The Last Lady of Mulberry: A Story of Italian New York

In Short

Set against the backdrop of Mulberry Street’s vibrant, crowded tenements, this novel follows the ambitious sculptor Armando and his duplicitous uncle, Signor Di Bello, as they both fall under the spell of the captivating singer Juno. When a case of mistaken identity involving a marble bust leads to a web of secret marriages, broken engagements, and theatrical posturing, the community finds itself embroiled in a lighthearted yet tense struggle for status and affection. It remains a vivid, character-driven snapshot of an immigrant enclave balancing old-world traditions with the pressures of American life.

The Story

Armando, a talented but stifled sculptor from the Italian mountains, arrives in New York seeking a subject for his masterpiece. His uncle, the wily and wealthy Signor Di Bello, runs the "Casa Di Bello" and acts as a self-appointed patriarch, though he is constantly kept in check by his sharp-tongued sister, Carolina. Carolina has dedicated her life to preventing her brother from marrying, believing that any woman entering their home would disrupt the "sweetest order" of their household.

The plot pivots when the impresario Signor Grabbini introduces a new performer to the local theater: the magnificent Juno, a woman of such striking beauty that she is dubbed "Juno the Superb." Both the aging Signor Di Bello and his nephew, Bertino, become infatuated with her. In a stroke of desperate trickery, Bertino marries Juno in secret, hoping to claim her before his uncle can. Juno, however, is driven by her own cold ambition; she seeks the wealth and security that a marriage to the affluent Signor Di Bello would provide.

Meanwhile, Armando, believing he has secured a commission to sculpt a bust of the American President’s wife, is tricked by Bertino into using a portrait of Juno as his model. When the bust is finally unveiled, it is a devastatingly accurate depiction of the singer, not the First Lady. The failure of the "Tomato Bank"—a neighborhood financial arrangement—and the resulting loss of money drive the community to near-madness.

As tensions mount, Carolina, having been sidelined by a broken leg, returns with a cunning plan to expose the truth. She stages a final, elaborate drama, bringing together the husband, the rival, and the woman who played them both. The bust—the "Last Lady"—is revealed in its true, unglamorous form before the wedding guests. In a fit of defiance, Juno shatters the marble statue on the flagstones. Her deception is fully unmasked, leaving the men to confront their own foolishness. Yet, in the tradition of these colorful, gossiping streets, the community moves on. The marriage plans collapse, the vendetta fades, and the neighborhood returns to its daily rhythm of street-corner commerce and petty squabbles, having been momentarily upended by the "Last Lady’s" calculated audacity.

How It Unfolds

The artist’s aspiration Armando, living in the shadow of his late uncle’s mediocre craftsmanship, dreams of creating a sculpture worthy of international fame. He eventually journeys to New York, carrying with him the hope that the American landscape will provide the inspiration his mountain home lacked.

The arrival of Juno The local Italian colony is electrified by the appearance of a beautiful singer named Juno the Superb. Her arrival at the theater sparks an immediate and competitive fervor among the men of Mulberry, including the aging Signor Di Bello and his nephew.

The secret union Bertino, sensing his uncle’s interest, rushes to marry Juno in secret, effectively checkmating his relative. Juno, unaware of the specific financial dynamics of the Di Bello family, believes she has secured a path to wealth, only to realize later she has been tricked.

The sculpture as a catalyst Armando unwittingly creates a marble bust of Juno while believing he is sculpting a dignitary. When the truth is revealed, it becomes a symbol of the entire community’s deception and a focal point for the mounting social tension.

The final unmasking Carolina orchestrates a grand gathering where the truth is laid bare in the presence of the entire neighborhood. The revelation of the bust, followed by its dramatic destruction, forces a resolution to the romantic and social chaos that has plagued the Casa Di Bello.

The People

Signor Di Bello is a wealthy merchant who wants a beautiful wife to solidify his standing but is fundamentally a man of vanity and superficial desires. His sister, Carolina, is the true guardian of the household; she is motivated by a protective, almost militant desire to maintain her influence, though her "match-breaking" efforts ultimately lead to greater instability. Bertino is the nephew who believes he can outsmart his elders, but his lack of means and his reliance on deception leave him vulnerable to Juno’s cold fury. Juno the Superb is the novel’s most compelling figure: a woman who treats marriage as a strategic, albeit reckless, business transaction. She is unfazed by the scorn of the community and remains fiercely independent, even when her schemes unravel. Armando remains the idealistic dreamer, whose artistic labor is misused by those around him, yet he provides the necessary lens through which the community’s vanities are exposed.

In Its Own Voice

"The jewelry shops were open and doing a lively trade. Young men bought wedding rings and tried them on the fingers of their promised wives, while faint-hearted bachelors, at the same counter, parted with their hard-earned coin for little silver-tipped horns against the evil eye."

This observation captures the blend of tradition and new-world commerce that defined the neighborhood’s daily life.

"And I the bearer of a message to him! O Maria! what penance more? All fasts kept, aves and paternosters said faithfully, and my reward--a broken leg!"

This reflects the wry, slightly superstitious frustration of Carolina as she navigates the mishaps threatening her authority.

What It's Really About

At its core, the story examines the tension between romantic illusion and harsh reality within an immigrant community navigating a new culture. The "Last Lady" is not just the statue, but a symbol of the false idols the characters create: the "Presidentessa" who is actually a local singer, the "wealthy" banker who is a small-time merchant, and the "ideal" wife who is a calculated operator. The book questions how much of our identity is a performance for our peers and how easily a community’s social fabric can be torn by individual greed and the desire to save face.

Why Read It Today

Readers who enjoy turn-of-the-century urban sketches or novels that treat immigrant life with both humor and a touch of the dramatic will find much to appreciate here. The book captures the frantic, talkative energy of Mulberry Street, where news travels via the "pepper pod frier" and every event is a public performance. The dialogue is colorful, often rendering Italian-inflected English in a way that emphasizes the characters' unique voices, though this may require some patience from the modern reader.

The prose is precise and evocative, painting the tenements with a warmth that avoids sentimentality. It feels like stepping into a crowded, noisy, and bustling street market where everyone has a secret and the "First Lady of the Land" is just a cousin of a neighbor. While the plot moves with the sudden turns of a farce, it is anchored by a sharp understanding of human weakness and the pride that keeps people tethered to their pasts. It is a slim, brisk read that leaves you with a vivid, lingering sense of a vanished New York—a place of pushcarts, theater balconies, and the constant, bubbling drama of a neighborhood that never truly sleeps.