The Boys from Eighth and Carpenter
by Tom Mendicino
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Fiction. Literature. Mystery. Thriller. HTML:S. Gagliano & Son has been a barber shop fixture in South Philly for decades. Frankie and Michael Gagliano's Italian immigrant father—Luigi to his customers, Papa to his sons—presides over the store, enlisting his children as soon as they're big enough to wield a broom. On their mother's deathbed, eight-year-old Frankie swears that he and his little brother will always take care of each other, a vow he endeavors to keep through their father's show more violent outbursts and the string of wives who try to take their mother's place. After their father's death, Frankie takes over the shop, transforming it to fit in with the gentrifying neighborhood. Michael becomes a successful prosecutor with a rising political career, still close to his big brother despite the differences between them. Then comes an unthinkable, impulsive act that will force Michael to choose between risking his comfortable life and keeping a sacred oath—made before he knew how powerful a promise can be.The Boys from Eighth and Carpenter is a stunning evocation of working-class Italian-American life—a story of brotherhood, loyalty, and the contradictory, unpredictable nature of family love.
"The Boys from Eighth and Carpenter is a heartfelt story of two loving brothers as well as a compelling crime drama all set in the changing city of Philadelphia. Tom Mendicino is a supremely gifted writer with an eye for the most telling of details, and I loved this novel!"—Lisa Scottoline, New York Times bestselling author
"At the heart of this capacious and suspenseful novel is the bond between two very different brothers, but its larger context is the Italian-American family: its values, loyalties and responsibilities. Tom Mendicino writes with honesty and compassion, and the reader can't help but root for his endearing characters."—Christopher Castellani, author of All This Talk of Love
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The Boys from Eighth and Carpenter is a beautiful -- and beautifully written -- look at the bond between two brothers, explored through their childhood and their adult lives.
I'm a sucker for books about the impact of family throughout a person's life. And I'm also a sucker for books where the main character grows up in a neighbourhood like Little Italy. So, I knew, even before I started reading this book, that I would love it. The Boys from Eighth and Carpenter did not disappoint.
I will say that I would have loved this book more had it been two books. And I know that seems a little weird, but hear me out:
There are two storylines involved. One of them is about, as you've show more probably guessed, two brothers in Little Italy, family, sexuality, growing up. The other is a gripping story involving the same brothers and a body in the freezer.
Both of these are well done... it's just the switching back and forth between them that was hard to get used to.
If there had been an entire book with the body-in-the-freezer plot, I wouldn't have been able to put it down. A whole book with the childhood plot? I would have adored even more.
Overall, though, a wonderful read. show less
The Boys from Eighth and Carpenter is a beautiful -- and beautifully written -- look at the bond between two brothers, explored through their childhood and their adult lives.
I'm a sucker for books about the impact of family throughout a person's life. And I'm also a sucker for books where the main character grows up in a neighbourhood like Little Italy. So, I knew, even before I started reading this book, that I would love it. The Boys from Eighth and Carpenter did not disappoint.
I will say that I would have loved this book more had it been two books. And I know that seems a little weird, but hear me out:
There are two storylines involved. One of them is about, as you've show more probably guessed, two brothers in Little Italy, family, sexuality, growing up. The other is a gripping story involving the same brothers and a body in the freezer.
Both of these are well done... it's just the switching back and forth between them that was hard to get used to.
If there had been an entire book with the body-in-the-freezer plot, I wouldn't have been able to put it down. A whole book with the childhood plot? I would have adored even more.
Overall, though, a wonderful read. show less
Philly was as much a character in this book as the people and I enjoyed that immensely. however, the distance between the set-up of the event and it's resolution was too great, and it was too bogged down in unnecessary detail. writing was excellent, but I didn't always connect with these two do-Goodyear brothers and the way they ultimately tested their promise to their mother vs their morals.
The story set in South Philly is of two brothers who promised their mother on her death bed that they'd take care of each other. Raised by an abusive father and his next three wives, their ties were strong. The book focuses on that moment when those ties were sorely tested.
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