Naomi Krupitsky

A captivating debut novel about the tangled fates of two best friends and daughters of the Italian mafia, and a coming-of-age story of twentieth-century Brooklyn itself. Two daughters. Two families. One inescapable fate. Sofia Colicchio is a free spirit, loud and untamed. Antonia Russo is thoughtful, ever observing the world around her. Best friends since birth, they live in the shadow of their fathers' unspoken community: the Family. Sunday dinners gather them each week to feast, discuss business, and renew the intoxicating bond borne of blood and love. But the disappearance of Antonia's father drives a whisper-thin wedge between the girls as they grow into women, wives, mothers, and leaders. Their hearts expand in tandem with Red Hook and Brooklyn around them, as they push against the boundaries of society's expectations and fight to preserve their complex but life-sustaining friendship. One fateful night their loyalty to each other and the Family will be tested. Only one of them can pull the trigger before it's too late.

The Family

OliviaPadilla

Kristen Claiborn

This is one of those times I wish I had sat down and written a review immediately upon completing the book. I remember so little of this book and that actually says quite a lot to me. It was unremarkable. There is nothing about this book that wowed me, good or bad. And believe me when I say the bad ones stick around. I actually remember the worse book I ever read, can tell you all about it even, but I have a hard time picking out the best one (there’s just way too many). This one was just “meh.” 
	I do recall being incredibly frustrated with the entirety of everybody in Antonia’s life responded to what was clearly post-partum depression. She had it bad. I understand during that time period that particular depression (or any depression really) just wasn’t a thing. Women were to be controlled, so the doctor’s treatment was for her husband to be more assertive. Dear god. I wouldn’t have been surprised if Antonio did away with herself, I was so disgusted with how she was treated. 
	And unfortunately, that’s pretty much all I remember. Except the ending. I was left unsatisfied. Like an expensive dinner at a Michelin-starred restaurant, it was good, but it wasn’t enough.

Cheri McElroy

This novel about two best friends, born into mafia families, drew me in immediately. It was a slow-burn, character-driven drama that sped to a dramatic conclusion. I loved the flawed, complex characters. The writing was brilliant, the topics thought-provoking.

I am grateful for the ARC from #NetGalley.

Anna Bush

Story about 2 best friends growing up in the Italian Mob family. This book shows how their fathers choices to enter the mob and be a part of it shapes them into who they become as adults. Follows the 2 girls from birth to adulthood and how the manage life within the mob. The writing was interesting with not a lot of dialogue. I loved how it gave us an inside look at all character’s thought processes, not just the 2 girls but their family’s and husbands and childrens as well. When I first picked this book up I didn’t think the story was going to be what it was; I thought the book would be more action packed and dramatic. 

Cola

** spoiler alert **
           If you're looking for a good mafia read look elsewhere. It feels like the bare minimum amount of research was actually done for this book regarding what the structure of a mafia family actually looks like. It was set from the 1930s to the late 1940s in Brooklyn and yet somehow aside from the mention of WWII I was constantly being taken out of the time period. 

As someone who has read and consumed a lot of mafia fiction, this book just didn't do it for me. Having one of the leads named Joey? No one, in 1940's Brooklyn would be using that name for a mafia capo. Especially if he was off the boat, there's no doubt in my mind he would have stuck to using his Italian name Giuseppe. And that's if capo was even his rank. Nothing is ever outlined as to where Joey's family is in the Fizano crime structure. 

Also incredibly unrealistic, Saul would not have been given the Colicchico surname and welcomed into the family after getting Sophia pregnant. They would have just killed him. On top of that, later on, Joey essentially hands over his entire operation to Saul. ON WHAT PLANET? As sharp as Saul is, he is still of Jewish descent, which by mafia standards means he could not go past a certain rank. But since we don't know if Joey was a capo or not, we don't know what position Saul actually held. 

Look, I know this is a work of fiction, but if you're gonna write a mafia story at least look up the basic structure of these crime families.

‘A DAZZLING DEBUT’ SARAH WINMAN ‘NAOMI KRUPITSKY'S WORDS SING...I COULDN'T PUT IT DOWN’ JOANNA GLEN ‘A VIVIDLY-DRAWN NOVEL... BEAUTIFUL. I LOVED IT!’ CHRISTINA SWEENEY-BAIRD

Michelle Miller

A TODAY Show Read with Jenna Book Club Pick A captivating debut novel about the tangled fates of two best friends and daughters of the Italian mafia, and a coming-of-age story of twentieth-century Brooklyn itself. Two daughters. Two families. One inescapable fate. Sofia Colicchio is a free spirit, loud and untamed. Antonia Russo is thoughtful, ever observing the world around her. Best friends since birth, they live in the shadow of their fathers’ unspoken community: the Family. Sunday dinners gather them each week to feast, discuss business, and renew the intoxicating bond borne of blood and love. But the disappearance of Antonia’s father drives a whisper-thin wedge between the girls as they grow into women, wives, mothers, and leaders. Their hearts expand in tandem with Red Hook and Brooklyn around them, as they push against the boundaries of society’s expectations and fight to preserve their complex but life-sustaining friendship. One fateful night their loyalty to each other and the Family will be tested. Only one of them can pull the trigger before it’s too late.

The Family

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