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The Talented Mrs. Mandelbaum: The Rise and Fall of an American Organized-Crime Boss
A Jewish mother of four, a gracious society hostess, a beloved member of her community—and the first widely renowned crime boss in America. Discover the true story from the bestselling author of The Confidence Men.
In 1850, Fredericka Mandelbaum traveled to New York in steerage and worked as a peddler on the streets of Lower Manhattan. By the 1870s she was a widow with four children, a fixture of high society, and an admired philanthropist. What had enabled a woman on the margins of American life to ascend from tenement poverty to immense wealth?
In the intervening years, “Marm” Mandelbaum, as she was known, had become the country’s most notorious “fence”—a receiver of stolen goods—and a successful criminal mastermind. By the mid-1880s as much as $10 million worth of purloined luxury goods (the equivalent of nearly $300 million in today’s money) had passed through her modest haberdashery shop on the Lower East Side. Called “the nucleus and center of the whole organization of crime in New York City” by the New York Times , she planned, financed, and profited from robberies of cash, gold, diamonds, and silk throughout the city and across the United States.
But Fredericka Mandelbaum wasn’t just a successful She was a business visionary—one of the first entrepreneurs in America to systemize the formerly scattershot enterprise of property crime. Handpicking a cadre of New York's foremost bank robbers, housebreakers, and shoplifters, and neatly bribing anyone who stood in her way, she handled logistics and organized supply chains—turning theft into a viable, scalable business .
The Talented Mrs. Mandelbaum paints a vivid image of Gilded Age New York—a city teeming with delightful rogues, capitalist power brokers, and Tammany Hall bigwigs, all of whom straddled the line between underworld enterprise and the realm of “legitimate” commerce. Combining deep historical research with the narrative flair for which she is celebrated, Margalit Fox tells the unforgettable story of a once-famous, now-forgotten heroine, a tale that exemplifies the cherished rags-to-riches narrative of Victorian America while simultaneously upending it altogether.
In 1850, Fredericka Mandelbaum traveled to New York in steerage and worked as a peddler on the streets of Lower Manhattan. By the 1870s she was a widow with four children, a fixture of high society, and an admired philanthropist. What had enabled a woman on the margins of American life to ascend from tenement poverty to immense wealth?
In the intervening years, “Marm” Mandelbaum, as she was known, had become the country’s most notorious “fence”—a receiver of stolen goods—and a successful criminal mastermind. By the mid-1880s as much as $10 million worth of purloined luxury goods (the equivalent of nearly $300 million in today’s money) had passed through her modest haberdashery shop on the Lower East Side. Called “the nucleus and center of the whole organization of crime in New York City” by the New York Times , she planned, financed, and profited from robberies of cash, gold, diamonds, and silk throughout the city and across the United States.
But Fredericka Mandelbaum wasn’t just a successful She was a business visionary—one of the first entrepreneurs in America to systemize the formerly scattershot enterprise of property crime. Handpicking a cadre of New York's foremost bank robbers, housebreakers, and shoplifters, and neatly bribing anyone who stood in her way, she handled logistics and organized supply chains—turning theft into a viable, scalable business .
The Talented Mrs. Mandelbaum paints a vivid image of Gilded Age New York—a city teeming with delightful rogues, capitalist power brokers, and Tammany Hall bigwigs, all of whom straddled the line between underworld enterprise and the realm of “legitimate” commerce. Combining deep historical research with the narrative flair for which she is celebrated, Margalit Fox tells the unforgettable story of a once-famous, now-forgotten heroine, a tale that exemplifies the cherished rags-to-riches narrative of Victorian America while simultaneously upending it altogether.
336 pages, Hardcover
First published July 2, 2024
About the author
Margalit Fox
6 books298 followersMargalit Fox originally trained as a cellist and a linguist before pursuing journalism. As a senior writer in The New York Times's celebrated Obituary News Department, she wrote the front-page public sendoffs of some of the leading cultural figures of our age. Winner of the William Saroyan Prize for Literature and author of three previous books, "Conan Doyle for the Defense," "The Riddle of the Labyrinth" and "Talking Hands," Fox lives in Manhattan with her husband, the writer and critic George Robinson.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 123 reviews
July 26, 2024
"The enemies of society must have its general. The greatest of them all was 'Mother' Mandelbaum." This quote by Frederika Mandelbaum's protégé, Sophie Lyons, clearly and distinctly tells us that this is one special woman and author Margalit Fox has done a wonderful job and gives us the story of an individual who has been lost in time.
