Sixteen-year peasant girl, May Sharpe, escapes her abusive father and flees Ireland, dreaming of a new life. Arriving in New York, May finds a society in turmoil, as the Great War years turn to recession.
Destitute, May is drawn into the criminal underworld by con-man, `Society´ Eddie Young who promises her a life of excitement and easy money.
Young, idealistic cop, Joe Perski, tries to save her from Eddie´s influence. As quintessentially good as Eddie is dishonest, Joe has fallen for the feisty May and wants to save her from a life in prison.
May’s new life of crime is not about morality, it´s pragmatic. Duping men, she’s soon living the life of her dreams. By her eighteenth birthday, after an audacious diamond heist in Chicago, May becomes known as `Chicago May´, the most notorious swindler in New York.
At the height of her success, married to Eddie and living the `respectable´ life she has craved, May learns Eddie has accepted a contract to murder a militant trade union leader. Trying to stop Eddie, and been beaten for her pains, May is forced into the most difficult decision of her life, to choose between a diamond-life, or a lead bullet.
Sixteen-year peasant girl, May Sharpe, escapes her abusive father and flees Ireland, dreaming of a new life. Arriving in New York, May finds a society in turmoil, as the Great War years turn to recession.
Destitute, May is drawn into the criminal underworld by con-man, `Society´ Eddie Young who promises her a life of excitement and easy money.
Young, idealistic cop, Joe Perski, tries to save her from Eddie´s influence. As quintessentially good as Eddie is dishonest, Joe has fallen for the feisty May and wants to save her from a life in prison.
May’s new life of crime is not about morality, it´s pragmatic. Duping men, she’s soon living the life of her dreams. By her eighteenth birthday, after an audacious diamond heist in Chicago, May becomes known as `Chicago May´, the most notorious swindler in New York.
At the height of her success, married to Eddie and living the `respectable´ life she has craved, May learns Eddie has accepted a contract to murder a militant trade union leader. Trying to stop Eddie, and been beaten for her pains, May is forced into the most difficult decision of her life, to choose between a diamond-life, or a lead bullet.
Her new life had started with a crime, but she had not expected to end her life as a criminal. On the steamship bound for America, when the other passengers had taken to their bunks with sea-sickness, she had clung to the rail, whiteknuckled, reveling in the awesome black waves crashing against the prow, feeling the icy spray sting her cheeks till they were raw. On calmer days, when the ocean was a miraculous mirror, she had stood watching the shoals of fish, leaping out of the waves around the ship like playful children round their mother. Finally, she had marveled at the drifting seabirds effortlessly riding the wind, and felt the excitement rising in her chest knowing that she was nearing the New Land, her new home. On those balmy days she gazed out to the horizon and dreamed of her future. Of becoming a lady. Refined. Respected. Respectable. But today, under the prurient eyes of the crowded public gallery, she knew that she had failed. With the court adjourned until the morning, when the defense would begin its futile presentation, May spent the night alone in her bleak cell preparing for her suicide. For despair had replaced her fiery defiance. The infamous, once proud, Irish beauty had only one defiant act left in her. Her lawyer had been dismayed when she told him, at the end of the day, that she wouldn’t speak in her own defense from the witness box. It was pointless, she said. The evidence couldn’t be refuted. The judge had a personal grudge against her. Her case was hopeless, and she wouldn’t give the sensation-seeking gallery the satisfaction of hearing her try to justify herself, or beg for mercy. May Sharpe was not a beggar. She was a thief and, not so long ago, back in her own country, she would have been hanged for what she had done. So be it.
A racy, fast paced novel that I honestly flew through. Exploring the glittering world of 1920s New York and its grittier underworld.
The fine line on which our leading lady tread, gave the story as a whole a more realistic edge as opposed to the cases where the heroine can do no wrong. I found her to be an interesting character and her growth from a naïve, young immigrant to a woman who owned her world and every space she entered was sublime. The description of her fashion evolution also didn’t hurt, as I do have a soft spot for any mention of a dress.
The pesky cop did irritate me to no end, but this played into the connection I felt with May, as my irritation mimicked hers fully.
The writing was easy to follow and flowed in such a manner that it was a quick read irrespective of its 300- something page length. The subtle shifts in writing when it came to a character shift was well placed and added to the overall reading experience.
Although I enjoyed this novel from start to finish, I do have one or two complaints…the speed at which May’s character growth took place was slightly disjointed and felt disingenuous, making it difficult to connect the character that she was described to be prior to this transformation. Although I enjoyed seeing the sassy woman she became, I just could not find it believable that she changed into this woman from a very naïve and innocent young girl within a matter of weeks. I also felt that the heists and the writing thereof could have been a bit more edgy, causing me to sit on the edge of my seat as opposed to just breezing over it.
The ending was well thought out and perfectly tied this tale of criminals, good cops and a girl doing what she can to survive off. It stayed “on brand” with the rest of the story and the writing and left me with a feeling of contentment after I turned the last page.
In general I would recommend this book to anyone who wants to take a trip to New York in the 20s without being placed in the typical scene with which we are often confronted with show girls or the wealthy. A refreshing take on the well loved era and an interesting angle looking at it from the perspective of a young Irish girl, taking what she wants from those who have more than enough to spare.