Gabe Oppenheim

"In August of 1931, a dashing 25-year-old artist named Norma Jeanne Bernstein – was driven back to Manhattan by her father to submit to a police interrogation. Her lover, Dr. Milton Thomashefsky, had just been shot in the spine by his nurse – Agnes Birdseye. This is the tale of a NYC love triangle that marked the convergence of three major families..."

The first thing that readers will notice about "A New York City Love Triangle" is the author's intimate yet informal style. Like having show more coffee with a colleague to catch up on the latest gossip; which is absolutely fitting for a society scandal like this. Oppenheim includes personal details - what other historians might consider trivial - to successfully build an engaging portrait of each person and their families. It's these lesser details that remind the reader that these were real, flawed people with still-living descendants, not just a single, sordid, snapshot in time.

However, I do think Agnes Birdseye got lost in the limelight of Norma Bernstein and that of her own relatives. Once the crime is committed, troubled Agnes disappears from the narrative almost entirely. I was slightly disappointed on her behalf. Even the cause of all this madness, Dr. Thomashefsky, is inconsequential compared to the glamorous Nora or even his celebrated father.

Honestly, all the pieces are here for a proper biography of Nora instead of a true crime. The timeline is tricky to follow, but with a bit of rearranging and finesse, this would be an excellent tribute to Nora's truly exciting life. Numerous photos of her paintings, family members, and travel souvenirs are scattered throughout. They abruptly interrupt the narrative sometimes, but that's all in the editing later. I encourage everyone to check this one out! It's a dramatic tale of complicated, sexually charged power dynamics with violent consequences!

Thank you to the author for reaching out and offering a free copy in return for an honest review! show less