Frederika Mandelbaum is oftentimes considered one of the first, if not the first, organized crime boss in America. Frederika was a German Jewish immigrant to America who, to put it mildly, stood out among the crowd. Standing 6 feet tall and weighing anywhere between 250 to 300 pounds, she was called "a cross between a dumpling and a mountain." But there was so much more to her than meets the eye, and her life is explored in great detail in this wonderful book. We learn not just about Frederika, but about crime in general in the mid to late 19th century America, her associates in crime, and the elaborate details that she used to help facilitate crimes throughout the entire country. You see, she was not the person committing the crime, instead she was really a "fence." A crime occurs, properties stolen, and what do the criminals do but take the ill-gotten gains to Frederika who would intern pay them a percentage of their actual value, and then turn around and sell those items at discount prices to normal citizens, not involved with the criminal enterprise. As I read this book, I was just stunned at all the silk, diamonds, needles, threads, engravings government securities, and bonds that came through her hands. She converted a house into a store and dormitory for her criminal friends. She had warehouses filled with stolen items throughout New York. She regularly had the police and elected officials paid to turn a blind eye to her activities, and her dinner parties were the things of legend. Everyone wanted to be there. It didn't matter if you were a criminal or a non-criminal, entrance to her dinner party was entrance into a wonderful world of festivities. There are stories stories about her helping finance bank robberies, and she even owned warehouses that criminals used to build full scale replicas of banks and where they would practice the break-in day after day, in the dark, until they could move effortlessly throughout the bank once the actual robbery took place. She used and developed many of the same principles that efficiency experts and Robber Barons would use to control the marketplace. People glorified those individuals, but vilified someone who use those same ideas in the field of criminal enterprise. She came along at a time when the Civil War had just ended, when corruption was still commonplace, and when people had turned a blind eye to property crimes. Up until the 1880s many of the politicians were Blue Bloods and really could care less about those type of crimes, but as times changed, and the politicians became members of the bourgeois, working class, a much greater effort was made to halt these crimes, which was actually taking money from the pockets of the politicians! It was an open secret that Mrs. Mandelbaum was a fence and involved in criminal activities, but nobody seemed to be able to stop her due to the "Bureau for the Prevention of Conviction." She also employed two of the most corrupt and yet astute attorneys in New York, who were also the authosr of a book called "Danger," which was supposed to be a guide for visitors to New York and how they could avoid getting into danger, but really was a guide for the criminals and how to commit crimes!
Just a wonderful book, by a great author that is a fast read and filled with remarkable characters who become indelibly etched in your mind. This was a great effort and definitely worthy of five stars!*****
Frederika Mandelbaum is oftentimes considered one of the first, if not the first, organized crime boss in America. Frederika was a German Jewish immigrant to America who, to put it mildly, stood out among the crowd. Standing 6 feet tall and weighing anywhere between 250 to 300 pounds, she was called "a cross between a dumpling and a mountain." But there was so much more to her than meets the eye, and her life is explored in great detail in this wonderful book. We learn not just about Frederika, but about crime in general in the mid to late 19th century America, her associates in crime, and the elaborate details that she used to help facilitate crimes throughout the entire country. You see, she was not the person committing the crime, instead she was really a "fence." A crime occurs, properties stolen, and what do the criminals do but take the ill-gotten gains to Frederika who would intern pay them a percentage of their actual value, and then turn around and sell those items at discount prices to normal citizens, not involved with the criminal enterprise. As I read this book, I was just stunned at all the silk, diamonds, needles, threads, engravings government securities, and bonds that came through her hands. She converted a house into a store and dormitory for her criminal friends. She had warehouses filled with stolen items throughout New York. She regularly had the police and elected officials paid to turn a blind eye to her activities, and her dinner parties were the things of legend. Everyone wanted to be there. It didn't matter if you were a criminal or a non-criminal, entrance to her dinner party was entrance into a wonderful world of festivities. There are stories stories about her helping finance bank robberies, and she even owned warehouses that criminals used to build full scale replicas of banks and where they would practice the break-in day after day, in the dark, until they could move effortlessly throughout the bank once the actual robbery took place. She used and developed many of the same principles that efficiency experts and Robber Barons would use to control the marketplace. People glorified those individuals, but vilified someone who use those same ideas in the field of criminal enterprise. She came along at a time when the Civil War had just ended, when corruption was still commonplace, and when people had turned a blind eye to property crimes. Up until the 1880s many of the politicians were Blue Bloods and really could care less about those type of crimes, but as times changed, and the politicians became members of the bourgeois, working class, a much greater effort was made to halt these crimes, which was actually taking money from the pockets of the politicians! It was an open secret that Mrs. Mandelbaum was a fence and involved in criminal activities, but nobody seemed to be able to stop her due to the "Bureau for the Prevention of Conviction." She also employed two of the most corrupt and yet astute attorneys in New York, who were also the authosr of a book called "Danger," which was supposed to be a guide for visitors to New York and how they could avoid getting into danger, but really was a guide for the criminals and how to commit crimes!
