Mazie

An original Book Nook review of the novel Mazie written by Melanie Crowder and reviewed by Annelise.

Mazie is a historical fiction and romance novel written by Melanie Crowder, known for her novels Audacity (2015) and An Uninterrupted View of the Sky (2017), as well as her short stories The Lighthouse Between Worlds (2018), A Way Between Worlds (2019), Three Pennies (2017), A Nearer Moon (2015), and Parched (2013). "Mazie" is her most recent book (and also the one with the shortest title), being published on February 23, 2021.

"I'd rather lose on my own terms than win on anybody else's."

- Mazie, Melanie Crowder

"Mazie" is composed in the first-person point of view, following a seventeen-year-old girl named Mazie Butterfield who was born in the quaint rural town of Fairbury in Nebraska during the 1950s, but harbors big dreams of starring on Broadway. Everything she's worked for in theater, training her voice and doing ballet, has prepared her for her big break, the moment when she finally gets a ticket out of the farming life and is escalated into stardom. But when Mazie's chance comes for her to spend six weeks auditioning in New York, she finds that leaving home, and her love, Jesse Schmidt, behind was more difficult than she thought. In addition, show business is trying and rejections pile up from people who are dissatisfied with her outward country-girl appearance. With funds running out and everybody wanting her to be something else, Mazie risks losing herself along with everything and everyone she loves to follow her dream.

Age Recommendation: 10+

Sexual Content: Mild

(there are some kissing scenes, one scene involving skinny dipping and presumed sex though it is very vague and not at all explicit, a character mentions being touched in a way that made her uncomfortable at work as a waitress but she dumped a milkshake on them before anything happened, there are multiple scenes of sexual harassment between a boss and someone in a lower level of work, he touches her inappropriately, not anywhere explicit, and speaks to her with many innuendos and hints at sexual things)

Profanity: Minimal

(examples of the words used include d**n, d***it, s**t, and one mentioning of b***h)

Violence/Gore: None

(Some characters get minor injuries like twisted ankles or blisters and someone pukes)

Representation: Good

(many side characters are gay, relationships both between two men and two women, and characters go to a gay bar as well as a gay hangout, Mazie is very inclusive for a character never previously having been introduced to someone who identified as LGBTQ in the 1950s, some black characters are seen in the background, Raisin In The Sun is referenced)

RATINGS

Overall Story: ★★★★☆

Writing Style: ★★★★☆

Enjoyment: ★★★★☆

Main Characters: ★★★★☆

Side Characters: ★★★☆☆

OVERALL RATING: ★★★★☆

***There are a few spoilers ahead that will be marked beforehand with (SPOILER), just skip the sentence if need be

Mazie is a novel all about self-expression and finding yourself through adversity. Doing what brings life purpose for you and following your dreams is worth the challenges posed. But, the most important thing to remember through it all is who you are and what you love. There will always be critics, but Mazie finds that the ones worth listening to don't ask you to change yourself.

Melanie Crowder has a unique and stunning portrayal of the 1950s interwoven with a nicely crafted story arc for Mazie, who is, by all means, the singular focus of the book. Details including fashion trends, the decoration of old restaurants, and the eccentric experience of drive-in movies lying in the back of a pick-up truck helped transport the reader into the time period without feeling as though the world was overall "worse-off" without the complex systems and technology we have today.

The exhilarating spirit of New York was accurately captured, but it was also realistically offset with the grimier, more rough-and-tough aspects the city is known for like crowded sidewalks, shifty characters lurking in the shadows, and raucous subways. Even though it's the "city of dreams", New York isn't necessarily the "dreamiest city", but it's exciting to watch Mazie find her way through the lights and history of the city with all of its famous theaters and streets.

What was particularly satisfying about witnessing Mazie's experiences was how realistic and relatable they were. The novel doesn't follow the story of a girl from a small town who's suddenly swept into fame and has to deal with the fallout of all the attention because that situation seldom occurs outside of whimsy storylines. Instead, we see Mazie struggle as she truly embodies the term "starving artist", rushing from audition to audition each ultimately concluding in rejection with dwindling funds and slowly dissipating hopes. She soon realizes that in order to achieve her dreams she needs to work her way up and it is thousands of times more inspiring to see someone, especially an independent female, retain her sense of self after being subjected to the trials of being an actor, to watch them enter, oblivious, into a vicious cycle and come out more cognizant of their purpose and values. In the end, (SPOILER) she doesn't make it on Broadway, but that's okay because she learned how to survive as the authentic Mazie in the theatrical world.

