The absolutely, positively, practically, almost-true story of infamous burlesque queen and magic meatball maker Belladonna Marie Donato.
Pregnant at fifteen after gleefully losing her virginity to pansexual neighborhood strongman Francis Anthony Mozzarelli, Bella is robbed of her baby by a pack of nefarious nuns and her embittered papa has her sterilized without her consent (legal in 1935). With the help of a besotted Francis, a newfound family of queercentric outcasts, and a top-secret meatball recipe, a devastated Bella embarks on a riotous quest through Depression-era Coney Island sideshows, the tawdry world of peekaboo striptease routines, a doomed mob marriage, and a tasty collection of wisdom-filled recipes to find her lost child, herself, and maybe even true love. It all leads Bella back home, to the scene of her original sin, where she boldly faces matters of life and death, questions of forgiveness, and a holy mess only the healing properties of great Italian cooking can fix.
reviews
Kirkus Reviews (Starred)
“Love, pain, and nearly magical meatballs make the story of Bella Donato a delightful read.”
Forew0rd Reviews
“The Queen of Steeplechase Park, a heartrending, humorous novel about friendship amid despair”
Bookmonger
"Portland author David Ciminello’s debut novel commands attention in a raucous style reminiscent of literary bizarro czar Tom Robbins. Perhaps both authors could be characterized as novelistic libertarians in the best sense — writing exuberant, no-holds-barred stories full of heart and eclectic characters."
BAY AREA Reporter
“This is one of the standout feel-good novels of the summer and it will tickle your funny bone, pull at your heartstrings, and remind all of us about the power of forgiveness and friendship, and the preciousness of life, love, and Italian cooking. “
FANNIe FLAGG
"David Ciminello has written a great big rollercoaster of a novel… Read this book! Hilarious and heartbreaking at the same time.”
-Best-selling author of Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe
Electric literature
“The Queen of Steeplechase Park is a novel that puts its faith in people believing in themselves, and the result is a joyful read “
STEVAN ALLRED
"David Ciminello is a writer with an ear for gritty urban rhythms, a love of wordplay and a gift for making the nostalgic past relevant today. . . The Queen of Steeplechase Park crackles with the hyper-real comic book energy of a graphic novel, and the recipes are a primer on how to live your best life. Buon appetito! Mangiare bene! Delizioso!”
-Author of The Alehouse at the End of the World
adriana trigiani
“This is a wild ride!
It’s all what you loved about Moonstruck and the Italian oeuvre of books, of Mario Puzo.”
-Author of Lucia, Lucia
Lidia Yuknavitch
"David Ciminello has reanimated Depression-era Coney Island with such vivid and dazzling detail that I wanted to laugh, cry, eat a hot dog, and go for a swim all at once . . . A phenomenal story . . . I couldn’t put it down!”
-Author of Thurst
BLAIR FELL
“The Queen of Steeplechase Park is a tasty tale of love, sex, and the holy magic of homemade Italian cooking.“
Author of The Sign for Home
interviews
David in conversation with Blair Fell.
Recorded June 7, 2024 @ BGSQD in
New York Ciy, NY
Recorded: June 27, 2024 Portland, OR
THIS QUEER BOOK SAVED MY LIFE talks to David about the book that saved his life: More Tales of the City by Armistead Maupin.
Check out David’s favorite book recommendations curated for Shepherd.com, a brilliant new way to discover books!
About David
Photo by Brian DelaneyDAVID CIMINELLO is a Lambda Literary Fellow and the proud recipient of a Table 4 Writers Foundation Grant.
His short fiction has appeared in the Lambda Award-winning anthology PORTLAND QUEER: TALES OF THE ROSE CITY and in fine artist Stephen O’Donnell’s THE
UNTOLD GAZE. His poetry has been published in POETRY NORTHWEST . One piece particularly close to his heart, about his obsession with the cult hit soap opera Dark Shadows, appears in NAILED MAGAZINE. And for fans of his debut novel, a special treat, a published excerpt, TAKE ME BACK TO DREAMLAND , from book two of the Belladonna trilogy.
His original screenplay Bruno, an Academy Nicholl Fellowships in Screenwriting finalist, was made into a motion picture directed by Shirley MacLaine and stars Kathy Bates, Gary Sinese, and Jennifer Tilly.
As an actor David has guest starred on Seinfeld (“The Barber”), Murder She Wrote, Matlock, and Kojak.
David and his husband, photographer and podcast artist Brian Delaney, currently reside in Portland, Oregon.
CONTACT DAVID
