a lot of fun.
I grew up in Detroit. This book made me wonder if there were comparable characters in Detroit's history. If I had to guess, I would guess that most major cities had their "Mazies" at least I hope so. I want to thank Jami Attenberg for bringing this story to life. Having read Mazie's story makes me want to be a better, more giving person. And really what more could you ask for from a book?
http://pictorial.jezebel.com/an-interview-with-jami-attenberg-author-of-saint-mazie-1706959879
Saint Mazie is a fictionalized memoir of a real-life woman named Mazie Phillips, the Queen of the Bowery. She ran the ticket booth of New York’s famous Venice movie theater in Manhattan for 30 years. Her story starts during Prohibition and continues through the end of the Great Depression. Mazie had great compassion for the people who resided in the Bowery. She walked through the neighborhood handing out money and bars of soap to the homeless who resided there. In the winter, it was not unusual for her to spring for a hotel room so that the "bums" could get warm, even if for just one night.
Mazie was quite a character and truly deserves to have her name memorialized. Jami Attenberg does a marvelous job bringing Mazie back to life for all of us. The story of Mazie's life is inspirational. It's also a little shocking, a little humorous, a little heartbreaking, and a lot of fun.
I grew up in Detroit. This book made me wonder if there were comparable characters in Detroit's history. If I had to guess, I would guess that most major cities had their "Mazies" at least I hope so. I want to thank Jami Attenberg for bringing this story to life. Having read Mazie's story makes me want to be a better, more giving person. And really what more could you ask for from a book?
crazeedi73's review
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.75
servemethesky's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.25
What a strange little book. The cover is gorgeous, of course. I picked this one up mostly because I thoroughly enjoyed some of Attenberg's other novels, like All of This Could be Yours and The Middlesteins. I didn't *not* enjoy Saint Mazie, but it didn't hit in the same way for me. I spent a lot of the novel waiting for something to happen, then realized we weren't really going to get much plot. Just tragedy after tragedy in fragmented pieces. It's a lot of things happening TO Mazie and not really her making things happen.
It's striking how much still feels relevant in 2024, though. The 1918 Spanish influence parallels COVID, women have limited bodily autonomy and access to healthcare (still, ugh), and the Great Depression parts almost made me laugh, because I've seen statistics showing that the wealth inequality in this country now and the struggle to get by today is worse than it was during the great depression. Where's Mazie today?!
While the unusual structure was an interesting concept, I don't think it worked particularly well. The diary entries + autobiography entries were confusing until it was explained at the very end that she had been writing an autobiography as well that was never published. I loathed every section from George Flicker (he was so damn obnoxious) and the publishing guy who didn't publish her memoir sucked too. Could've done with less of them. Also, the device at the end with the documentarian was more confusing than anything else and didn't add anything.
I think I would've rather read a straight up fictional novel with a more traditional narrative so we could be more fully immersed in Mazie's perspective, rather than all these scattered bits from annoying, unlikable randos.
I wanted more Sister Tee, too! I wanted a queer love story! Her death is so glossed over! Ugh.
It's striking how much still feels relevant in 2024, though. The 1918 Spanish influence parallels COVID, women have limited bodily autonomy and access to healthcare (still, ugh), and the Great Depression parts almost made me laugh, because I've seen statistics showing that the wealth inequality in this country now and the struggle to get by today is worse than it was during the great depression. Where's Mazie today?!
While the unusual structure was an interesting concept, I don't think it worked particularly well. The diary entries + autobiography entries were confusing until it was explained at the very end that she had been writing an autobiography as well that was never published. I loathed every section from George Flicker (he was so damn obnoxious) and the publishing guy who didn't publish her memoir sucked too. Could've done with less of them. Also, the device at the end with the documentarian was more confusing than anything else and didn't add anything.
I think I would've rather read a straight up fictional novel with a more traditional narrative so we could be more fully immersed in Mazie's perspective, rather than all these scattered bits from annoying, unlikable randos.
I wanted more Sister Tee, too! I wanted a queer love story! Her death is so glossed over! Ugh.
laila4343's review
4.0
“There ain’t nothing wrong with being alone, which is what I am, or what I have been. It’s when it turns to loneliness, when you get to feeling blue about it all, that you’re in trouble. There’s the problem, loneliness. And now I’m never really alone anymore, day or night. Even if I walk the streets by myself, I’m surrounded by people. It’s like being in the cage, only inside out.”
This was a beautiful, sad book. Jami Attenberg really knows how to write a bittersweet, page-turning story.
This was a beautiful, sad book. Jami Attenberg really knows how to write a bittersweet, page-turning story.
libwinnie's review against another edition
4.0
I wasn't sure about this book for the first 50 pages or so because the journal-type entries were not very engaging. After they established a rhythm, though, it became a great story about an independent and non-traditional woman character from before WWI to just before WWII. Great protagonist who, though she prefers seediness to propriety and self-indulgence to morality, spends her life in service to others.
theangrystackrat's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
The story was good, if maybe a bit plotless, but its a quick read with some fun characters.
mellabella's review against another edition
4.0
I won this book in a Goodreads giveaway.
It took me a while to get into this book and really care about the characters. But once I did, I could not put it down. The ending was a little disappointing.
But the ride to the ending was filled with colorful characters.
Mazie was a warmhearted young woman living in NYC starting in the early 1900's. She loved fun, the streets, action...
She helps the homeless and anyone she can. As the book closes her concentration is on the men that line the streets.
There is a quote in the book that really moved me. "Helping is the easy part".
I volunteer and that is entirely too true.
Mazie is goodhearted. But someone like that can only die brokenhearted. She never found the romantic love that she clearly wanted. Her handsome service man marrying someone else and having as on with his wife. While she lost their baby. He always coming back to her to sleep with.
She was never thought of as anything other than a "Good Time Girl". Meanwhile she gave almost everything she had to people that were less fortunate.
I loved her relationship with Tee. A party girl and a nun.
Told from multiple pov's. I would have liked to have heard more from her sister Jeanie and anything at all from her sister Rosie. Or Louie
Mazie is a character that will stay with you for awhile.
It took me a while to get into this book and really care about the characters. But once I did, I could not put it down. The ending was a little disappointing.
But the ride to the ending was filled with colorful characters.
Mazie was a warmhearted young woman living in NYC starting in the early 1900's. She loved fun, the streets, action...
She helps the homeless and anyone she can. As the book closes her concentration is on the men that line the streets.
There is a quote in the book that really moved me. "Helping is the easy part".
I volunteer and that is entirely too true.
Mazie is goodhearted. But someone like that can only die brokenhearted. She never found the romantic love that she clearly wanted. Her handsome service man marrying someone else and having as on with his wife. While she lost their baby. He always coming back to her to sleep with.
She was never thought of as anything other than a "Good Time Girl". Meanwhile she gave almost everything she had to people that were less fortunate.
I loved her relationship with Tee. A party girl and a nun.
Told from multiple pov's. I would have liked to have heard more from her sister Jeanie and anything at all from her sister Rosie. Or Louie
Mazie is a character that will stay with you for awhile.