Saint Mazie: A Novel

Wow! What a wonderful story of life and how our best laid plans can veer in unexpected directions. Many who read this won't like the style of writing moving from Mazie's diary to witnesses in her life and back again but it was one aspect of the book that I loved. We do not see ourselves as others do and we certainly don't always see, or admit to, our own internal truths. And generally, we only see ourselves in bits and pieces of memory that evolve to fit our personal desires. The diary is as much a record of Maize's growth and character as the comments of the witnesses. The central characters in this story, three sisters, grew up "hard". Their choices in life were driven not just by their own desires but also the need to survive. Mazie's transformation began as she became an observer but also one who wanted to help the people on the street in any way she could. She reminds me of my parents generation that grew up "hard" during the depression, two world wars, and witnessed the unbelievable transformation of the world around them while they also changed without realizing it. The final entry in Mazie's diary is so apropos of my parent's generation who silently did the right thing and didn't want to talk or boast about it. "Just for a minute, I thought I needed someone to know what I knew, but I can see I was wrong.....It's enough that it happened. It's enough that I survived."

This fiction book is based upon the life of real-life Mazie Phillips-Gordon (Queen of the Bowery). She was the ticket booth lady at the Venice Theatre in the 1920’s. Mazie was somewhat wild, which I guess wasn’t that unusual at the time. But she also had a heart of gold, helping the homeless with little acts of kindness. It is written as journal entries from Mazie, along with snippets of interviews from people who knew her. However I found there were too many people to keep track of, people that just pop up in the story with no real background information to determine their importance on Mazie’s life. The entire book just seemed too disconnected to me. I would have liked to have known more about Mazie but I didn’t get much from this book.

After finishing Saint Mazie, I am skimming through again. A fascinating story I won't soon forget. The 20s are my current reading obsession but this book is so much more. It is about family, love, NYC, the Depression. It is based on a true story of a remarkable woman who didn't see herself as remarkable at all. Or good. But what an impact she made by helping the helpless and the hopeless. She was a free spirit who didn't play by the rules. I enjoyed the characters of her sisters and lovers as well. Each having their own stories.

An interesting peek at a colourful character positioned in the perfect job during the Great Depression in NY - ticket taker at The Venice movie theatre. Mazie's personal story is interesting but perhaps similar to others at that time. However, what sets her apart is how she develops from an introspective burdened person to a multi caring dynamo - able to see and appreciate the suffering, humour, and pathos of those in her immediate ticket line, then reaching out to her larger community. Finally drawn out of the safety of her little kiosk, and sharing what little she has gathered with the many in need, she finds a purpose and certainly a more permanent form of love she always craved. Mazie always seems sardonic and perhaps distrustful of the deeper more profound emotions of the healthy, but her ability to reach through hurt & confusion to give the little she has to others in many ways, makes her special. I hope there were many Mazie's at that time, and maybe now.

I give credit to the author for attempting an alternative structure to writing (the book is a series of journal entries and interviews culminating to tell the life story of Mazie Phillips - Queen of the Bowery) but she was not successful in the execution. It comes off choppy and made worse by the characters lacking a distinct voice. Oftentimes the interviewees (George, for example) become difficult to understand their relationship with Mazie. Even in the last section of the book, brand new characters are introduced, causing some confusion.Interesting was how the author implemented that Mazie was Jewish periodically. It seemed to serve no point to the larger story nor really had any direct reflection on the character. Just struck me as odd.Finally, I found a couple of anachronisms including the mention of credit card fraud, but credit cards hardly existed in the 20's, let alone any fraud.Overall, it was an okay read.

In 1940, Joseph Mitchell, a writer for The New Yorker, wrote an essay that featured a woman named Mazie Gordon. Now, Jamie Attenberg writes a story giving Mazie Phillips Gordon a new twist. Most of the story is told through Mazie's entries in her diary. She began her diary on November 1, 1907. She was given the diary on her tenth birthday. Ninety years after she began her diary, it was discovered by a documentarian. Who was Mazie Phillips? Aside from Mazie, there are other people from the past who fill in the blanks.Mazie and her two sisters, Rosie, the eldest, and Jeanie, the youngest, were abused by their father and living in poverty in Boston. It was when Rosie met Louis Gordon at the racetrack that they fell in love. Shortly after, they married. When they returned from their honeymoon, Rosie stopped at her parent's home to pick up her two little sisters and brought them to New York. Mazie called her father a rat and her mother a simp.Louis was a businessman and owned the Venus Theater and the concession. When Mazie was in her teens, she became a party girl. It was the Jazz Age and Mazie was a free spirit with no inhibitions. She did what she wanted and when she wanted to do it. She had no borders. She flirted, drank, smoked and slept with men. Mazie lived in the present. She had no plans for her future. She was street wise and could have made a good life for herself. When Rosie could no longer control her, Louis had a talk with her. He told her he needed help at the theater and asked Mazie to work at the ticket booth until things improved. He trusted her and knew she was good with numbers. It would only be for a short time. Mazie couldn't refuse Louis.Rudy was an employee at the theater. He was in charge of movie selection, managing the staff, concessions and the general care of the theater. He was the manager and did his work well. He was very close to Mazie and was always there in times of need.As a ticket seller, she met many people. She met her first love, a Captain, who she had a one night stand with. He continued to visit her whenever he could get away from his travels. He sent her postcards regularly, which she hung up in her booth. He loved her and wanted to marry her. She made friends with a Catholic nun, named Sister Tee. They were friends for years. Sister Tee worked for the good of the poor and when she needed financial help, Mazie took money from the till to help out.In the meantime, Rosie was struggling with her Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. She couldn't stop cleaning her kitchen. With time, her condition worsened. When Jeanie became a teenager, she left home to work as a dancer for Belle Baker, who had a new show on the Bowery. No good came out of that.One day, Louis spoke with Mazie and told her he had other businesses that kept him busy and would like to sign over the theater to her. She was very capable in running the theater and for tax reasons, he would make her the owner.From the Jazz Age through Prohibition and into the Great Depression, Mazie saw food stamps being handed out, breadlines and businessmen jumping out of buildings. She told Rudy that she would open the doors to the men on the Bowery giving them shelter. Rudy was against that idea, because no one would want to go to the theater if bums and drunks were welcomed. That didn't stop her. Mazie's heart was as big as New York. She was the Queen of the Bowery and knew every inch of it. She loved the Bowery people and fitted in perfectly.There is so much more to this story. There are twists and turns that will keep you on the edge of your seat wanting more.Jami Attenberg's twist on Mazie is outstanding. Mazie's character jumps off the page. She is so full of energy and so lovable. I loved the story written in Jami Attenberg's style. I loved the characters, especially Mazie. I could have read on and on. It was that good. I must add that I loved the jacket of this book. It captured my interest.Saint Mazie is a WINNER.