Review of "Dollface" by Renee Rosen

 

My Review:

Dollface is written by Renee Rosen, who does an excellent job of mixing historical facts, events, and people with fictional characters and their stories. She tends to focus on Chicago history, and this book is about one of Chicago's more insteresting time periods, the Roaring 20s. 

This book follows Vera Abramowitz, a very young and naive woman, trying to make it on her own in Chicago during Prohibition. Vera struggles to survive on the meager income given to typists, but refuses to go back to the Stockyards, where her mother runs a kosher butchering business. While out socializing at different clubs, Vera meets two men that will change her life. Tony Liolli oozes charm, excitement, and passion, while Shep Green is handsome and just wants to protect and take care of Vera. She's torn between the two men and the exciting lives they lead. As Vera gets to know the two men even more, she discovers that her two lovers are actually members of opposing mob gangs in Chicago. When a new circumstance leads to a choice made for Vera, she ends up more involved in the mob life than she ever thought possible. Soon is she not only a witness to the gritty side of the mob wars, but she also becomes an active participant. Vera finds herself more and more entangled in this dangerous lifesytle as the mob wars intensify leading to the infamous St. Valentine Day's Massacre.

Just like Vera, the reader is exposed to the glamorous side of the mob and Prohibition, before descending into the gritty, maddening, and terrifying reality. It was interesting to see Vera change throughout the course of the novel and not necessarily for the better. The reader watches her transform from this innocent and fresh-faced woman, who just wants to do better than how she was raised into this strong and determined woman, who will do whatever it takes (even if it's illegal) to survive. Vera tries her best to keep up and protect her family as the mob wars begin to spin out of control.

I really enjoyed the factual aspects of the book that Rosen includes. Besides, the obvious Al Capone, Rosen includes many other real mobsters along with actual events from the Prohibition Era in Chicago. As a reader, not only did I enjoy the story, but I also found myself looking up information on the names, events, and places listed in the book. Rosen includes a note at the end of the book that explains some of the changes she made in the book. I also feel like this era is usually glamorized in books and movies, and while Rosen includes some of this, she really gets into the dangerous reality of the mob in Chicago.

How Much Coffee Was Needed:

I took my time reading this book, but not because I found it tough or boring. I really enjoyed it and found myself stopping to look up names or details in the book. I did have a night or two of late reading, so it definitely was worth a few extra cups of coffee. 

What's Next?

I'm going nonfiction and healthy this time with The Pegan Diet by Mark Hyman, MD.