Just a wonderful book, by a great author that is a fast read and filled with remarkable characters who become indelibly etched in your mind. This was a great effort and definitely worthy of five stars!*****
June 15, 2024
It turns out that crime does pay! Especially if you become a fence in NYC during the mid to late 1800s. A woman named Fredericka Mandelbaum found this all out way back in 1850. Her life of crime is chronicled in Margalit Fox's The Talented Mrs. Mandelbaum.
For those looking for a deep dive into Mandelbaum's inner life, you may be a bit disappointed. Mandelbaum's life as a criminal meant she wasn't writing a daily diary of her thoughts and activities. As an arch criminal, that would have been a very bad idea. However, Fox does what every great historical true crime author does. She drops you into Mandelbaum's world and the people within it. This includes crooked cops, master thieves, pickpockets, shady lawyers, and cultural touchstones like rampant antisemitism! You think Twitter is bad? You should see the words a New York paper would put on its front page back in the day.
I really enjoyed the book and the details Fox is so adept at finding and presenting to the reader. My personal favorite is always a good bank heist and they don't disappoint. Sure, I would have loved to learn a little more about "Marm" Mandelbaum herself, but then again, I probably wouldn't believe a word she said.
(This book was provided as an advance copy by Netgalley and Random House Publishing.)
For those looking for a deep dive into Mandelbaum's inner life, you may be a bit disappointed. Mandelbaum's life as a criminal meant she wasn't writing a daily diary of her thoughts and activities. As an arch criminal, that would have been a very bad idea. However, Fox does what every great historical true crime author does. She drops you into Mandelbaum's world and the people within it. This includes crooked cops, master thieves, pickpockets, shady lawyers, and cultural touchstones like rampant antisemitism! You think Twitter is bad? You should see the words a New York paper would put on its front page back in the day.
I really enjoyed the book and the details Fox is so adept at finding and presenting to the reader. My personal favorite is always a good bank heist and they don't disappoint. Sure, I would have loved to learn a little more about "Marm" Mandelbaum herself, but then again, I probably wouldn't believe a word she said.
(This book was provided as an advance copy by Netgalley and Random House Publishing.)
August 4, 2024
2.5 Stars
I'm unsure what to rate this book. It was an interesting read and I did learn alot about crime during the "First Golden Age of American crime" which was the 1850s....but I don't feel like I learned much about the titular Mrs. Mandelbaum.
Who was this German born Jewish crime boss as a person?
I still don't know.
A brief overview of who Mrs. Fredericka Mandelbaum was. She was a fence for stolen goods. She paid people to steal high end goods from wealthy New Yorkers or from a brand new business now known as Department Stores. She than took these stolen items and resold them. This job made her incredibly rich and powerful. She was able to stay ahead of the law by paying off cops and politicians.
This book probably would have been better if it focused on the enterprise of property theft instead of supposedly being about one person. I'll probably give this book 2.5 stars but it could just as easily be a 2 star or 3 star....I'm just splitting the difference.
I'm unsure what to rate this book. It was an interesting read and I did learn alot about crime during the "First Golden Age of American crime" which was the 1850s....but I don't feel like I learned much about the titular Mrs. Mandelbaum.
Who was this German born Jewish crime boss as a person?
I still don't know.
A brief overview of who Mrs. Fredericka Mandelbaum was. She was a fence for stolen goods. She paid people to steal high end goods from wealthy New Yorkers or from a brand new business now known as Department Stores. She than took these stolen items and resold them. This job made her incredibly rich and powerful. She was able to stay ahead of the law by paying off cops and politicians.
This book probably would have been better if it focused on the enterprise of property theft instead of supposedly being about one person. I'll probably give this book 2.5 stars but it could just as easily be a 2 star or 3 star....I'm just splitting the difference.
