Saint Mazie

A Novel

By: Jami Attenberg

Narrated by: Tavia Gilbert

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.

When the Great Depression hits, Mazie's life is on the brink of transformation. Addicts and bums roam the Bowery; homelessness is rampant. If Mazie won't help them, then who? When she opens the doors of The Venice to those in need, this ticket taking, fun-time girl becomes the beating heart of the Lower East Side, and in defining one neighborhood helps define the city.

Then, more than ninety years after Mazie began her diary, it's discovered by a documentarian in search of a good story. Who was Mazie Phillips, really? A chorus of voices from the past and present fill in some of the mysterious blanks of her adventurous life.

Inspired by the life of a woman who was profiled in Joseph Mitchell's classic Up in the Old Hotel, Saint Mazie is infused with Jami Attenberg's signature wit, bravery, and heart. Mazie's rise to "sainthood"--and her irrepressible spirit--is unforgettable.

Critic reviews

"Full of love and drink and dirty sex and nobility.... Attenberg takes Mitchell's witty, colorful piece and spins it into something equally lively and new."—New York Times Book Review

"Tender-hearted and loose-living, Mazie is the unlikely guardian angel of New York City's Depression-Era down-and-outs. You'll love this smart, touching novel that brings her world to life."—People

"Boisterous and compassionate."—O Magazine

"Delightful . . . [an] often ebullient tale about the simple pleasures of a working life. . . . Thanks to the wonderful Jami Attenberg (with an assist from the legendary Joseph Mitchell) Mazie does live on, an actual 20th century New York City saint."—NPR

"Attenberg is a nimble and inventive storyteller with a particular knack for getting at the heart of outsized characters. . . . [she] proves her chops as a historical novelist by perfectly capturing Mazie's jazz-age voice, which ranges from clipped and vulgar to melancholy and lyrical. Attenberg also sidesteps many of the pitfalls of the form: no day-by-day plodding through the decades, no unedited research notes masquerading as dialogue. She resists any plot twist or final revelation to provide a tidy psychological explanation for Mazie Phillips-Gordon sainthood."—Washington Post

"[F]resh and witty... SAINT MAZIE looks deep into the spirit of generosity. Jami Attenberg's Mazie lives a very big life in a very small space, turning her darkest experiences into something inspiring."—Wall Street Journal

"Attenberg captures Mazie's voice so vividly you can close the book and still hear her talking. She is a tremendous achievement. ...[A] bold, magnificent book about family, altruism, women and freedom, as well as a love letter to New York and a timely social manifesto for the 21st century."—The Guardian

"Attenberg's style, at turns lyrical and blunt, is a strong match for Mazie. . . .This voice-pleasantly tinged with jazz age argot, refreshingly modern in its honesty, and always intimate-is Attenberg's great achievement in SAINT MAZIE. ...[A] boisterous, deep, provocative book."—Boston Globe

"A winning novel and a lovely tribute to a New Yorker whose only claim to fame is her outsized kindness. Her Mazie is richly imagined and three-dimensional, and in these pages she lives forever."—Los Angeles Times

"Attenberg has an impressive ability to capture unique voices and make these characters authentic and distinctive... the voices in Saint Mazie ring out and linger, bringing to life this specific place and time in New York-and American-history."—Dallas Morning News

"[I]ngeniously constructed.... An attentive character study that also happens to be rich in city lore and period detail, SAINT MAZIE is an edifying, companionable and moving novel."—Kansas City Star

A little tedious

The narrator does a very credible job of reading this somewhat tedious story. She reads each character in their own voice. It's hard though to find anyone in that story that is very like able. Maizie, vibrant and adventurous in her youth gives up on her life at 20 and spends the rest of it in a ticket booth. Depressing stuff.

Reader Tavia Gilbert was phenomenal!

I like stories that are a look into someone's life and this one is extremely realistic - like researching someone in your own family. Some of the stories are wild and wonderful, others are just days spent. I feel like I'm supposed to take away something deeply meaningful about Mazie's connections, the time and the men, women and children she saw and care for, and I do and know I will more. Like a great aunt or family lore, I won't forget Mazie and I know I will hear her voice and remember her life as my own pages turn.

A Rough Gritty Story Of A Hard Life

The character Mazie is based on a real woman from a New Yorker essay--part of the collection--Up in The Old Hotel. At first--when I started listening I wanted to find and read the essay--but then I changed my mind. I decided that if the fiction was this dark and gritty the essay about the real bums and troubled people of the Bowery might just be too much to stand.

The narration and set up of the book takes time to understand. Lots of diary entries and dates, different voices and time frames jump around. After a while it makes sense--but it takes about an hour or two of listening before this happened.

Be aware, the summary is misleading. This is not a flapper, roaring 20's, spunky good time story. Instead, the focus is on poverty, gambling, criminals, domestic abuse, infidelity, heavy drinking, drugs, and people who live on the edge or who have just given up on life. This, at times, is balanced out by depictions of families and individuals that care for, help and support others.

Quite the cast of unusual engaging characters troop past on the streets of the Bowery in NYC in the first half of the 1900's. To me, it is difficult listening--a heart breaking, disturbing, and sad story. Recommended only if you are interested in a visit to a completely different world. In the end, I'm glad I listened to this tale of an unlikely "saint".

Good character study

moves slowly but is rich in details of the time period. worthwhile and real.

Wonderful!

Would you listen to Saint Mazie again? Why?

I may have to listen to this one again some day!

What was one of the most memorable moments of Saint Mazie?

There are many enjoyable moments but many unexpected moments too ~

What about Tavia Gilbert’s performance did you like?

The narrator was excellent - she has a very smooth voice and I enjoyed her performance very much!

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

The story was gripping and I had a hard time putting the headphones down!