Pasta Fazool for the Wiseguy's Soul: Heartwarming Stories of Family Life [Paperback]

Brian M. Thomsen (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 1, 2008

After all that theft, racketeering, adultery, murder, and going to the mattresses, even a wiseguy needs a little pasta fazool for the soul. A hilarious self-help parody based on the exploits of Don Corleone, Anthony Soprano, and those other "made" guys.

If your conscience is growing weary because you've had to off your best friend or you've recently learned exactly what was inside that envelope you were asked to deliver, take heart: Brian M. Thomsen and his associate, Don Minestrone, have got your back with more than 100 tales of redemptive goomba guidance and mobster lore.

In the tradition of Chicken Soup for the Soul meets The Departed comes tales of family loyalty, mobster morals, and criminal compassion. So the next time you or someone from your clan goes to the mattresses on some trumped-up racketeering charge, we suggest you leave the gun and take the cannoli-and this book, of course.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Brian M. Thomsen is the author of more than 12 books and has edited more than 15 anthologies and collections. He resides in Brooklyn, NY.

Product Details

• Paperback: 240 pages
• Publisher: Andrews McMeel Publishing; Original edition (April 1, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0740772309
• ISBN-13: 978-0740772306
• Product Dimensions: 7.1 x 5 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,244,901 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #25 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Entertainment > Humor > Lawyers & Criminals

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wiseguy Attitude With A Laugh, July 1, 2008

By 

Ramona "Ramona" - See all my reviews

This review is from: Pasta Fazool for the Wiseguy's Soul: Heartwarming Stories of Family Life (Paperback)

This book filled me up like a heaping plate of spaghetti and meatballs. I've always been curious about the mafia, and Pasta Fazool absolutely hit the spot. The "life lessons" are hidden under piles of wiseguy attitude just waiting to be eaten up. It certainly isn't your standard "for the Soul" book, and that's just the way I like it. Grazie!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars What a Great Diversion!, May 4, 2008

By 

J. Rabe (Kenosha, WI) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Pasta Fazool for the Wiseguy's Soul: Heartwarming Stories of Family Life (Paperback)

I wanted to read only a few pages at my first setting, but I got instantly hooked and read half the book. I finished it at the next setting two days later. There are so many marvelous little tales in the book. Thoroughly enjoying.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars You Want I Should Read This Book To Youse?, May 5, 2008

By 

Mel Odom (Moore, OK USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Pasta Fazool for the Wiseguy's Soul: Heartwarming Stories of Family Life (Paperback)

Since CHICKEN SOUP FOR THE SOUL came out (followed immediately by dozens more books), I've been intrigued by the various topics and phases of life you could give chicken soup for. I've been likewise intrigued why it always has to be chicken soup. But the self-help and motivational industry has been sparked into establishing a whole new wing (chicken, anyone?) of publishing.

I've watched these books roll out with regularity and fading interest. It seems that chicken soup can cure any ailment and passage of life. Who knew? Not to knock those books because they're filled with wonderful stories.

However, there appeared to be nothing new under the sun. Until now.

Writer/editor Brian M. Thomsen throws the whole Chicken Soup franchise a hanging curve ball that catches the outside corner of the plate with an eagle-eyed umpire in attendance. PASTA FAZOOL FOR THE WISEGUY'S SOUL is an irreverent send up of the GODFATHER, home cooking, and the whole give-me-guidance fad. But Thomsen delivers his delightful concoction with tongue firmly planted in cheek and in a narrative that is just as believable as it is hilarious.

According to Thomsen, he met an elderly Italian gentleman in a small restaurant on a slow night and ended up sharing a table and a meal. During the quiet evening, the old man - call him Don Minestrone - served up a delectable cornucopia of tales, wisdom, colorful characters, street justice, and irony.

I loved the set-up and didn't know if the author could pull off what he'd promised. I suspected that the entries might be heavy on the cheese (another specialty of Italian cooking). Instead, the stories sound just like they'd come from the Old Neighborhood where everyone knew what the Mafia was but no one ever mentioned it.

I settled in, expecting to read a few stories to relax for a bit after dinner, then ended up blazing through the whole book. I had to laugh out loud when Thomsen lampooned the Mafia and current crime TV when he relayed "Minestrone's" thoughts on wives, mistresses, and girlfriends, and took shots (what else can you expect from a book about Mafia types?) at Mafia guys in the news. One of my favorite stories was about the movie script that got sold over and over again to New York Publishers. The punch line came out of left field and made perfect sense.

Other stories include how a long-time waiter at a favorite restaurant was given a retirement plan that worked out for everybody, how boosters (professional thieves) cut out middle man (fence), and started selling things on eBay, and how Mrs. Santini got a trip to the "old country." Thomsen is a natural storyteller, the old don not withstanding, and the tales tumble off the page and into the reader's mind with grace and guffaws.

I loved how Thomsen and Minestrone introduced characters, then pulled them back into other stories. They weren't just throwaways. I got the feeling that all of these stories happened (incredibly!) at one time or another.

PASTA FAZOOL FOR THE WISEGUY'S SOUL is a perfect book for the airport, the beach, or while waiting in doctor's offices. And with a title like that, you're sure to attract the attention of people around you. Be warned, though. You might not put this one down until you finish it. However, this is definitely a book you'll want to re-read and share.