May 2, 2024
“The aim of the department store…was to foment desire,” Margalit Fox writes in The Talented Mrs. Mandlebaum, creating an “epidemic of longing” fueled by advertisements. The American housewife not only longed for a showplace home, it was socially required. But how could a middle class income support such a lifestyle?
Criminals stole goods and fenced them, and then they were sold at discount. The public was happy, and the criminal organization was very happy.
One of the most successful criminal operations was run by Mrs. Fredericka Mandelbaum in whose drawing room could be found the wealthy and priviledged class. She was a remarkable woman, beloved by her family, a philanthropist, involved in her synagogue; a successful business woman and crime boss with a loyal cadre of thieves who called her ‘Marm’–mother.
Margalit Fox takes readers deep into Marm Mandelbaum’s life and world, from her specially designed shopfront with hidden rooms for stolen goods to her luxurious black silk dresses dripping with diamonds. It took decades, but the Pinkertons finally introduced a mole into her operation to get evidence of wrongdoing. Then, she fled and lived for decades in Canada!
A large, imposing woman, characterized in cartoons and newspaper illustrations with grotesque Jewish characteristics, her intelligence must have been remarkable. As a German immigrant in the late 19th c. her options for providing for her family was limited. But I can imagine that had she been a man, she could have been anything–perhaps a tycoon of industry, a Pinkerton detective, or a political boss.
True crime lovers will relish this biography of a forgotten, once infamous, crime boss.
Thanks to the publisher for a free book.
Criminals stole goods and fenced them, and then they were sold at discount. The public was happy, and the criminal organization was very happy.
One of the most successful criminal operations was run by Mrs. Fredericka Mandelbaum in whose drawing room could be found the wealthy and priviledged class. She was a remarkable woman, beloved by her family, a philanthropist, involved in her synagogue; a successful business woman and crime boss with a loyal cadre of thieves who called her ‘Marm’–mother.
Margalit Fox takes readers deep into Marm Mandelbaum’s life and world, from her specially designed shopfront with hidden rooms for stolen goods to her luxurious black silk dresses dripping with diamonds. It took decades, but the Pinkertons finally introduced a mole into her operation to get evidence of wrongdoing. Then, she fled and lived for decades in Canada!
A large, imposing woman, characterized in cartoons and newspaper illustrations with grotesque Jewish characteristics, her intelligence must have been remarkable. As a German immigrant in the late 19th c. her options for providing for her family was limited. But I can imagine that had she been a man, she could have been anything–perhaps a tycoon of industry, a Pinkerton detective, or a political boss.
True crime lovers will relish this biography of a forgotten, once infamous, crime boss.
Thanks to the publisher for a free book.
January 12, 2024
Wow! How is it that I have never heard of this woman before? Such an interesting story and how she got away with what she did for as long as she did is baffling. One can only imagine what she could have been and done with her life in a different time. The author was dedicated to telling her tale and includes pictures and terrific footnotes. Thanks to Netgalley, author and publisher for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest opinion.
March 20, 2024
Forget Bonnie and Clyde, Meet the Original Gangster Grandma: A Review of "The Talented Mrs. Mandelbaum" by Margalit Fox
Margalit Fox's meticulously researched "The Talented Mrs. Mandelbaum" isn't just another salacious true crime biography – it's a Trojan horse that upends our romanticized notions of the Gilded Age. This book forces us to re-examine ideas of power, ambition, and how success is defined, especially within the confines of a deeply prejudiced society.
Forget the Carnegies and the Astors; Fredericka Mandelbaum was a ruthless tycoon operating in plain sight. Yes, she was a master fence, but Fox reveals her as an astute businesswoman exploiting a corrupt system. She understood the allure of luxury, the power of networks, and the necessity of bribing the right people. Mandelbaum's criminality was merely a twisted reflection of the 'legitimate' business practices of the era, making us question the thin veil separating the two.
Where the book truly excels is in its exploration of the complex social forces shaping Mandelbaum's rise. As a woman and a Jewish immigrant, she was doubly an outsider. This marginalization, while undeniably oppressive, became a strategic weapon. Fox skillfully shows how Mandelbaum's 'otherness' allowed her to forge a vast underworld network, tapping into disenfranchised communities often ignored by those in power.
