Francesca “Frankie” Mazza

Known throughout the novel and this guide as Frankie, Francesca “Frankie” Mazza was very young when her father, Gaspare, left her at an orphanage where she remained until the nuns make her leave when she is 17 years of age. Frankie is a strong character, but she is also the product of her environment and her upbringing. She grows up believing that her mother died in childbirth and knowing that her father does not want her. She is devastated when she learns that her mother did not die and has been living in an asylum for years and her father basically cast her aside to marry Ada. That spurs Frankie into taking control of her life, saving money so that she and Toni can live in a place of their own away from Gaspare and Ada. She is not particularly adaptable and finds she has difficulty talking...