Paula Cohen

In the new country, Shirley and her family all have big dreams. Take the family store: Shirley has great ideas about how to make it more modern! Prettier! More profitable! She even thinks she can sell the one specialty no one seems to want to try: Mama’s homemade gefilte fish. But her parents think she’s too young to help. And anyway they didn’t come to America for their little girl to work. “Go play with the cat!” they urge. This doesn’t stop Shirley’s ideas, of course. And one day, when the rest of the family has to rush out leaving her in the store with sleepy Mrs. Gottlieb…Shirley seizes her chance!

An evocative debut novel of murder, revenge, and obsession in New York City at the turn of the century follows Mario Alfieri, the world's greatest tenor, who arrives in New York City to escape Europe's adoration and too many loveless unions, but when a chance encounter in Gramercy Park with a beautiful woman results in a passionate love affair, Mario unexpectedly acquires a merciless enemy. Reader's Guide included. Reprint.