Her story is a sobering reminder that for some, especially those systematically excluded from conventional paths to success, defiance and transgression become the only viable means of attaining agency. Fox doesn't lionize Mandelbaum, but she doesn't condemn her either. Rather, she compels us to confront the systemic failures that can push even the most clever and resourceful individuals towards morally dubious choices.
"The Talented Mrs. Mandelbaum" is an unflinching, thought-provoking read. It doesn't simply offer a gripping crime story; it interrogates how power, ambition, and identity intersect. Fox leaves us unsettled, encouraging us to reconsider the historical figures we exalt and the narratives we tell ourselves about who gets to play the game – and who wins it.
Margalit Fox's meticulously researched "The Talented Mrs. Mandelbaum" isn't just another salacious true crime biography – it's a Trojan horse that upends our romanticized notions of the Gilded Age. This book forces us to re-examine ideas of power, ambition, and how success is defined, especially within the confines of a deeply prejudiced society.
Forget the Carnegies and the Astors; Fredericka Mandelbaum was a ruthless tycoon operating in plain sight. Yes, she was a master fence, but Fox reveals her as an astute businesswoman exploiting a corrupt system. She understood the allure of luxury, the power of networks, and the necessity of bribing the right people. Mandelbaum's criminality was merely a twisted reflection of the 'legitimate' business practices of the era, making us question the thin veil separating the two.
Where the book truly excels is in its exploration of the complex social forces shaping Mandelbaum's rise. As a woman and a Jewish immigrant, she was doubly an outsider. This marginalization, while undeniably oppressive, became a strategic weapon. Fox skillfully shows how Mandelbaum's 'otherness' allowed her to forge a vast underworld network, tapping into disenfranchised communities often ignored by those in power.
Her story is a sobering reminder that for some, especially those systematically excluded from conventional paths to success, defiance and transgression become the only viable means of attaining agency. Fox doesn't lionize Mandelbaum, but she doesn't condemn her either. Rather, she compels us to confront the systemic failures that can push even the most clever and resourceful individuals towards morally dubious choices.
"The Talented Mrs. Mandelbaum" is an unflinching, thought-provoking read. It doesn't simply offer a gripping crime story; it interrogates how power, ambition, and identity intersect. Fox leaves us unsettled, encouraging us to reconsider the historical figures we exalt and the narratives we tell ourselves about who gets to play the game – and who wins it.
July 9, 2024
I’ve never heard of Fredericka Mandelbaum before reading this book.
She definitely had a flair for making money under the table and gave other crime syndicates a run for their money.
The facet of the book I appreciated was the conversion of 19th century money to its modern equivalent. I find it very helpful and it puts things in perspective.
I was surprised at how brief the book was but it’s a good introduction for anyone wanting to read more on the topic.
Thanks to NetGalley and Random House for the early read.
She definitely had a flair for making money under the table and gave other crime syndicates a run for their money.
The facet of the book I appreciated was the conversion of 19th century money to its modern equivalent. I find it very helpful and it puts things in perspective.
I was surprised at how brief the book was but it’s a good introduction for anyone wanting to read more on the topic.
Thanks to NetGalley and Random House for the early read.
July 31, 2024
A common criticism applies to this book: It is a great feature magazine article stretched into a book. HOWEVER, the stretching is interesting and captivating. To fill enough pages to be a book, Ms. Fox has included what is essentially a history of crime in the second half of the 19th century in America. Using "Marm" Mandelbaum as the handle, the accounts of the criminal world, "police" forces and the forces that drove them is very well done and complete. Included are many excerpts from newspapers of the day which add their particular flavor to the reading.
This is a fine narrative on criminal history and Mandelbaum's story sews it together.
This is a fine narrative on criminal history and Mandelbaum's story sews it together.
February 20, 2024
This is a fascinating account of Fredericka Mandelbaum, who ran an enormous empire of stolen goods and was the money behind various bank heists in the New York of the so-called Gilded Age, when economic disparity grew by leaps and bounds. Fox chronicles Mandelbaum--aka "Marm"--from her arrival in New York to her flight to Canada after being arrested, recounting Marm's training of thieves, her rivals in organized crime, and her upper-crust social life as a hostess to judges and others in the social elite. Some of the quotes run a little long, but I appreciate the context Fox gives for Marm's activities. The title of the book and the titles of several chapters refer to current pop culture and will draw in some readers, but may not age well. i realize that Fox uses Mandelbaum's first name in order not to have pages and pages full of "Marm" and "Mandelbaum," but authors have traditionally used women's first names and men's last names as a way of showing the relative importance of them; I prefer that everyone is called by their last name, only using first names when there is the possibility of confusion, although here, "Marm" is clear and doesn't diminish Mandelbaum.
