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Editorial Reviews
From Publishers Weekly
In her novels Pink Slip and Blue Italian, Cirisi established herself as a resonant voice chronicling the lives of Italian-Americans. In this wry, charming second story collection, the recurrent character is Angelina Lupo, a daughter of Italian-American immigrant parents, who grows up in '60s and '70s New Haven, Conn. For Angel, life is rife with contradictions: strong family ties also means having her hands bound behind her back, as her overbearing mother attempts to keep her two daughters obedient and tractable. In "Big Heart" and "La Stella D'Oro," a prepubescent Angel learns the price some people pay for challenging tradition. "Babbo," Angel's father, is a hardworking soda-pop deliveryman who is too tired to pay much attention to Angel or her beautiful older sister, Lina, who is not afraid to rebel. Angel's admiration for and loyalty to her sister puts the younger girl in a bind during adolescence, when she becomes a kind of mediator in the conflicted family, afraid to hurt or anger her parents, but eager for Lina's approval. Each of these 12 linked stories offers new insight into Angel's difficult reckoning with her mixed feelings and her colorful family and heritage. Narratives told from the perspective of an adult Angel show her with Lina waxing nostalgic about their childhood while reluctantly taking on the roles of caretakers to their aging and ailing parent , and coming to terms with their own ambitions after the older generation dies. Angel is an immensely likable character whose self-deprecating and humorous reflections on family, men and careers is paired with imagery that deftly evokes all five senses. One doesn't have to be Italian to relate to Angel; she represents any contemporary woman poised between the values of her parents' generation and her own burgeoning sense of self.
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Library Journal
Ciresi's Pink Slip was definitely a fun read, but here the author shows her serious side. Each chapter covers a different period in the lives of two Italian American sisters, Angel and Lina. Starting with their childhood embarrassment at their immigrant parents, Ciresi captures perfectly life in a New York Italian American enclave. We follow Angel and Lina through their youth and into adulthood. Lina's teenage pregnancy leads her into an unhappy yet prosperous marriage. Angel has an uninspired job writing Catholic greeting cards yet dreams of the house and kids that her sister has. As Angel begins a serious relationship with a man she met though the personal ads, she is forced to confront her dreams head on. Will she marry a man who does not really make her happy in order to taste a slice of her sister's domestic life? A stirring novel about the pull of the past and the force of the future, this work is recommended for public libraries.
-DBeth Gibbs, Davidson, NC
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.
See all Editorial Reviews
In her novels Pink Slip and Blue Italian, Cirisi established herself as a resonant voice chronicling the lives of Italian-Americans. In this wry, charming second story collection, the recurrent character is Angelina Lupo, a daughter of Italian-American immigrant parents, who grows up in '60s and '70s New Haven, Conn. For Angel, life is rife with contradictions: strong family ties also means having her hands bound behind her back, as her overbearing mother attempts to keep her two daughters obedient and tractable. In "Big Heart" and "La Stella D'Oro," a prepubescent Angel learns the price some people pay for challenging tradition. "Babbo," Angel's father, is a hardworking soda-pop deliveryman who is too tired to pay much attention to Angel or her beautiful older sister, Lina, who is not afraid to rebel. Angel's admiration for and loyalty to her sister puts the younger girl in a bind during adolescence, when she becomes a kind of mediator in the conflicted family, afraid to hurt or anger her parents, but eager for Lina's approval. Each of these 12 linked stories offers new insight into Angel's difficult reckoning with her mixed feelings and her colorful family and heritage. Narratives told from the perspective of an adult Angel show her with Lina waxing nostalgic about their childhood while reluctantly taking on the roles of caretakers to their aging and ailing parent , and coming to terms with their own ambitions after the older generation dies. Angel is an immensely likable character whose self-deprecating and humorous reflections on family, men and careers is paired with imagery that deftly evokes all five senses. One doesn't have to be Italian to relate to Angel; she represents any contemporary woman poised between the values of her parents' generation and her own burgeoning sense of self.
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Library Journal
Ciresi's Pink Slip was definitely a fun read, but here the author shows her serious side. Each chapter covers a different period in the lives of two Italian American sisters, Angel and Lina. Starting with their childhood embarrassment at their immigrant parents, Ciresi captures perfectly life in a New York Italian American enclave. We follow Angel and Lina through their youth and into adulthood. Lina's teenage pregnancy leads her into an unhappy yet prosperous marriage. Angel has an uninspired job writing Catholic greeting cards yet dreams of the house and kids that her sister has. As Angel begins a serious relationship with a man she met though the personal ads, she is forced to confront her dreams head on. Will she marry a man who does not really make her happy in order to taste a slice of her sister's domestic life? A stirring novel about the pull of the past and the force of the future, this work is recommended for public libraries.
-DBeth Gibbs, Davidson, NC
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.
See all Editorial Reviews
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