I am not a big fan of non-fiction books, but this is the exception that proves the rule. It was fantastic! The story itself is as fabulous as it is true. Added to which, it is so well written. It reads easily, pulls you in, has you rooting for Maria every step of the way, and finally delivers a wonderful ending. When the second trial concluded, (I won't spoil it for anyone who hasn't read this great book yet,) the epilogue was like an amazing dessert after a perfect meal. It told exactly what happened to everyone. All the wonderful women I had come to care for were accounted. Their lives and families were beautifully wrapped up and carefully, happily tucked away. It felt like putting away a family album after having gone through a warm afternoon going through memories of old times. It was just grand! It reminded me a little of the great adventures and trials my own Hungarian ancestors went through when they arrived in America. Not as terrible as Maria's, to be sure, but harrowing, nonetheless.
All in all, this was a great non-fiction book.
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Oh, Yah, baby!
Reviewed in the United States on July 10, 2020Verified Purchase
Maria Gina
Riveting, impossible-to-put down; beautiful evocative writing and a tour de force of research!
Reviewed in the United States on June 1, 2020Verified Purchase
Riveting, impossible-to-put down; beautiful evocative writing and a tour de force of research!
By Maria Gina on June 1, 2020
“The Lady of Sing Sing” is a tour de force of research, and the writing rich and evocative. I love this riveting, impossible-to-put-down book by Idanna Pucci which tells a true story that although famous in its day, was forgotten for almost a hundred years until the author quite by chance made a remarkable discovery which for decades lay buried within an old family chest.By Maria Gina on June 1, 2020
In 1895, an Italian immigrant named Maria Barbella, a 22 year old seamstress living in New York City’s Little Italy, was sentenced to death for murdering the man who seduced and abused her. Her trial was a travesty, conducted in a language she didn’t understand and presided over by a corrupt judge who paraded so-called “expert witnesses” to the stand whose only discernible area of expertise was their specialization in vile anti-Italian prejudice. With the pronouncement of the death penalty verdict, Maria gained the tragic distinction of being the first woman condemned to die in the electric chair.
A month later, at home in Italy, Countess Cora Slocomb de Brazza read about Maria’s case in a just-delivered copy of the NY Times. Cora, the American wife of an Italian nobleman, Count Deltamo de Brazza, was a socially-minded reformer who soon determined to come to Maria’s aid. In this quest, she was fully supported by her husband. Together they traveled to New York City where the idealistic and formidable Cora, author Idanna Pucci’s great grandmother, ably launched and tirelessly managed a campaign to save Maria’s life. So begins “The Lady of Sing Sing”, a perfectly paced and absolutely captivating work of soulful historical non-fiction that is more relevant today than ever, and should be in bookshops everywhere under the heading, “Essential Reading”.
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Ivor Elliot
Masterful storytelling! As Pete Hamill says, "pick up this book!"
Reviewed in the United States on May 31, 2020Top reviews from other countries
barbara nettleton
Excellent book
Reviewed in Canada on September 21, 2020Verified Purchase