September 2, 2024
Interesting info, but, stylistically, this read like a senior thesis to me. Lots of footnoted passages but little depth or context of the times or culture. The epilogue was the most interesting part, finally giving us a glimpse into the world at the time and how Mrs Mandelbaum was, perhaps, influenced by, and a product of, it.
July 11, 2024
An absolutely fascinating story about a mother, wife, society hostess, and extremely beloved [this is shown over and over later on in her life] member of her community, WHO just happened to be one of New York's biggest crime bosses in her time [1870's] and who, over her time in crime amassed a fortune of nearly $300 million dollars [in today's money]. It was just so mind-boggling to process all of that; thankfully, the book is engaging and you are swept up in this world and I found myself wishing for just a little bit more by the end.
Expertly researched and filled with interesting notes, this is a must read for anyone who has an interest in mob lives/stories and true crime.
Well done!
Thank you to NetGalley, Margalit Fox, and Random House Publishing Group - Random House for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Expertly researched and filled with interesting notes, this is a must read for anyone who has an interest in mob lives/stories and true crime.
Well done!
Thank you to NetGalley, Margalit Fox, and Random House Publishing Group - Random House for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
August 8, 2024
I was not at all familiar with Mrs. Mandelbaum, but that was fascinating.
August 5, 2024
This book was not as interesting as I expected it to be, and the many footnotes were very distracting. I really liked "The Confidence Men" and "Conan Doyle for the Defense", so I expected to like this book just as much, but I was disappointed.
July 19, 2024
So glad someone wrote a book about this woman; now we need an HBO mini-series to get the word out more.
July 7, 2024
Her story could have been made into a really fascinating and fun read. Unfortunately, the author didn’t do that here.
August 19, 2024
Amazing!
August 27, 2024
2.5*
While historical context and background is absolutely necessary for telling Mrs. Mandelbaum's tale... I think the author went a little too far and didn't give us enough time to get to know Mandelbaum. That said, it was interesting to get a glimpse into that era of crime.
Narrator did a nice enough job, the book just didn't quite meet my expectations.
While historical context and background is absolutely necessary for telling Mrs. Mandelbaum's tale... I think the author went a little too far and didn't give us enough time to get to know Mandelbaum. That said, it was interesting to get a glimpse into that era of crime.
Narrator did a nice enough job, the book just didn't quite meet my expectations.
April 22, 2024
Thank you Netgalley and Random House for giving me an eARC to review.
I thought this was a well structured and researched book about organized crime in general and specific instances in Mrs. Mandelbaum's life. I especially loved all of the details about bank heists, how her fencing organization worked, and how she was eventually 'caught' and her defense. There was a lot great information that I never knew about organized crime and the excesses of the rich in Golden Age New York.
Unfortunately, this book did suffer a bit from the overabundance of information. I specifically found the footnotes really distracting and wish more of them were incorporated into the text for a smoother reading experience. My eARC also was basically 50% endnotes, which may look different when in printed format. One other minor beef I had was that the author kept writing "a historian" instead of citing which exact writer/researcher/historian stated her fact. Perhaps that was in the end notes, but it happened enough for me to notice the pattern.
Overall though, I think this book was a great read and I'm tempted to see what else Margalit Fox wrote. If you're looking for an interesting read about the Golden Age of Organized Crime in New York, give this one a go.
I thought this was a well structured and researched book about organized crime in general and specific instances in Mrs. Mandelbaum's life. I especially loved all of the details about bank heists, how her fencing organization worked, and how she was eventually 'caught' and her defense. There was a lot great information that I never knew about organized crime and the excesses of the rich in Golden Age New York.
Unfortunately, this book did suffer a bit from the overabundance of information. I specifically found the footnotes really distracting and wish more of them were incorporated into the text for a smoother reading experience. My eARC also was basically 50% endnotes, which may look different when in printed format. One other minor beef I had was that the author kept writing "a historian" instead of citing which exact writer/researcher/historian stated her fact. Perhaps that was in the end notes, but it happened enough for me to notice the pattern.
Overall though, I think this book was a great read and I'm tempted to see what else Margalit Fox wrote. If you're looking for an interesting read about the Golden Age of Organized Crime in New York, give this one a go.