The main focus of the novel is Mazie's dream and her in the act of following her dream, rather than her romance with Jesse. At the beginning of the book, she's already in love with Jesse and in a relationship with him and throughout the story, she never stops loving him nor does he ever stop loving her, so if you were looking for a more romantically-inclined storyline, this likely is not the best choice of book since Mazie doesn't actually fall in love, she just already is.

I think, overall, I would have liked to see a bit more development of the side characters, like Jesse, Peggy, and Clive because it would have been more interesting to see some of their imperfections as well as more insight into their lives since they felt a little one-note in their role in the story (Jesse was the kind boyfriend whom Mazie loved and could sympathize in her dreams of something bigger, Peggy was the mentor for Mazie's confidence who also exposed her to how difficult showbusiness was, and Clive was the supportive friend with wide-spanning connections who is also (SPOILER) gay) though it makes sense with the primary story arc revolving around Mazie, who is in fact very well developed, that her struggles would take priority. The pacing of the story also went by pretty quickly and I personally feel it would have enhanced the story to have included some detailed flashback scenes from Mazie's past that didn't just involve Jesse to slow down some of the action, such as having a scene between her and her Nana or making the memory of the first time she was exposed to musical theater have more prominence.

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The following section (separated by lines of *'s) is a COMPLETE SUMMARY of the novel "Mazie" by Melanie Crowder; there are MAJOR SPOILERS ahead. Skip this section if you intend to read the full book and were looking for a typical book review. Why include the summary? Part of our comprehensive book review format at The Book Nook includes a complete summary of the book in case someone doesn't have time to read the book (we'd classify this type of reading as TLDR, for Too Long Didn't Read), a reader is extremely impatient and wants the answers NOW to a plotline (we've all been there), or if you wanted a little sneak peek into what happens in the book before you start reading.

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Mazie talks about the geography of her home, how if you fold a map of the US, smack dab in the middle is her small hometown of Fairbury. She’s at work at the Frosty Top diner on a spring weekday evening as a waitress on roller skates and delivers a milkshake to a cretin who eyes her hungrily. Mazie outlines her dream of going to Broadway one day and returns to the kitchen to perform an hourly performance with the other employees, ending with a solo of her singing. After work, she gets picked up by her boyfriend Jesse Schmidt, who has dreams of becoming a rocket scientist.

Mazie arrives home for dinner with her Momma, Papa, and Nana. She receives a lecture from her mom about the safety of her working conditions in regards to handsy men, at which point Mazie reveals she has been harassed in the past but avoids it by dumping milkshakes on them. Her family doesn’t understand her dreams of becoming an actress, wanting her to become a wife to many children like her older sister Lucinda or a dedicated worker like her older brother Otis, but they love her all the same.

All through school Mazie daydreams of Broadway then arrives for her ballet lesson with Madame Durant, whom she has seen since she was four to improve her dancing and chances of getting on Broadway.

Mazie has dinner with Jesse’s family, the Schmidts, as she does every Friday with his sisters Nelly, the sweet young one, Rosa, the smart one working at a law firm, and Lois, the farmhand, but he has two more sisters Joy and Violet who are off married. After the meal, the couple drives off, contemplating running away together, to a weekly movie showing with their schoolmates, Billy and Rhonda. There, in a conversation about high school reunions, Mazie insults Rhonda by saying she won’t have time to go because she’ll be off in New York. She knows the other girls her age think she believes she’s above them and the town.

Mazie and her family attend church, but right before Mazie sneaks off to practice a song with Mrs. Muth, the organist, director of the school musical, choir conductor, and her Broadway mentor. Later during the mass Mazie sings with the choir and participates in singing “Flower Duet” with Mrs. Muth. Her mother does not congratulate her and Mazie wishes she was more supportive of her dream. In the aftermath of the church, Mazie is searching for Mrs. Muth and hears Rhonda talking about how silly Mazie’s dream is with some of her friends. Mazie is deeply hurt.

