Godmothers, The

Description:

"A fascinating, fast-paced trip into the Mob underworld."--People magazine

" Aubray marries history, suspense and womanhood in a story perfect for devouring."--Newsweek

An irresistible novel about four women who marry into a prosperous Greenwich Village Italian family, and then must take charge of the family's business when their husbands are forced to leave them during World War II.

Meet the Godmothers: Filomena is a clever and resourceful war refugee with a childhood secret, who comes to America to wed Mario, the family's favored son. Amie, a beautiful and dreamy French girl from upstate New York, escapes an abusive husband after falling in love with Johnny, the oldest of the brothers. Lucy, a tough-as-nails Irish nurse, ran away from a strict girls' home and marries Frankie, the sensuous middle son. And the glamorous Petrina, the family's only daughter, graduates with honors from Barnard College despite a past trauma that nearly caused a family scandal.

All four women become godmothers to one another's children, finding hope and shelter in this prosperous family and their sumptuous Greenwich Village home, and enjoying New York life with its fine dining, opulent department stores and sophisticated nightclubs.

But the women's secret pasts lead to unforeseen consequences and betrayals that threaten to unravel all their carefully laid plans. And when their husbands are forced to leave them during the second World War, the Godmothers must unexpectedly contend with notorious gangsters like Frank Costello and Lucky Luciano who run the streets of New York City.

Refusing to merely imitate the world of men, the four Godmothers learn to put aside their differences and grudges so that they can work together to protect their loved ones, and to find their own unique paths to success, love, forgiveness, and the futures they've always dreamed of.


Review: "A family saga set in Greenwich Village around World War II follows a group of deeply complex and beautifully written women who marry into a well-to-do Italian family, each of whom are godmothers to each other's children. Aubray marries history, suspense and womanhood in a story perfect for devouring." -- Newsweek
"A fascinating, fast-paced trip into the Mob underworld." -- People
"Historical fiction at its best, bringing along thrilling scenes, passionate love affairs, and a bounty of secrets." -- Booklist
"An addictive and tense multigenerational feminist romp through WWII-era New York City, where a quartet of Italian sisters-in-law run a crime family...credibly flips the script on male-dominated Mafia stories." -- Publishers Weekly
"A fast-paced, drama-filled portrait of a family dynasty." -- Kirkus Reviews
"A tasty blend of romance, mystery, and French cooking. . . Read on!" -- Margaret Atwood, via Twitter, on Cooking for Picasso
"[A] delicious, atmospheric novel. You'll be glad you're along for the ride." -- People on Cooking for Picasso

Author Biography: Camille Aubray is the author of the novel, COOKING FOR PICASSO, which was chosen for People Magazine's "People Picks the Best New Books", and the Indie Next Reading Groups List. Aubray was an Edward Albee Foundation Fellowship winner and a writer-in-residence at the Karolyi Foundation in the South of France. She studied writing with her mentor Margaret Atwood at Humber College in Toronto, and was a finalist for the Pushcart Press Editors' Book Award and the Eugene O'Neill National Playwrights Conference. To learn more about Camille Aubray and to see events, photos, recipes and the locales that inspired her novels, visit her at her website: www.camilleaubray.com .