March 7, 2024
Really interesting biography of a woman of whom I’d never heard - an immigrant Jewish lady crime lord in Gilded Age New York? Sign me up right now. This is very much one of those biographies which is “life and times” more than it is a personal biography - personal information about Mandelbaum comes from public interviews, court proceedings, and other people; she didn’t exactly leave papers or a memoir lying around - but Fox (unsurprisingly, given her past as an obituary writer) does well pulling all that information together into a cohesive, engaging whole. We learn not only about Mandelbaum but about how her crime empire functioned, and the ways in which she both exploited and was exploited by New York’s notorious nineteenth-century corruption. It was interesting and fun to read, absolutely the kind of book I’ll be recommending to friends and aunts for the next year or so.
That said, if I never read “a historian has written” again it will probably be too soon; Fox quotes extensively and loves, loves, loves that construction. Can’t she just say “wrote?” Evidently not. And while on the one hand I appreciate how meticulously she sourced all of her quotations, on the other, I really wished she would paraphrase more often, if only to get rid of all those quotation tags - they felt really obtrusive by the end. Minor complaint? Absolutely. Did it bug me? Also yes.
Disclaimer: I received an ARC for free, but this review contains my own, honest assessment of the book.
That said, if I never read “a historian has written” again it will probably be too soon; Fox quotes extensively and loves, loves, loves that construction. Can’t she just say “wrote?” Evidently not. And while on the one hand I appreciate how meticulously she sourced all of her quotations, on the other, I really wished she would paraphrase more often, if only to get rid of all those quotation tags - they felt really obtrusive by the end. Minor complaint? Absolutely. Did it bug me? Also yes.
Disclaimer: I received an ARC for free, but this review contains my own, honest assessment of the book.
August 16, 2024
I had hoped that the book would have more information about the main character. Admittedly the author admitted that the documented history was spare, but the book spent approx 50% on the context of organized crime in turn of the century NY, the history of the "fence", and not as much time on Mrs. M, her husband and children. The life-story is more thoroughly explored in the latter part of the book when the authorities are in hot pursuit of Mrs. M and her cohort. It was often mentioned that she was an active member of her religious community, but gave few examples. The author's research was long & deep, but she has too many footnotes - many pages of footnotes at the end of the book (which are fin) but also 1-3 footnotes on practically every page of the book. Some of them were quite distracting and imparted info that did not necessarily help the book along. It was still a good, interesting read, but I could have used more Mrs. M and less history of crime through the ages.
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July 29, 2024Nope. I wish the author would have made a fictional account of the life of this woman. It is tedious and boring written as fact on fact.
July 24, 2024
1.5
Thank God this was a short book (the footnotes and reference pages were longer than the "story"). She was ingenious but good Lord what a crook. She got her start in the US like Mrs.B (only those of you in Nebraska will know who this is....the founder of largest furniture store in US) as a seamstress and supporter of her husband's drygoods store, but then greed set in and man it set in. Funny fact...I thought grills worn on the teeth started with rappers but apparently in the 1860's gangsters wore diamond grills. LOL
Thank God this was a short book (the footnotes and reference pages were longer than the "story"). She was ingenious but good Lord what a crook. She got her start in the US like Mrs.B (only those of you in Nebraska will know who this is....the founder of largest furniture store in US) as a seamstress and supporter of her husband's drygoods store, but then greed set in and man it set in. Funny fact...I thought grills worn on the teeth started with rappers but apparently in the 1860's gangsters wore diamond grills. LOL
April 26, 2024
(3.5)
I’m always curious to learn about different people, places, and periods in history that I have little to no knowledge of. In the case of The Talented Mrs. Mandelbaum, I went in with absolutely no foreknowledge. In general, I’m not super well-versed in the era of the 1800s.
The book discusses the rags-to-riches life story of Frederika Mandelbaum. Starting out as a peddler, she ended up with ties to the underworld and ultimately became an entrepreneur. With 19th Century New York as a backdrop, the book offers not only a biography of Mrs. Mandelbaum, but also a look at the climate of the times. The book is rich with photographs which add to the atmosphere.
While I found the topic interesting and I was taken with the setting, I didn’t latch onto Fredericka. The book had a tendency to stray, so maybe that was a contributing factor for me even though I did find the side players interesting as well. The topics of the book were another reason I struggled to connect on a personal level.