Exams are taken at the high school, and a dance is held down at the Legion to celebrate. Mazie attends, with her Nana stressing the importance of socializing, and dances with Jesse until she is confronted by his sister Lois who demands that she stop toying with him before she leaves.

Mazie talks to her Nana, who can empathize with her dream because she had dreams of her own that never came to fruition, about the confrontation with Lois and Nana tells her to choose between love and her dream. Mazie chooses her dream.

While singing at work Mazie hears news from her mother that Nana has died.

Mazie and her family attend Nana’s funeral, where Jessie comforts her but she is broken with grief. At the reception, Mazie receives a letter from her grandmother telling her to go to New York containing $200 and two tickets. She runs away from the party and is met, wet from the rain, by Jesse in his pickup. The two argue and Mazie breaks up with him to pursue Broadway.

Mazie books the soonest train for New York and packs everything she needs in an old suitcase. She breaks the news of her leave to her parents, but they are disappointed with her for leaving during this time of mourning.

Otis drives Mazie to the train station and before she boards she calls Jesse’s family to say goodbye. On the way out of Fairbury Mazie sees Jesse standing at the edge of Cub Creek, a rocky beach where all of the kids went during the summer to swim, watching the train go by. Mazie recalls the day before senior year when she and Jesse went swimming and skinny-dipping (it is presumed they may have had sex) and promised to always come back to each other. A woman on the train tells Mazie to never look back.

On the train, Mazie has serious doubts about leaving home but an impromptu performance met with applause by a few passengers reminds her of where she’s headed.

Mazie debarks from the train into the simultaneously thrilling and frightening bustle of Manhattan. She takes the subway to East 84th Street, not knowing she’s looking for West 84th Street. Mazie asks for help from a German baker and makes the long walk to Mrs. Cooper’s Boardinghouse, crossing Central Park.

When she arrives Mazie is met at the door by Nat who shows her the ropes of the boardinghouse. She meets her new roommates, Peggy from Upstate New York who’s extremely beautiful, Marsha from Tennessee who’s sweet but a little dim, and Evie from Long Island who’s not very friendly. Mazie makes a call to her family during unauthorized hours during which she apologizes to her mom, who encourages her to follow her dreams, but if she doesn’t land an audition to return home immediately. Evie catches her during her call and reports her to Mrs. Cooper.

Mazie awakes in her dorm room and begins composing a letter home to Jesse, but is interrupted by Peggy who shows her a list of auditions in the newspaper. Peggy reveals that her best friend recently left on a tour of The Music Man and made her promise to be nice to the new girl, so the two have breakfast together and she points out all of the girls in the dormitory. Mazie and Peggy head out for their audition.

On the way, Mazie is overwhelmed by the diversity and noise of New York. She and Peggy step into an audition off of a small alley where Mazie immediately feels like an underdog. When she gets into the audition, a woman laughs at her last name “Butterfield” and the people interrupt her halfway through her recital of “What A Pretty Girl Wants” from The Seven Year Itch, saying she wasn’t the “look” they were going for because of her farm-like exterior. Peggy then leaves her to meet with an agent and Mazie returns home saddened but determined to do better next time.

Mazie and her roommates decide to pool their clothes to be more prepared for specific auditions, but her farm physique makes it difficult for her to fit in their clothes. She dresses in a tiny skirt and heels to audition for a part as a vampy secretary, but the heels give her terrible blisters, and the first time she runs through her lines the director asks if she has gas pain. Later, during her second run-through, she swallows her pain and does well until her skirt rips entirely down the back and she leaves.

Mazie gets turned down at a dancing audition before even getting to dance. She misses home but doing chores helps ground her.

Mazie receives a letter from Jesse telling her that he believes in her and that no matter what he’ll be waiting.

Mazie arrives downtown for her first vocal audition and is inspired by the number of theaters, remembering the first time she was exposed to musical theater at a fair with her father, but after a single note of “Somewhere Over The Rainbow”, they ask if she’s Mezzo (she is) and then tell her to leave. On the way out the door, she comes across another girl like her and tells her to “Give ‘em hell,” inspiring the girl just a little.

