What turns the gentle mean and the mean brutal? The thirst for wealth? The demand for respect? Vying for a woman? Birds of Passage recalls the Italian immigration experience at the turn of the twentieth-century when New York’s streets were paved with violence and disappointment.
Leonardo Robustelli leaves Naples in 1905 to seek his fortune. Carlo Mazzi committed murder and escaped. Azzura Medina is an American of Italian parents. She’s ambitious but strictly controlled by her mother. Leonardo and Carlo vie for her affection.
Azzura, Leonardo, and Carlo confront con men, Tammany Hall politicians, the longshoreman’s union, Camorra clans, Black Hand extortion, and the Tombs prison.
Initially, I wasn’t sure what to make of Birds of Passage (nothing about that cover says romance to me), but I’m so glad I decided to request it on NetGalley. This was a fantastic read. I loved how all of the various story elements were interwoven to create a near flawless narrative following some unforgettable characters.
This story absolutely isn’t all sunshine and flowers, not by any stretch. What it is, is riveting and honest. You’ll have trouble putting this down. I wasn’t sure what to make of Leonardo at first, but he quickly came together as the plot (or plots) did. You should be reading this book if you have any interest in turn of the century history (just consider the romance a bonus).
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