In 1980, Nicole’s husband is interviewing for a job which requires a background check. She asks her godmother whether there’s anything in their family history which could raise a red flag. Filomena realizes that the time has come to tell her godchild the history of the family. And what a history it is! This sweeping family saga centers around the 1930s to 1950s and tells the story of a family of sisters by marriage who find themselves in the middle New York’s notorious organized crime scene. Gianni and Tessa are parents of four children - daughter Petrina and three sons. Lucy, Amie and Filomena have deep secrets before each meet and marry the sons. Through many difficulties including the U.S. entering World War II, the four women become knee deep in the “family business.”
Set primarily in New York's Greenwich Village, there is tension among the four women, who come from vastly different backgrounds. They realize that their only chance to survive is by banding together and trusting one another. They are trying to manage long-running obligations in an environment where women are not taken seriously. The world of the mafia, which includes actual mob figures, is well presented in The Godmothers. But the heart of the story is the family dynamics among the women and their growing children who yearn to forge their own identities.
Camille Aubray has written a fast-moving, suspenseful book that covers a lot of ground and keeps you rooting for this unique band of sisters-in-law.
Many thanks to William Morrow / HarperCollins and Goodreads for the opportunity to read The Godmothers in advance of its publication.
Rated 4.25 out of 5 stars.
Historical Fiction.
Publication Date: June 15, 2021.
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