Peggy sees Mazie sulking and demands that they need a night out “second-acting”. The two sneak into the second act of Flower Drum Song at intermission and Mazie is reminded of what she’s working for.

Time passes and Mazie finds a rhythm of rejections. She participates in unofficial dance classes at the dormitory and Evie gets booked for a show. Mazie remembers the moment she truly SAW Jesse in ninth grade after the harvest festival when he heard her singing and told her his dreams of being a rocket scientist.

Mazie begins her day by buying a newspaper at the crack of dawn with a dark cup of coffee. She auditions for a show requiring singers with some dance experience. The people listen to her and she receives a callback for eleven the next day.

Peggy insists that she and Mazie go out to a gay bar that night to help her friend Arlo lie to his parents about being straight to continue his relationship with them. He goes with Peggy every year as a date out with his parents for a fancy dinner and this year he met someone, Walter, who he wants to introduce to his parents so Mazie would go as his date. Mazie is hesitant and surprised at first, but Peggy convinces her that she should do something nice for someone and that she shouldn’t make judgments about something she doesn’t understand.

Peggy and Mazie arrive at a secret gay bar within a fancy hotel. They meet Arlo and Walter and the four toast to parents, Peggy’s hat, and Mazie’s callback. During dinner, things are strained and Mazie is angered that Arlo and Walter can never be together. Afterward, on the dance floor, Mazie misses Jesse deeply.

Peggy lands a small role in a production and tells Mazie she’s leaving for Chicago. Mazie arrives for her callback and does everything she’s asked, but she doesn’t connect with the role and knows she hasn’t landed the part even before the casting director tells her so.

Mazie writes a heartfelt letter to Jesse telling him she loves him and wishes they could have a life together. The next morning she throws it in the trash.

Mazie slaps on makeup and a hair extension to conceal her country-like exterior for her next audition, determined to land a part before her six weeks are up. At the audition for vocalists, she sings a few bars and makes it to the second round involving dance choreography. Mazie dances as best she can for as long as she can but eventually, her hairpiece flies off and interrupts the dancing so she is asked to leave.

Mazie goes for a walk in New York after cleaning the bathrooms at the Boardinghouse as part of chores. She stumbles upon the Hayden Planetarium with its doors open free to the public and enters, wandering about remembering when Jesse wrote a letter to the institution the same night as their first kiss.

Mazie dresses up and applies makeup for her next audition where she reads a monologue from Seven Brides For Seven Brothers and does very well. She hears the casters whispering that she’s hefty, plain, and midwestern, and leaves for the wings, but the director gives her an invitation to an audition for his friend Harbuckle’s show, who’s looking for a new lead understudy after his previous one landed a better role in another play that is someone like Mazie.

Mazie arrives at the audition the next day. Her name isn’t on the list but the director, Gerard Pierce, and Mr. Harbuckle, the producer, let her in any way. She sings for them and gets wonderful feedback, they tell her she lands the role. But, the role she’s taking on will cover a total of four female parts and require a lot of work in the play, which will only tour throughout the Corn Belt, not Broadway. She needs the job desperately and convinces them that she’s no stranger to hard work.

Mazie calls home and tells her mom that she landed a show. Her mom says she’ll do everything she can to make Mazie’s dream of being on Broadway possible.

On her first day at rehearsal, Mazie is shown the ropes by the director. He lays out the plot of the play, a young farming boy named Ned falls for an upper-class girl named Sally, and how there are only eight actors total with two understudies, one male, and one female, who will each be covering four roles. The director gets a little touchy with Mazie, making her uncomfortable. Later, Mazie attempts to join the other actresses, Gloria, Wanda, Darlene, and Fiona, but they exclude her, Fiona pointing out how “friendly” she is with the director. Mazie realizes how out of her league she really is.

Mazie calls Jesse’s farm but gets Lois on the line. She’s upset with Mazie for leaving and hangs up, telling her Jesse is struggling to move into his new life on the farm. Mazie realizes how selfish she’s been by calling. She continues to attend rehearsals and gets to practice square dancing with the other actors.

