The Long Italian Goodbye

by Robert Benedetti

Book Overview

The Italian neighborhood surrounding Oakley Avenue on Chicago's West Side in 1948 is a Tuscan village transplanted from northern Italy thirty years before. Joey is ten, an only child born of the Great... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1930754663
• ISBN13: 9781930754669
• Release Date: August 2005
• Publisher: Durban House Publishing
• Length: 223 Pages
• Weight: 0.95 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 6.4" x 9.1"

Customer Reviews

What A Great Book!

For anyone who grew up in the 1940's or early 50's this book is an absolute gem. Benedetti's nostalgic account of a young boy's first halting steps into maturity is beautifully written. You meet characters who you've known for years but have forgotten, you journey into secret places that are tucked away in the back recesses of your memory and you can literally smell the delicious aromas of favorite dishes that you haven't tasted in years. The trip to the amusement park, the neighborhood bully, the first girl friend, the long ride to the country in your family's Packard; they're all here. A great read!

I laughed, I cried, I loved this book.

You do not have to be Italian(or a Chicagoan) to enjoy this trip down memory lane. "The Long Italian Goodbye" (for both the author's farewell to his childhood and because of the way all ethnic groups say good byes after family gatherings) is a loving look at one boy's growth from innocence to maturity. It is hilarious, tender, emotional and insightful -- the kind of book that everyone will enjoy. Benedetti's remembers boyhood adventures and discoveries, embarrassments and terrors, and love within the open-hearted bosom of an Italian family and neighborhood. You will miss a lot if you do not read this book.