Grazie, Dio! In THE SISTERS MALLONE, a talented writer has finally created independent female Italian-American protagonists not afraid to stand up for themselves --- especially with the men in their lives. Helen and Mary, two sisters in the eponymous triumvirate, are not long-suffering, lasagne-baking characters a la Carmela Soprano. These broads --- and broads is the only term that applies --- are tough-talking and even rougher acting. You can bet the men involved with THE SISTERS MALLONE will toe the line.

Only one man, however, is a notable exception --- little sis Gracie's husband, Frankie Merelli. When the sisters catch him canoodling a chorus-girl, it doesn't take a soothsayer to realize it won't be long before ol' Frankie will be sleeping with the fishes.

THE SISTERS MALLONE is set in Hell's Kitchen in the '20s and '30s, and Ermelino has a genius for the sumptuous details of her characters' daily lives. She is also especially adept at conveying the body language of her hard-boiled characters. Anona, the sisters' grandmother, who reared the girls after their mother's death, is constantly raising an open palm heavenward in frustration for her granddaughters' wayward habits. But if the sisters are sour apples, then the apples didn't fall far from the tree. Anona's charm stems from her searing insults and superstitious explanations for the problems that befall the Mallone girls. Her sweeping denunciations and caustic wit make her one of the novel's most memorable characters.

After being widowed, Helen begins hanging out in nightclubs and lesbian bars, which supplies some interesting plot entanglements for the novel. In an immigrant neighborhood where women have little power over their lot, Helen and her wild sister Mary are often a prime source of tongue-clucking and male speculation. It would be a temptation for any feminist author to render these characters with only heroic attributes. Ermelino, however, is careful to endow them with all of the faults their vituperative nonna would be quick to point out. Ermelino's men get the occasional cardboard rendering, but at least not all of them are complete rogues, which might be another temptation.

Readers who value authentic dialogue and brassy female characters will delight in this author's latest work, a worthy follow-up to the wildly engaging book, THE BLACK MADONNA. If leading ladies who pack a powerful punch are your angle, then THE SISTERS MALLONE is the book for you. Where are writers like Ermelino when TV producers are formulating their next series?

   --- Reviewed by Andrea Hoag

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