Mazie practices her songs constantly with Mrs. Cooper at the boardinghouse and the show finishes rehearsals, but the actors continue to ignore her. As Mazie sets to leave the Boardinghouse she leaves a letter thanking Mrs. Cooper, who shows up to give a notebook for all of the last-minute changes Mazie will need to keep track of. Boarding the bus to go on tour, Mazie spots a seat near the other understudy but trips on her way there. Clive, the leading Broadway actor playing Ned, helps her up and she accidentally flirts with him, embarrassing herself.

The stage manager, Gwyn, and Mazie ride together on the bus, comparing notes. Mazie gets assigned her motel room then goes out to a cafe where she practices the lines for Sally. On her way back, she gets called into Pierce’s room where he puts his hands on her. Mazie backs out of the room, telling him to keep his hands to himself and he threatens to ruin her career in show businesses. She runs back to her room, barricading and locking the door.

The first performance of the show commences and Mazie manages to avoid Pierce. At intermission, she attempts to join in the conversation but is ignored once again. Gloria seems a little off, but the performance finishes without a hitch.

Mazie gets fitted for her understudy costumes by Kathleen, the costume manager, and Pierce walks in when she’s half-dressed, commenting that she should “lay off the butter, Butterfield”. The second performance gets off to a bit of a rocky start and at intermission, Darlene falls and twists her ankle. Mazie goes on in her place and does well for having no rehearsal, even if she does make a few mistakes. Afterward, Pierce sidles up to her and offers to give her another “personal lesson” on acting. People congratulate her for stepping in and saving the show, but the praise is tainted with shame because Mazie knows she should have stood up for herself.

For the next performance, Mazie is called on to play Sally. She stresses and Kathleen frantically alters her costumes. Clive, playing Ned, encourages her and practices with her briefly. She does her dance warm-up with a chair that calms her down, even though the audience is disappointed they don’t get to see Gloria.

Mazie performs as Sally, making minimal mistakes but compensating for it with her voice. Everyone on the cast and crew helps her. During the finale, with the new tractor, a large gust of smoke belches in Mazie’s face and she gets disoriented, Clive having to lead her onstage while laughing. They act out the scene with the kiss, but Mazie accidentally holds it too long and embarrasses herself.

Clive visits Mazie in her dressing room to talk, coming out about how he’s gay. Mazie understands and tells him she already has someone back home. Everybody congratulates her for making it through the show, but Pierce insults her performance. Clive stands up for Mazie.

On the bus ride to the next performance, Gloria has to puke on the side of the road. Clive said she was sick and that’s why Mazie had to go on, but he suspects she’s pregnant (she already has three kids at home).

Gloria left the production and Gwyn gets Mazie to sign for the principal role, even though it would be taking away from Fiona. She changes her name to Mazie Malone.

Mazie applies extra makeup to look the part of her role but doesn’t feel like herself. Fiona makes a jealous comment about her looking like a ratty country girl. Mazie practices being Sally with Clive and Gwyn and sings to herself in the theater afterward.

Mazie feels close to home and goes shopping with Kathleen to find new clothes that match her new role. She buys some pants and a jacket, despite the expense.

The next performance goes off without a hitch.

Talking to Kathleen, Mazie gets anxious going back home that no one will be proud of her, especially Jesse, and she still loves him.

After another performance, Mazie is touched and talked to by Pierce again in a way that makes her extremely uncomfortable. She sees Jesse, who attended the show and he offers to give the guy a talking to. He leaves, but before he does he says he barely recognizes the Mazie she has become, he misses the old Mazie Butterfield who he knew and loved.

For her birthday Mazie goes to the bar with the cast and crew and gets drunk.

Mazie starts acting like herself again and performs how she thinks Sally should be rather than just imitating Gloria. When Pierce insults her performance and touches her at intermission she stands up for herself. During a dancing scene in a beauty parlor, two major set pieces get stuck and Mazie has to jump through a window, followed by the other actresses, to finish the scene. Soon after, something explodes in the back, destroying the sets while the girls duck for cover. In the dressing room, Pierce blames Mazie for the destroyed sets and everyone realizes what a jerk he is, Fiona chasing him out of the room. All of the actresses comfort and thank Mazie for saving them.

Mazie goes home for the week she has off for the production company to replace the destroyed sets. She invites her friends Kathleen and Clive but neither want to come because they’re too busy. Mazie and her Papa make up.

