A dazzling and deeply compassionate novel inspired by the true story of a New York City icon — a big-hearted woman who turned hardship into humanity during the Great Depression.
 
Meet Mazie Phillips: theater-loving, sharp-tongued, and unapologetically alive. Known as the “Queen of the Bowery,” Mazie spends her days tending the ticket booth at the Venice Theater and her nights helping the homeless men who wander New York’s streets. Through diary entries, letters, and recollections, her story unfolds — a portrait of one woman’s courage, humor, and generosity in a world falling apart.
 
In Saint Mazie, Jami Attenberg (The Middlesteins, All Grown Up) brings to life an unforgettable woman whose grit and compassion defy her time. Based on the real Mazie P. Gordon-Phillips — immortalized in Joseph Mitchell’s 1940 New Yorker essay “Mazie” — this novel reimagines her life through vivid historical detail and emotional depth.
 
Told through an inventive mix of diary excerpts and modern voices reflecting on her legacy, Saint Mazie becomes both a character study and a love letter to New York City. Attenberg captures the vibrancy of a woman who found holiness not in piety, but in her fierce empathy for others.
 
Witty, wise, and profoundly human, Saint Mazie celebrates resilience, kindness, and the messy beauty of life in all its forms.
 
💖 Why You’ll Love It
A moving, character-driven novel inspired by real events.
Richly evokes 1920s–1940s New York with humor and heart.
Jami Attenberg’s prose balances grit with grace.
Perfect for fans of Rules of Civility and The Paris Wife.
A story that honors compassion as an act of defiance.
 
🌟 Perfect For
Readers of historical and biographical fiction.
Fans of strong, unconventional female protagonists.
Book clubs exploring courage, legacy, and social change.
Anyone who loves New York–set literary fiction with heart.
 
❤️ Fans Also Liked
If you enjoyed Saint Mazie, you might also like:
Rules of Civility by Amor Towles — elegance and reinvention in 1930s Manhattan.
The Paris Wife by Paula McLain — art, ambition, and resilience.
City of Girls by Elizabeth Gilbert — glamour and grit in midcentury New York.