Inspired by the life of a woman profiled by Joseph Mitchell in The New Yorker many years ago, Jami Attenberg’s Saint Mazie is a bold novel infused with Attenberg’s signature wit, bravery, and heart — and a fresh portrayal of historical New York City and a new take on historical fiction.
Meet Mazie Phillips: big-hearted and bawdy, she’s the truth-telling proprietress of The Venice, the famed New York City movie theater. It’s the Jazz Age, with romance and booze aplenty – even when Prohibition kicks in – and Mazie never turns down a night on the town. But her high spirits mask a childhood rooted in poverty, and her diary, always close at hand, holds her dearest secrets.