Mazie talks and reunites with her family. She hears that Jesse left because he knew she was coming.

Mazie drives to the Schmidt farm to see if Jesse is there and ends up talking to Mrs. Schmidt, who forgives her.

Mazie goes to Madame Durant’s ballet studio and surprises her in class. The Madame missed her and it reminds her of how far she’s come.

Clive invites Mazie to a dinner party and when she arrives she discovers it’s packed with people who are gay, not that she’s surprised for Clive to be with his people. She runs into Lois, who is snuggling another woman and is still angry with her.

Mazie is introduced to Vivi, Lois’s partner, and Lois opens up about her life. At sixteen, during the Second World War when her dad was in Germany and her mom was off translating for the troops, Lois had to drop out of school to take care of the family. Joy raised Jesse and the others while she went and got a job as a mechanic at the airfield because they were in desperate need of workers what with all the men leaving for the army. She fell in love with Vivi then and has been her partner ever since. After the war, jobs for females as mechanics were closed and Lois took up farm work to prove to her father that she wanted to take over the farm. She and Mazie get into an argument over what’s best for Jesse, but Mazie leaves.

Mazie and her family go swimming and her father forgives her for leaving, realizing she had to go. Her mother gives her Nana’s hidden traveling bags.

Mazie visits her Nana’s grave and wishes she were here. She drives to the Schmidt farm one last time to tell Lois to stand up for herself and really do what’s best for Jesse and for Lois herself. Jesse interrupts their conversation and Mazie runs away, too disheartened to face him because she knows there’s no chance for her to make things right.

Mazie returns to the tour and Mr. Harbuckle offers her along with the other actresses in the show the chance in a Broadway musical on the chorus, but they can only choose two actresses.

The tour continues and Mr. Harbuckle arranges a meeting with the director of the Broadway show. Mazie goes in for an audition but the director talks about changing things about her and she refuses, choosing to stay true to herself rather than doing what somebody else wants.

Mazie realizes she’s connected to her character Sally more than she thought. She’d rather lose on her own terms than win on anyone else’s.

After the final performance, Mazie avoids drunken salesmen at the after-party. She is met by Gwyn on her way back to her motel room, who offers her a role in an off-Broadway show in need of singers who could dance some ballet and understudy for some roles if need be. Mazie accepts with enthusiasm.

Mazie says goodbye to the cast and crew of the production, promising to meet Clive at a restaurant in New York next week and thanking Mr. Harbuckle for offering her a chance. When she gets to the boardinghouse she is welcomed by Mrs. Cooper who gives her a loving hug. Mazie walks about the city and Times Square reflecting on her career so far. She arrives for her first audition at the new production with Gwyn and is reminded of why she loves theater.

Rehearsals continue and Mazie builds more of her dancing skills. She spends her time with Mrs. Cooper at the boardinghouse and is met at her room by a new girl named Ivy Pearl who’s come from the country like her. Mazie shows her the list of auditions and tells her that she’s going to miss every opportunity she didn’t take if she has to leave and offers to join her for an audition the next day. She also tells her to never forget herself no matter what anybody says and gives up half of her shower time.

While doing chores, Mazie hears about the Center for Radiophysics and Space Research holding a sky-watching party to spot a satellite that just launched in upstate New York. She wants to feel closer to Jesse so she packs for a short trip and on her way out of the door runs into Jesse. The two kiss and make up, Jesse revealing that he’ll be staying in New York because Lois demanded to take over the farm, leaving him free to enroll in classes at the physics department at NYU.

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The established overall rating for Mazie by Melanie Crowder is 4 stars, and it would be recommended for you if you were into the 1950s, theater, singing, dancing, acting, music, feminism, reading about self-discovery, New York, country life, or following your dreams. Ultimately, the novel contains beautiful and relateable descriptions as well as a character who comes to terms with a beautiful message about staying true to herself, though it could have had more-developed side characters and included flashbacks from Mazie's past. I enjoyed reading this book, and it is definitely worth a read. Bookmarks and projects related to this book can be found on our website, in our shop, and on our blog. Check out the podcast or explore to find more on the Book Nook, comprehensive book reviews for all.