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The Story of Chicago May

3.08 of 5 stars 3.08 · rating details · 235 ratings · 48 reviews

A unique, ruminative biography-a fascinating excursion into the American underworld at the dawn of the twentieth century, the life of an unrespectable Irish woman, and the hidden inner life of any woman who has tried to choose the unconventional path-by the author of the New York Times bestsellers Are You Somebody? and My Dream of You.

Nuala O'Faolain, the author of three...more A unique, ruminative biography-a fascinating excursion into the American underworld at the dawn of the twentieth century, the life of an unrespectable Irish woman, and the hidden inner life of any woman who has tried to choose the unconventional path-by the author of the New York Times bestsellers Are You Somebody? and My Dream of You.

Nuala O'Faolain, the author of three consecutive New York Times bestsellers, has come upon a story that is not only a perfect match for her literary gifts but also takes her career in a surprising and rich new direction. This Irish woman writer who achieved international fame with a remarkably candid appraisal of her own unorthodox life has taken as her subject another daughter of Ireland-this one a notorious criminal and unrepentant, independent woman.

The legend says that May was a tall girl with glorious hair and big blue eyes, compellingly attractive to men. At nineteen, she stole her family's savings and ran away from her home in rural Ireland to America-first Nebraska, then Chicago at the time of the World's Fair, and then on to New York. In these new American cities, she worked as a grifter, a confidence trickster, a prostitute, a sometime showgirl-earned her moniker and was hailed in tabloids as "Queen of the Underworld." And then she fell in love with a big-league criminal, followed him to Paris where they successfully robbed the American Express, then were apprehended, tried, and sent to prison. May survived prison, returned to America, and was reborn again and again-falling in love, lapsing back into the criminal life, flirting with legitimacy, writing her memoirs.

O'Faolain brings a sympathetic scrutiny to this extraordinary life story, reaching across the decades for points of connection and understanding. May was born in post-famine Ireland and died in the world of telephones, sportscars, and movies, in 1929, just before the stock-market crash. Is there a woman's experience they can share? An Irishwoman's experience? An outsider's? In the hands of one of our most astute and gifted memoirists, The Story of Chicago May is not only a tale well-told, but an inquiry into the telling of any life story. "There are pioneer journeys still to be made to the edge of the territory where we know how to be sympathetic," O'Faolain writes. "Shine the beam of attention out there and the dark recoils, and the frontier of human settlement moves forward."(less)

Hardcover, 320 pages

Published September 22nd 2005 by Riverhead Hardcover

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Jan 09, 2009 Gabrielle rated it 3 of 5 stars

Chicago May entices with its sensual cover and teaser cover copy to be sure. As a grandchild of an independent fiery red-haired Irishwoman with a terrific attitude and flirtatious nature - I have to say I was intrigued.

I believe the biggest problem with books like this are that there really are some fascinating people out there where there simply aren't enough details available to make for a detailed history. I ran into this same problem with a book on Sir Francis Walsingham. I don't mind a litt...more

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Dec 02, 2011 Lisa rated it 2 of 5 stars

Chicago May was a infamous crook/prostitute during the first three decades of the 20th century. Nuala O’Faolain discovered her story and became increasingly interested in the life of her fellow Irish countrywoman. O’Faolain takes the story of May from May’s own memoir and adds a bit of history and insight. For the most part, the author’s presence is welcome, she provides us with facts about the places and the culture that May lived in, and she has researched what others who knew May, or knew of...more

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Apr 08, 2011 Géraldine rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2011, irlande

p 182 et je suis enchantée :)
qui plus est très belle édition, agréable à lire :)
_________________________

Beau livre (malgré deux fautes d'orthographe flagrantes), par contre la lecture a été un peu laborieuse, je n'ai pas lu vite et j'ai dû faire un petit effort pour continuer chaque jour la lecture. Je n'ai pas dévoré donc. En fin de volume l'auteur dit qu'elle ne ressent pas d'amour pour Chicago May alors qu'elle pensait qu'elle serait proche d'elle. Elle ressent juste une certaine forme de re...more

