O's 2010 Summer Reading List
Lush historical novels, wise contemporary tales, thrillers that will scare the dickens out of you. (And speaking of Dickens, we've got him, too.)
11 of 20
Elizabeth Street
By Laurie Fabiano
438 pages;
Amazon Encore
In her debut novel, Elizabeth Street , based on her family's
history, Laurie Fabiano examines the lives of Italian immigrants who
struggled to survive in the tenements of New York City in the early
1900s. Giovanna is mute when she embarks for America, her voice having
disappeared as news of her husband's death arrived. But once she sees
land several months later, she can speak: "[Her voice] wasn't loud; it
was strong and deep as if it had been buried...." Determined not to
become another immigrant broken by poverty and prejudice, Giovanna
immerses herself in the shadowy world of extortion and murder to fight
the Black Hand, a precursor to the Mafia, and save her family. "What
plans do you have for me...L'America?" Giovanna asks. Over almost 20
years and more than 400 pages, we watch her naivete turn to wisdom in a
place where the reality of daily survival quickly overshadows even the
idea of prosperity.
— Elizabeth Thompson
Published 06/17/2011