Basing her story on her own family narratives and a deep understanding of Italian Americans, [Fabiano] paints a vivid portrait not just of immigrants' lives in the first ten years of the last century, but of the vicious criminals who preyed on them. -Mike Dash, author of The First Family In Elizabeth Street, Laurie Fabiano tells a remarkable, and previously unheard, story of the Italian immigrant experience at the start of the twentieth century. With stories culled from her own family history, Fabiano paints an entrancing portrait of Giovanna Costa, who, reeling from personal tragedies, tries to make a new life in a new world. Shot through with the smells and sights of Scilla, Italy, and New York's burgeoning Little Italy, this intoxicating story follows Giovanna as she finds companionship, celebrates the birth of a baby girl, takes pride in a growing business, and feels a sense of belonging during a family outing to Coney Island. However, these modest successes are rewarded with the attention of the notorious Black Hand, a gang of brutal extortionists led by Lupo the Wolf. As the stakes grow higher, Giovanna desperately struggles to remain outside the fray, so she may fight for-and finally save-what is important above all else: family.

Elizabeth Street

Biographies & Memoirs

Fabiano, Laurie

Community & Culture

Mariner Books

Based on true events, ELIZABETH STREET is a multigenerational saga that opens in an Italian village in the 1900's, and crosses the ocean to New York's Lower East Side. At the heart of the novel is Giovanna, whose family is targeted by the notorious Black Hand -the precursor to the Mafia. Elizabeth Street brings to light a period in history when Italian immigrant neighborhoods lived in fear of Black Hand extortion and violence-a reality that defies the romanticized depiction of the Mafia. Here, the author reveals the merciless terror of the Black Hand-and the impact their crimes had on her family. Giovanna is based on Fabiano's great-grandmother, and the book's heroes and villains - such as Lieutenant Petrosino, the crusading cop and "Lupo the Wolf," a cold-blooded criminal - are drawn from real life in this thrilling tale. While set in a dynamic historical context, Elizabeth Street is, above all, the dramatic story of the heroine, Giovanna, and how she triumphed over tragedy.

Elizabeth Street: A novel based on true events

Literature & Fiction

Genre Fiction

CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform

In Elizabeth Street, Laurie Fabiano tells a remarkable and previously unheard story of the Italian immigrant experience at the start of the 20th century. Culling from her own family history, Fabiano paints an entrancing portrait of Giovanna Costa, who, reeling from personal tragedies, tries to make a new life in a new world. Shot through with the smells and sights of Scilla, Italy, and New York’s burgeoning Little Italy, this intoxicating story follows Giovanna as she finds companionship, celebrates the birth of a baby girl, takes pride in a growing business, and feels a sense of belonging on a family outing to Coney Island. However, these modest successes are rewarded with the attention of the notorious Black Hand, a gang of brutal extortionists led by Lupo the Wolf. As the stakes grow higher and higher, readers share with Giovanna her desperate struggle to remain outside the fray, and then to fight for--and finally to save--that which is important above all else: family.

United States

BRILLIANCE AUDIO ^

“Basing her story on her own family narratives and a deep understanding of Italian Americans, [Fabiano] paints a vivid portrait not just of immigrants’ lives in the first ten years of the last century, but of the vicious criminals who preyed on them.” ―Mike Dash, author of The First Family
In Elizabeth Street, Laurie Fabiano tells a remarkable, and previously unheard, story of the Italian immigrant experience at the start of the twentieth century. With stories culled from her own family history, Fabiano paints an entrancing portrait of Giovanna Costa, who, reeling from personal tragedies, tries to make a new life in a new world. Shot through with the smells and sights of Scilla, Italy, and New York’s burgeoning Little Italy, this intoxicating story follows Giovanna as she finds companionship, celebrates the birth of a baby girl, takes pride in a growing business, and feels a sense of belonging during a family outing to Coney Island.
However, these modest successes are rewarded with the attention of the notorious Black Hand, a gang of brutal extortionists led by Lupo the Wolf. As the stakes grow higher, Giovanna desperately struggles to remain outside the fray, so she may fight for―and finally save―what is important above all else: family.

Elizabeth Street racconta la straordinaria storia di una famiglia di origine italiana agli inizi del xx secolo, una storia verissima e narrata con inconsueta passione. 
Attingendo alla propria vicenda familiare, l’autrice traccia un coinvolgente ritratto di Giovanna Costa, una donna coraggiosa che si lascia alle spalle un passato di sofferenze per costruirsi un’altra vita nel Nuovo Mondo. 
Da un lato i colori e i suoni di Scilla, i drammi di un Sud Italia provato dalla povertà e sconvolto dalla catastrofe del terremoto di Messina, dall’altro gli scorci di una New York in crescita vertiginosa e di una Little Italy spaccata tra nostalgia e voglia di rivincita. Su questo sfondo, Giovanna riuscirà a farsi nuove amicizie, dare alla luce una bambina, gestire con determinazione gli affari e ridare un senso alla propria esistenza. I suoi successi, però, attireranno l’attenzione della Mano Nera, la brutale organizzazione criminale italoamericana. Quando questa inizierà a colpire, Giovanna lotterà con tutte le sue forze per salvare l’unica cosa che davvero conta per lei: la famiglia.

Elizabeth Street: da Scilla a New York (Italian Edition)

Amazon Crossing

Typhoon Media Ltd

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Books by Fabiano, Laurie

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Fabiano, Laurie. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Elizabeth Street

Elizabeth Street: A novel based on true events

Elizabeth Street

Elizabeth Street

Elizabeth Street

Elizabeth Street: da Scilla a New York (Italian Edition)

Elizabeth Street