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May 22, 2011 Lorna rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: adult-biography-autobiography

A biography yes, but different than any I've read. O'Faolain follows the life of famed fellow-Irish woman and criminal Chicago May. It is well researched and written. The material and interesting life of May make it very readable, but it was the personal interjections of O'Faolain that made it quite interesting. I can't think of another biography where you frequently hear the voice of the biographer with her opinions and personal reflections. She also draws parallels between the struggles of May...more

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Feb 10, 2012 Laura rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012, chipublib-ebook

I feel this book was a waste of my time. I didn't come away with any sort of clear picture about who Chicago May really was. The author spent too much of the book speculating about May's life and providing the reader with her interpretation of the autobiography written by Chicago May, which begs the question — why did O'Faolain even bother to write this story? Every other sentence begins with, "I imagine..." or "Perhaps..." or "Maybe..." The book makes me feel like there really wasn't anything s...more

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Jul 26, 2011 Claire added it · review of another edition

An interesting yet highly speculative account of the life of 'Chicago' May Duignan, a young Irish girl who ran away from home in the late 19th century, away from her rural life. Crossing the Atlantic, she soon became a notorious figure in America. This notoriety was clearlyl deserved - May was a well-known confidence trickster, thief, prostitute and sometime showgirl. She spent a considerable amount of time behind bars as a result of her career choices, but she was a strong, intelliegent and det...more

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Jul 18, 2010 Allison rated it 2 of 5 stars

A biography in only the most liberal interpretation of the word, Ms. O'Faolain has instead created a documentary of her life as she sees it intersecting Chicago May's. Since May passed away in 1929, this amounts to Ms. O'Faolain documenting her own thoughts about May's experience as she reads about May's life, follows the scant trail of information still in existence about her, and actually travels through the States to some of the same cities May passed through. The author certainly is not shy...more A biography in only the most liberal interpretation of the word, Ms. O'Faolain has instead created a documentary of her life as she sees it intersecting Chicago May's. Since May passed away in 1929, this amounts to Ms. O'Faolain documenting her own thoughts about May's experience as she reads about May's life, follows the scant trail of information still in existence about her, and actually travels through the States to some of the same cities May passed through. The author certainly is not shy about telling her readers about how little info there is on May (this despite May's having actually written her own autobiography), and proceeds to fluff out her tome with side stories on figures both authentically in May's life (Eddie Guerin) to some truly tenuous connections (Countess Markievicz--who truly ends up seeming a more worthy historical figure in comparison). Add to this the author attempting to fill out the tome with her own imaginings of scenes from May's life, as well as many sidelines into 'The Irishwoman's experience' (despite May herself leaving Ireland at nineteen), and some truly interesting parts of May's life which pass by nearly uncommented on (what about May's life in Egypt?), and what is left feels sadly thin. I can appreciate that there may not be that much left about May, most of the sources used by Ms. O'Faolain are the Pinkerton files and May's own autobiography--but I cannot help but feel that this author has robbed an interesting and tough female figure of her own voice by her interpretation--indeed, there is very little in May's own words recorded here--perhaps due to the authors self-proclaimed disappointment at the quality of the writing in May's memoir. So she just does not include much of that, and silences a voice from the past that many of her readers will never get to hear, as they may never get the luxury to travel to New York to read it. The biggest disappointment, though was seeing first-hand how much the author decided to leave out of the information that WAS available to her--in perusing the photocopied articles on the endpapers, as well as the few that appear in the text, it becomes painfully obvious that the quotes used in the body of this work are not only severely edited, but there is not even a note to the reader that the text HAS been so edited. The personal-commentary style does have a few moments where it seems to enhance the reader's understanding of May's experience, most notably when she is remanded to prison for 10 years, and at her death, but overall, does little for this genre. I would recommend skipping this biography, however, since there is little in existence on Chicago May, this is not practical for anyone interested in her, the time period, or the lives of notorious female criminals of the past. Whatever its flaws, this book must remain a must-read until better options exist.(less)

