Author: Joe Giordano
Pages: 260
Published: 2015
Challenges: E-book, Historical Fiction
Genre: Historical Fiction
Edition: Ebook
Source: ARC; I received this book for an honest review from Italy Book Reviews
Description: What turns the gentle mean and the mean brutal? The thirst for wealth? The demand for respect? Vying for a woman? Birds of Passage recalls the Italian immigration experience at the turn of the twentieth-century when New York’s streets were paved with violence and disappointment.
Leonardo Robustelli leaves Naples in 1905 to seek his fortune. Carlo Mazzi committed murder and escaped. Azzura Medina is an American of Italian parents. She’s ambitious but strictly controlled by her mother. Leonardo and Carlo vie for her affection.
Azzura, Leonardo, and Carlo confront con men, Tammany Hall politicians, the longshoreman’s union, Camorra clans, Black Hand extortion, and the Tombs prison. (via Publisher)
Thoughts: The story took me a while to capture my attention due to a number of factors including I couldn't get easily into the main storyline. I felt that the book was a bit disjointed and felt that it could have been a little more polished and the storyline a little more flowing. It also felt that it was a bit of an easy read for me and I was able to quickly read the book. The book could have easily been about another 50 pages, with the story a little more fleshed out and have a little more meat on the bones.
What I did like was the setting of the story. Having seen images of that era in New York, I think it was good to see a book set in what would be considered the rougher side of early 20th century New York. I also felt partial to Leonard and would have liked to see his story a little more fleshed out.
Overall the book was an okay read and there really wasn't too much that was really bad about the book and would probably interest those interested in the experience of immigrants in the early 20th century in New York. Recommended.
Author's Bio:
Joe Giordano was born in Brooklyn. His father and grandparents immigrated to New York from Naples. Joe and his wife, Jane have lived in Greece, Brazil, Belgium and the Netherlands. They now live in Texas with their shih tzu Sophia. Joe's stories have appeared in more than sixty magazines including Bartleby Snopes, The Newfound Journal, and The Summerset Review.
eBook Promotion:
The Kindle copy of Birds of Passage will be free to download for five days starting the day after the end of this virtual tour (Saturday, November 7th through Wednesday, November 11th)
Tour Schedule:
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