Overall, the research is solid and is presented well. A good read for history lovers!
A huge thanks to Random House and NetGalley for inviting me to read a digital ARC of the book!
I’m always curious to learn about different people, places, and periods in history that I have little to no knowledge of. In the case of The Talented Mrs. Mandelbaum, I went in with absolutely no foreknowledge. In general, I’m not super well-versed in the era of the 1800s.
The book discusses the rags-to-riches life story of Frederika Mandelbaum. Starting out as a peddler, she ended up with ties to the underworld and ultimately became an entrepreneur. With 19th Century New York as a backdrop, the book offers not only a biography of Mrs. Mandelbaum, but also a look at the climate of the times. The book is rich with photographs which add to the atmosphere.
While I found the topic interesting and I was taken with the setting, I didn’t latch onto Fredericka. The book had a tendency to stray, so maybe that was a contributing factor for me even though I did find the side players interesting as well. The topics of the book were another reason I struggled to connect on a personal level.
Overall, the research is solid and is presented well. A good read for history lovers!
A huge thanks to Random House and NetGalley for inviting me to read a digital ARC of the book!
July 12, 2024
This would reach a much broader audience had the author not felt the need to use a thesaurus to write the narrative.
Mother Mandelbaum's is a significant tale that many people should hear, but many will abandon the book early because of the unnecessary vocabulary.
The footnotes could have been weaved into this story of the history of Mrs. Mandelbaum. The information is not necessary as a footnote and cumbersome for the reader.
Mother Mandelbaum's is a significant tale that many people should hear, but many will abandon the book early because of the unnecessary vocabulary.
The footnotes could have been weaved into this story of the history of Mrs. Mandelbaum. The information is not necessary as a footnote and cumbersome for the reader.
February 21, 2024
This book idealizes the worst sort of human being - someone privileged, spoiled, and sociopathic. Another propaganda-filled false-feminist adventure meant to make you love the worst sort of human being, the true bottom of the barrel.
July 10, 2024
A fascinating account about a major crime figure who certainly was not on my radar. Wow was Marm Mandelbaum one tough cookie. A brilliant CEO whose specialty was fencing high priced stolen property. Written with color and wonderful descriptiveness, one gets a beautiful portrait of corrupt New York City in the 1860’s and 1870’s.
I would have liked to learn more about Mandelbaum’s upbringing, family (relationship to kids and husband), and Jewish life. The epilogue sheds a bit of life on these themes, but made me looking for more.
I would have liked to learn more about Mandelbaum’s upbringing, family (relationship to kids and husband), and Jewish life. The epilogue sheds a bit of life on these themes, but made me looking for more.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 30, 2024
I had never heard of Fredericka Mandelbaum before but I am happy to say I have now. She is a hidden part of American criminal history that played a massive role in New York over several years. I was impressed with the layout of the book as it combined context while focusing on Mrs. Mandelbaum. I was invested from the first chapter and it never stopped. Fantastic for lovers of true crime and history!
I received an arc via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
I received an arc via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
August 26, 2024
A very interesting book absolutely ruined by a plethora of footnotes on nearly every page — in additional to 85 more pages of references, notes and index in the back. IMHO at least 80% of the aforementioned page notes were unnecessary or could have been incorporated into narrative. Seeing an asterisk (and there are legions)
is like seeing a blinking light while driving. You gotta look and, therefore, miss the scenery. A shame.
Otherwise, Mrs. Mandelbaum was a fascinating look at late 19th century NYC (and beyond) crime, and the woman who spurred its organization.
is like seeing a blinking light while driving. You gotta look and, therefore, miss the scenery. A shame.
Otherwise, Mrs. Mandelbaum was a fascinating look at late 19th century NYC (and beyond) crime, and the woman who spurred its organization.
March 27, 2024
I thought this was fascinating - I was not at all aware of Mrs. Mandelbaum, but am delighted to have peeked behind her nefarious curtains! I hadn't read Fox before, although had heard of her work (most notably the Conan Doyle book). I'm definitely going to have to look into her further now. She does a very nice job painting a picture of a time and place with details that resonate and bring the past to life. I found the level of description to be appropriate to an engaging narrative rather than a textbook-feeling piece of non-fiction.
April 15, 2024
Interesting read of how life was like back in the 1800’s in New York City. Many different things involved in one’s criminal life and how one succumbs to that type of life. Thank you Goodreads for the opportunity to read this ARC book.
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