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Oct 28, 2010 Slayermel rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: anyone interested in historical crooks / true crime

Shelves: irish, 21st-century, biography, female-authors, history, non-fiction, true-crime, 2010, bookcrossing

I had stumbled across this book in the bargain section of chapters and it sounded very interesting from the description on the back. I had never heard of Chicago May before and I was intrigued to find out what would make a young girl from Ireland run away from home to become a notorious crook and prostitute in The United States. Granted she traveled abroad for quite a while and was not just causing mischief in the states.

May seemed to have a real adventurous side to her and I’m still left wonde...more

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Apr 09, 2010 Bridget rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2010-reads

I have been wanting to read this book for a long time, as I am a fan of O'Faolain's writing, and I also find the lives of infamous people fascinating - where did they come from, how did they end up doing whatever it is that made them famous, etc. This book was a nice combination of the two. In addition to that, it was my first choice for the "What's in a Name" reading challenge, serving as a book with a place name in the title.

The story begins as May Duignan, 19 years old, is running away from h...more I have been wanting to read this book for a long time, as I am a fan of O'Faolain's writing, and I also find the lives of infamous people fascinating - where did they come from, how did they end up doing whatever it is that made them famous, etc. This book was a nice combination of the two. In addition to that, it was my first choice for the "What's in a Name" reading challenge, serving as a book with a place name in the title.

The story begins as May Duignan, 19 years old, is running away from her family home in Edenmore, County Longford, Ireland. Edenmore was a small town and many of its inhabitants, including May's family, were barely eaking out an existence. She has sixty sovereigns in her pocket, and a desire to "get out of town." The year is 1890.

By the time May arrives in America, she has already to make do and be quick-witted; when she is asked who will be responsible for her here, she names an uncle that she doesn't really remember, but that she knows emigrated to America years ago, and is living in Nebraska. O'Faolain's research showed no one with May's family name living in Nebraska at the time - however, throughout her life, she gave different names at different times, depending on the situation, so there is the chance that she didn't use her real name upon entry to the country.

May makes her way to Nebraska, and there her life as part of the criminal element begins. She falls in love with a man named Dal Churchill, who is a known thief, highway robber, etc., in the rough and tumble area which was then thought of as the American West. From here to the end of the book, we follow May to several cities in several countries as she does what it takes to survive. O'Faolain theorizes that, because she has no formal education or skills, her choices are limited. She looks around, and realizes that being a con artist, or a prostitute, or simply a petty thief is more financially lucrative than many of the jobs open to the Irish during that time period. She does have a brief period of marriage and respectable domesticity, but the lure of her other life wins out in the end.

This book was a fascinating read. O'Faolain manages to make May a real person, though not necessarily a likable one. You feel for her, but at a certain point you also realize that she is making decisions for herself, and realizes what the consequences are of being caught. The people who surround her are interesting in and of themselves, and their place in her story and her orbit add to the sense of dangerous adventure that is May's story.

In addition, I enjoyed the aspect of the book which talked about the law enforcement practices of the time, as well as society's changing attitudes towards criminals. There is plenty of corruption to go around, as well as attempts to reform the criminal justice system. There are stories of various members of a family who work for the Pinkerton Detective Agency. There is a description of the "job" in Paris at the American Express Building, which was one of the biggest heists of its time. Basically, there's a little something for everyone here, if social history interests you.

O'Faolain's journey up to the time she writes the book, and once it is written, is also of interest. Her fascination with May Duignan sends her on not just a physical journey from place to place, but a personal one as she comes to grips with some of her own demons related to her late younger brother.

