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Sunday, 22 May 2016

The Story of Chicago May by Nuala O’Faolain (2005)


Outlaw, showgirl, confidence trickster, thief and occasional prostitute, red-haired May Duignan was, according to legend, “The Queen of the Underworld”.
At nineteen, she stole her family’s savings and ran away from rural Ireland to America. The extraordinary life of crime that followed would take her from Chicago to the rip-roaring Tenderloin district of New York, from London to Paris, from bordello to jail. But her tale has remained little known, until now. Her gifted memoirist, Nuala O’Faolain, reaches across the decades to re-tell the incredible story of an independent and unrepentant woman: one who remained an outsider all her life, yet could still find herself, after everything, transformed by love…

Author: Nuala O'Faolain was an Irish journalist, teacher and writer born on March 1st, 1940. She died of cancer on May 9th, 2008. O'Faolain shared her time between Ireland and New York City and never got married. She became well known after the publication of her memoirs Are You Somebody? She only published five books.

My thoughts: this is a terrific book that re-tells the history of May Duignan, a 19 year-old who, in 1890, left her deprived Irish town and departed to the United States in search of a better life. May wanted to escape from a life of misery and she tried to do so by any means open to her. I felt empathy for May, even though she did not lead an exemplary life. Her existence was filled with roughness and troubled events across various cities. May was sometimes cruel and also unwise and vulnerable in her love-affairs. She moved me a great deal and all the time I was reading the book I absolutely wanted May to succeed, to take the right path and to have a good life....
I read this wonderful book in March 2007, in just a couple of days. How do I know this? Because I usually date and sign all my books once I have read them. It also stuck in my mind because I really enjoyed this book. I have always been passionate about novels set in the 19th century. I have quite a few on my shelf (already read or waiting to be read), most of them are stories about women.

10 comments:

  1. Too girly for me, I'm not very fond of this topic, but then again, great review as always.

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    1. Yep, I was sure of it.... Thank you for your visit, Charles.

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  2. At last, the review I have been waiting for! I am going to get this off my shelf and put it near the top of my stack!! Thank you.

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    1. You are welcome, Judy... And I look forward to reading your thoughts on this gem.

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  3. Sounds like a great read. I enjoy true stories.

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    1. So I can say without hesitation that you may adore this book, Monica

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  4. Coucou ma belle, merci pour ta suggestion de lecture, je vais regarder si je le trouve en français. Bravo et continue comme ça! Gros bisous Chantal

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    1. Merci Chantal, je savais que ça allait te plaire. Bises

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    2. Je suis contente que tu aies trouvé le livre "L'histoire de Chicago May". Merci pour ta confiance!

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