The Anarchist’s Wife tells the story of the Sacco and Vanzetti case from the perspective of Nicola Sacca’s Wife, Rosa Sacco. The story tells of Rosa’s courtship and marriage to Nicola Sacco. Her husband has anarchist’s views which took a bit of persuasion for her family to give permission for their wedding. She spends most of her time raising her children. One day, Tosa’s husband is accused of robbery and double murder at a factory in Massachusetts. He is eventually found guilty and is executed, though many presume he is innocent. Rosa writes a memoir to dedicate to her daughter, Ines, so that she can get to know her father.

I really liked Rosa. She was very intelligent and a strong-willed woman. She is also a caring mother. I also like how she is very devoted to her husband, Nicola. Even though she isn’t sure if he is innocent, she always sticks by him and does not abandon him. Therefore, I admire Rosa’s tenacity. I was interested to know her ending.

Overall, this novel is about love, family, and violence. Aside from Rosa, I was not invested in any of the characters, especially her husband. Nicola seemed very shady in the beginning, but I could see Rosa’s love for him. I also found the writing to be very stilted and the chapters flowed unevenly at times. There were also parts of the book that felt rushed while others parts of the novella seemed to drag. Nevertheless, it was still a very moving and heart-wrenching read. Rosa’s story is very tragic. I had never heard of the case before so this story was very illuminating. The story is meticulously researched, and made the Roaring 20s come alive. The Anarchist’s Wife is a must read for those who love true crime. I recommend this for fans of Fred and Edie, Black Water, and Quiet Dell!

In 1920, Nicola Sacco and Bartolomeo Vanzetti, Italian immigrants and Anarchists, were arrested for armed robbery and murder. There was little evidence against them and the case became a cause celebre garnering world-wide interest and support for the pair coming from sources as diverse as future Associate Justice of the Supreme Court Felix Frankfurter and Mussolini. Despite this, they were found guilty and electrocuted on August 23,1927.

The Anarchist’s Wife: A Novella of the 1920s Sacco and Vanzetti case is a historical fiction account of the event told as a memoir by Rosa, Sacco’s wife, to their daughter, Inez. The author, Margo Laurie, is very clear that this is fiction and, although there are some references to the actual events, it deals mainly with how it is all perceived by Rosa and how it affects her and their children. As such, Vanzetti plays a very minor role here. I would have preferred more about the actual case and felt it was limited by the length. Overall, though, I did enjoy the story. It was well-written and it should be noted that Laurie gives a more detailed account of the actual events at the end of the book for those, like me, who are interested in learning more.

3.5

<i>Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review</i>

This one is a quick and easy to read historical fiction and I quite enjoyed it. Set in the 1920's and the Anarchists Movement in America and revolved around the wife of one member and how her life panned out due to the events of this period. It has some realness to it and the notes the author provides at the end of the book helped me to understand the story better.

It is a great novella and I wouldn't have minded it being a bit longer. But the story was covered and the subject matter was very interesting. I found it rather intriguing and loved that it was a story through the eyes of the wife.

Great read and I would recommend.

I loved the voice of this historical fiction novel - that of Nicola Sacco’s sweet but intelligent and strong wife Rosa. writing an account of events for their daughter who was born during the infamous Sacco and Vanzetti trial in the early part of the twentieth century. While I appreciate the perspective the author employed, I’d love to have learned more about the motive behind the trial - the scapegoating of two Italian immigrants to cast a dark shadow on anarchists. There’s a lot of sympathy elicited for both Rosa and Nicola, and I enjoyed the rhythm and pace of the story, but the author’s note at the end was a bit dense and long. Many thanks to Net Galley for the privilege of reading this ARC!
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I was excited about the premise of this book but I'll admit I didn't love it. The writing felt a bit messy for me and it had a big lack of information. Instead of adding it all to the last part why not to present it well written jn a respectful way in the actual plot? It would have been better and the book would be important. I liked the idea the author had on presenting the book as a letter to Ines but I don't even feel it was a good way. I don't know I just feel disappointed on this one and it's sad because it had everything on information to make it an important historical fiction book... With all that information already published, all the podcasts and information the author could find and we read at the end of the book, she could have written an amazing novel.