There are ways I think that this book could have been better. There are parts that drag, at least as far as I am concerned. But I found it to be a good read, and a fascinating look at a life that was not necessarily atypical for its time and place.(less)

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Feb 08, 2008 Steven rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: biography, womenareamystery, irish-blood

Interesting biography of the colorful criminal known as Chicago May. The author does a great job pointing out that the purpose of this biography is to give a voice to women of that period that had no voice.

Chicago May was born in Ireland and stole her parents life savings to get to America. She had no desire to get back. She, like so many immigrants of the day, looked to America as a place of transformation. Much of the book is about the immigrant experience and the lengths May would go to achei...more

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Apr 12, 2011 Mary rated it 2 of 5 stars

When am I going to learn? I have made a point in the last few years, to stop reading when I don't care for a book. There are just too many good ones. But I continued to read and waited for this book to get good. It was a waste of time, though. I don't wish to speak ill of the dead (Chicago May or Nuala O'Faolain) the book was like reading a really long email...information on Chicago May with interjections of Ms.O'Faolain's life experience. It turns out May was just a bad girl who came to a bad e...more

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May 02, 2010 Rdonn rated it 4 of 5 stars

I was fascinated by the choice of a prostitute, gangster, liar, etc. for the subject of a biograpy. O'Faolain pieces together the history of May, interspersing it with bits of her own life, and especially her alcoholic brother. She manages to shed light on an Irish experience that probably is not unlike many women at the turn of the century. I, personally, am a bit put off by the intrusion of the author into so much, but that is not the opinion of many others. It is an interesting read.

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Apr 10, 2013 Jen rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: audio-books, non-fiction

The problem that I had with this book is one that the author admits to right away. She pretty much has to make up the book. It is an "imagining" of what Chicago May's life was like interspersed with details and pieces from her original autobiography. It was a little too much fiction for me. Maybe it would have helped if the author had just stopped interjecting herself into the book. She has a very lyrical style-it just distracted me from what the book was supposed to be about.

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Feb 02, 2009 Kristin rated it 2 of 5 stars

I have to say that I was really excited to read about one of my favorite topics, Irish hookers at the turn of the century, but I was disappointed. I even made myself finish reading the book thinking that it would get better. I guess the authors story meshed with Chicago May's story didn't do it for me. I was more interested in Chicago May, no offense to the author.

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Mar 20, 2008 Selena rated it 3 of 5 stars Recommends it for: hookers, history buffs, lovers of Ireland

This story is interesting and has a lot of potential. I think it was just too much good material that went by the wayside caused by an author who infused her own life story into that of "Chicago May's." I love a good turn-of-the-century underworld story (e.g. "Devil in the White City) but this was somewhat of a disappointment. It was great learning a bit about Chicago May but, her history (or lack thereof) would be best framed by a semi-non-fiction novel, not a non-fiction meets memoir. It remin...more

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Jan 13, 2010 Denise rated it 4 of 5 stars

Never heard of Chicago May, but this book paints a very colorful picture of a woman who had to sell her herself to make a living.

And Chicago May was damn good looking, she was hired to move from Chicago to Egypt to entertain men.

Of course, men cause her a lot of suffering too. Fascinating research by the author about why she left Ireland and how.

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Aug 31, 2009 Linda rated it 2 of 5 stars

I agree with another reader's review, Selena Higgins. I had just got through reading Devil in the White City, so this seemed extremely interesting to me. Unfortunately, I was very disappointed. The writer, in my opinion, puts too much of her own life and her critique into the book. I would just start to be really immersed in the story and then be ripped back to the 21st century to hear what the author thought of May. It also seemed to me that the author was very harsh in her judgment of this ver...more

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Mar 19, 2010 Natalie added it

This was a touching story. I connected more with the author than with Chicago May herself. Nuala O'Faolain's voice is tender and charming and I didn't mind her little tidbits of conjecture. I definitely recommend this book.

