Customer Reviews

Taking It Home: Stories from the Neighborhood (Sunsinger Books Illinois Short Fiction)

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

A engaging and enthralling collection of stories. Mr. Ardizzone is a very gifted writer who combines all elements of life, be it realistic or magical, contemporary or traditional, and it is done in an enjoyable and immediate manner. He joins the ranks and stands proud with the gifted writers and poets who hail from and write of Chicago. My hat is off to this writer and this work.

This book is a pleasant surprise. Skillfully done and consistently on target.

Holy Cards alone is justification for buying this book. That short story has been reprinted in Don't Tell Mama the Penguin collection of Italian American writing. Anyone who buys this book based on reading the reprint won't be disappointed.

An excellent book. Insightful. Instructive. Nostalgic. Atmospheric. It should be on required reading lists in college literature courses. Being an Italian-American made it especially enjoyable reading. It was not easy to find, but well worth the effort. It may not have that mass appeal that results in celebrity and riches for the author but that's part of the tantalizing charm of the book and what makes it so far superior to what's promoted on TV and bestseller's lists.

This is an excellent collection of short stories. The themes in the collection are being Italian American, Catholic, living in Chicago, and loving baseball. The descriptions bite and leave a lasting mark. The Characters and situations resonate off the page. The best stories are "Eyes of the Children" and "Idling".