Page Turners: Books on McKees Rocks restaurant owner & Pittsburgh author's acclaimed debut

(Page Turners is a monthly profile of regional authors)

"Chlorine"

-- by Jade Song

The Allegheny County author's debut novels is among the highest-praised coming-of-age novels of 2023.

The book blurs the line between a literary narrative and a dark unsettling horror tale, told from an adult perspective on the trials and tribulations of growing up in a society that puts pressure on young women and their bodies. The protagonist, Ren Yu is a swimming enthusiast and fierce young woman who’s dreamed of mermaids ever since she can remember.

Acclaim has come from reviews in The New York Times, The Economist and the Harvard Crimson ("an exceptionally strong debut... It’s shocking and tender, fantastical and intimate, gorgeous and grotesque.")

Now New York-based, Song is a North Allegheny High graduate.

"N.A. Tigers born and raised," she says. "Throughout high school I worked as a lifeguard at YMCAs and community neighborhood pools in the local area. I attended swim summer camps and swim meets all throughout my childhood at the University of Pittsburgh and took piano lessons at Carnegie Mellon for six years, too.”

"On The Rocks"

-- by Maria C. Palmer and Ruthie Robbins

This behind-the-scenes true story profiles Pittsburgh area restaurateur Joseph Costanzo, Jr., who's hailed as a study in contradictions.

The son of Italian immigrants, Costanzo turned blue-collar McKees Rocks into a sought-out destination for fine Italian dining at The Primadonna, which in its heyday drew the attention of celebrities, sports icons and well-known journalists − and eventually the federal government.

Known for its signature Southern Italian dishes that nourished stomachs and souls, The Primadonna’s generous portion sizes were eclipsed only by Costanzo’s larger-than-life personality, explains his daughter Maria C. Palmer, one of the book's authors.

“The moment that you walked in, regardless of how busy we were, my dad was at the front of the house, and he was greeting you,” Palmer, a regular co-moderator for the Food Is Religion Club on the Clubhouse website, recalled during a recent interview. “My dad was invested in customers. He wanted to be part of people’s lives. I think that’s what makes this experience so memorable. People loved being special.”

Palmer and co-author Ruthie Robbins, who was Palmer’s Montour High School English teacher, open a door to the past and welcome readers to The Primadonna, where Costanzo treated neighborhood regulars with the same warmth and hospitality with which he greeted the likes of Danny Aiello, Jamie Lee Curtis and Tommy Lasorda.

Written from Costanzo’s perspective, "On the Rocks" traces his unlikely rise from a postal worker with an impossible dream to owner of a nationally acclaimed restaurant.

“The restaurant was like his third child; it was the son he never had,” Palmer said. “He was at the top of his game when everything spiraled out of control. That’s what makes this story so rich. He really did the impossible. He took this nothing, failing business and turned it into this diamond in the rough. Then it all got pulled away. Just as fast as it rose, it fell.”

The book will be released Aug. 8 but is available for presale now at mariacpalmer.com and costs $30.95 for hardback; $19.95 for paperback; $7.99 on Kindle.

Scott Tady is entertainment editor at the Beaver County Times and easy to reach at stady@timesonline.com.

This article originally appeared on Beaver County Times: North Hills author writes acclaimed debut; McKees Rocks book impresses