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Jul 02, 2011 Tom rated it 3 of 5 stars

The author interjects too much of herself, especially toward the end, but over all this is a sublime and affecting story of one Irish immigrant's lifelong journey through the underworld.

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Mar 21, 2007 carrie rated it 3 of 5 stars

In this book, she writes about a woman of a certain distinction who went by the name of Chicago May. She tries to understand something about her by the little information she comes across in her research. If you like reading social history through the exploration of a certain character, I recommend this book. I am a sucker for stories about strong women who do things that go against the grain. May does whatever she can to escape her difficult life in Ireland. She comes to the United States and,...more

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Mar 10, 2008 Mary rated it 2 of 5 stars

Overall the book was interesting, spanning many decades and countries. I understand that it was difficult to find records of this individual and the author fills the gaps with her conclusions based on their common home and her knowledge of historical circumstances.

One thing I found very distracting were the tangents that O'Faoloin followed. At one point, rather than simply give a brief overview of a new character's background and significance she gives an abbreviated history of the Irish struggl...more

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Jun 02, 2008 Monique rated it 2 of 5 stars

Chicago May is a fascinating character, but O'Faolain's blend of memoir and biography doesn't do her subject any favors. She tries to impose too many similarities between herself and May, I think, and she speculates far too much not just about the facts of May's life but about how May "must have felt." She approaches her subject from the perspective that prostitution is necessarily shameful, demeaning, and humiliating, and while I'd personally agree with that, I think it's far from a universal a...more

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Feb 19, 2008 Jays rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: history, a-harp-and-a-fiddle

Nuala O'Faolain knows how to give good memoir, but she seriously did a number with this one. There are a lot of stories about Irish immigrants in the 19th century, but Chicago May has got to be one of the more interesting cases. What makes O'Faolain's take so interesting is that she spends far more time focusing on the themes of May's life than on the events, which are mostly lost to time. She really gets into May's head, insomuch as it is possible to do so, and makes the real person come to lif...more

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Apr 23, 2009 Gwen rated it 3 of 5 stars

No fluff....you don't love her, but can respect her. She's someone who lived for the here and now....painful as that may have been.

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Aug 05, 2009 DeAnna rated it 4 of 5 stars

I loved learning about Chicago May. Like "Devil in the White City," this true story was told so well, it could've been a novel.

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Nov 27, 2008 Irina rated it 2 of 5 stars

The author admits that only a few accurate and specific details about Chicago May are available (why she did what she did), so it seems that much of the book is conjecture by the author. Additionally, Chicago May's history is clouded by conflicting information (for example, what she says happened vs. what polic reports say happened). I would have preferred to see this turned into a historical fiction novel, rather than to continuously read "I imagine that she..." or "it might have been that..."...more

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May 31, 2008 Emilie rated it 2 of 5 stars

i don't see myself finishing this one. i bought it because i love reading stories of vice in that era, especially in chicago. when i'm reading a biography, i like to learn something along with being entertained. but i can't help but feel that what i'm reading is bullshit when a lot of the sentences start with, "now, i imagine that...". also, the author brings way too much of herself into the book. i'm not very interested in your journey from library to library looking for crap about chicago may....more

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Jul 12, 2010 Laurie Furness rated it 4 of 5 stars

this was a pretty nitty gritty book true story

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Jul 28, 2011 Jody added it

Eye opener. Loved it.

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Nov 27, 2012 Sandy Brogan rated it 4 of 5 stars

Saucy

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About Nuala O'Faolain

Nuala O'Faolain is an Irish journalist, columnist and writer who attended a convent school in the north of Ireland, studied English at University College, Dublin, and medieval English literature at the University of Hull before earning a postgraduate degree in English from Oxford.

She returned to University College as a lecturer in the English department, and later was journalist, TV producer, boo...more

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Books by Nuala O'Faolain

Are You Somebody?: The Accidental Memoir of a Dublin Woman

A Radiant Life: The Selected Journalism of Nuala O'Faolain

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