The Queen of Steeplechase Park
by David Ciminello
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Pub Date May 07 2024 | Archive Date Jun 13 2024
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Description
Pregnant at fifteen after gleefully losing her virginity to pansexual neighborhood strongman Francis Anthony Mozzarelli, Bella is robbed of her baby by a pack of nefarious nuns and her embittered papa has her sterilized without her consent (legal in 1935). With the help of a besotted Francis, her newfound family of queercentric outcasts, and a top-secret meatball recipe, a devastated Bella embarks on a riotous quest through Depression-era Coney Island sideshows, the tawdry world of peekaboo striptease routines, a doomed mob marriage, and a tasty collection of wisdom-filled recipes to find her lost child, herself, and maybe even true love. It all leads Bella back home, to the scene of her original sin, where she boldly faces matters of life and death, questions of forgiveness, and a holy mess only the healing properties of great Italian cooking can fix.
A Note From the Publisher
eBook: 9781942436621
Advance Praise
"The brilliant David Ciminello 's hilarious and moving novel THE QUEEN OF STEEPLECHASE PARK is a crazy Italian circus with a heart as big as Sicily. I loved Belladonna Marie Donato and her merry band of misfits, outcasts who become chosen family as she makes peace with her family of origin. A glorious Italian American feast! Bravo David!"
—Adriana Trigiani, bestselling author of The Good Left Undone
"David Ciminello has written a great big rollercoaster of a novel. . . . Read this book! Hilarious and heartbreaking at the same time."
—Fannie Flagg, author of Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe
“Ciminello is a master of delicious wordplay. His lusciously cinematic story is a veritable carnival ride culled from his family’s kitchen history. THE QUEEN OF STEEPLECHASE PARK is a tasty tale of love, sex, and the holy magic of homemade Italian cooking.”
—Blair Fell, author of The Sign for Home
"Open your mouth and ready your heart because Belladonna Marie from THE QUEEN OF STEEPLECHASE PARK is about to serve you some unforgettable tales of love and loss, with a side of meatballs. David Ciminello has re-animated Depression era Coney Island with such vivid and dazzling detail that I wanted to laugh, cry, eat a hot dog, and go for a swim all at once. A phenomenal story of a Burlesque queen searching for her lost baby in the glitz, ooze, and hum of sideshows from Brighton to Gravesend. I couldn't put it down."
—Lidia Yuknavitch, author of Thrust
"Meet Belladonna Marie, the force of nature plucked from the historical and culinary passions of David Ciminello. Set in depression-era Coney Island, the novel whips up a bevy of queer, memorable eccentrics, served with a heaping side of sumptuous language. From Melanzana to Puttana, THE QUEEN OF STEEPLECHASE PARK is a whimsical, gastronomical delight."
—Suzy Vitello, author of Bitterroot
"THE QUEEN OF STEEPLECHASE PARK crackles with the hyper-real comic book energy of a graphic novel, and the recipes are a primer on how to live your best life. Buon appetito! Mangiare bene! Delizioso!"
—Stevan Allred, author of The Alehouse at the End of the World
Available Editions
| EDITION | Other Format |
| ISBN | 9781942436614 |
| PRICE | $20.00 (USD) |
| PAGES | 472 |
Available on NetGalley
Featured Reviews
Lizbeth A, Reviewer
It was impossible not to fall in love with Belladonna Marie Donato, “The Queen of Steeplechase Park” and her circus filled cast of characters from Jersey to Coney Island. Belladonna is not your typical Italian teenager of the depression, she is a bombshell with the sex drive of a man, the mouth of a truck driver and the balls to back it all up. This book is a roller coaster of a ride, but in the very best way, following Belladonna through her loves and her loses. In the end you’ll want to ride the coaster again, just to find out what happens next.
David Ciminello writes a character that you wish was part of your family, not just for the recipes but for the adventure!
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