BROOKLYN STORY: REVIEW AND GIVEAWAY

GIVEAWAY ENDED
 BROOKLYN STORY

BY SUZANNE CORSO

ABOUT THE BOOK:

It's the summer of 1978, and Samantha Bonti is fifteen years old, half Jewish and half Italian, and hesitantly edging toward pure Brooklyn, even if her dreams of something more are bigger than the neighborhood girls' teased hair. She lives in Bensonhurst with her mother, Joan, a woman abandoned and scarred in a ruinous marriage, poisoned with cynicism, and shackled by addictions; and with her Grandma Ruth, Samantha's loudest and most opinionated source of encouragement. As flawed as they are, they are family.

Samantha's best friend is Janice Caputo, a girl who understands, as well as Samantha does, this close-knit community of ancestors and traditions that stand like roadblocks, this insular overcrowded little world of controlling mobsters who mold their women like Jell-O; and of the wannabes, the charismatic young guys who are willing to engage in anything illegal to get a shot at playing with the big boys. Yet, Samantha has something Janice doesn't—a desire to become a writer and to escape the destiny that is assumed for all of them in the outer reaches of Bensonhurst. And it's to be had just across the Brooklyn Bridge.

Then comes Tony Kroon.

Older than Samantha, Tony is a blonde-haired, blue-eyed, half-Sicilian, half-Dutch mobster wannabe. A Bensonhurst Adonis. Taken in by his adoring attention, and empathetic to Tony's own struggles with identity, Samantha is falling in love, even when she's warned never to ask imprudent questions of Tony's life. Even when her family and friends warn her to stay away. Even when Samantha knows she's too smart to fall this deep . . . but the last thing she wants is the first thing to happen. Unable to resist Tony's seductive charms, Samantha soon finds herself swallowed up by dangerous circumstances that threaten to jeopardize more than her dreams. Grandma Ruth's advice: Samantha had better write herself out this story and into a new one, fast.

Told from the adult perspective, this is a powerful, true-to-life novel of leaving the past to history and the future to fate—of restoring hope where there was none, and reaching for dreams in an inspiring promise of paradise called Manhattan.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Suzanne is the author of two feature film screenplays, has produced two documentaries, and written one children's book. She currently lives in New York City. This is her first novel. You can watch a fascinating interview of Suzanne Corso by award winning actress Lorraine Bracco by going HERE.

MY REVIEW:
In BROOKLYN STORY, Suzanne Corso has eloquently written a novel that feels more biographical than fiction.  With blunt reality as well as heartfelt desires of the main character, Samantha, Corso’s words draw readers in and make you feel like you are experiencing the narrative first hand. Having come from Brooklyn myself, I was immediately “back home” in many parts of this story. From the accepted slang to the intense descriptive physicality of the story, this is a coming of age story that rings true. Sometimes raw and hard to take, but always spot on when it comes to the realism, BROOKLYN STORY will be a book you will start and not put down until you have finished it.

As a teenager growing up in the 1970s, Samantha Bonti, has a dream of becoming a writer and leaving home for the bright lights of Manhattan. Not an unusual idea for a story but the “character” of the Italian Bensonhurst Community of Brooklyn and the people who inhabit this neighborhood play a strong part in Samantha’s tale. As a normal teen wanting to fit in, Samantha has a tough hill to climb as she doesn’t quite fit “the mold”. Living with her Jewish Grandmother and Mother, who fights a myriad of problems and bemoans her long gone Italian husband, Samantha must rise above her food stamp, poor girl, socioeconomic status, as well as NOT being a full-blooded Italian in an area where that makes her somewhat of a second-class citizen.

Wanting to fit in as much as she wants to get away, Samantha is torn as she idolizes her friend who wears the latest designer looks and when Anthony “Tony” Kroon enters the picture, good girl Samantha really tries to be herself while slowly fighting a losing battle. Tony is strikingly handsome and well known in the neighborhood as someone working to make a name for himself with the “wiseguys”. Tony does the typical wine and dine routine with Samantha as stars dance in her eyes from the expensive gifts and respect shown to “her man” by the locals, as well as the attention he pays to her. However, as their relationship grows, Samantha becomes more involved and sees for herself the world of lies and violence that Tony moves in. Things becomes more explosive when Samantha begins to see the reality of being “Tony’s girl” which means she must go to school and then come right home, and when he strikes her for asking a question about his “business”, Samantha is stunned. Abuse is abuse, no matter how one looks at it! Just how much is Samantha willing to give up for someone who is disrespectful to her and is moving more and more into a world of criminals? Can Samantha relight her creative fire and fight to be her own person, or has she gotten in too deep, too fast? With dreams still very real, Samantha must be very brave to regain her footing and start back on that road she wanted to be on so badly to Manhattan. Can she do it? Come on across the East River and visit to see how BROOKLYN STORY turns out. I don’t think you will be disappointed!

GIVEAWAY

THANKS TO KRISTIN AND MY GREAT
FRIENDS AT SIMON & SCHUSTER, I HAVE
FIVE COPIES OF BROOKLYN STORY  TO 
GIVE AWAY TO FIVE LUCKY WINNERS! 

 

--U.S. AND CANADIAN RESIDENTS ONLY
--NO P. O. BOXES, PLEASE
--INCLUDE EMAIL ADDRESS IN COMMENT
--ALL ENTRIES/COMMENTS MUST BE
SEPARATE IN ORDER TO COUNT
AS MORE THAN ONE ENTRY

HOW TO ENTER:

+1 ENTRY: COMMENT ON WHAT YOU READ AND LISTENED TO ABOVE THAT MADE YOU WANT TO WIN THIS BOOK

+1 MORE ENTRY: BLOG OR TWEET ABOUT THIS GIVEAWAY AND COME BACK AND LEAVE A LINK THAT I CAN FOLLOW

+1 MORE ENTRY: COMMENT ON SOMETHING YOU FIND INTERESTING WHEN YOU VISIT SUZANNE CORSO'S WEBSITE HERE

 +1 MORE ENTRY: JUST AS BROOKLYN IS CLOSE TO MY HEART, SO IS TEACHING. PLEASE COMMENT ON THE GIVEAWAY FOR THE NEW COOL  AFTER READING MY REVIEW AND GAIN AN ENTRY THERE AS WELL AS HERE. PLEASE COMMENT HERE WITH THE NUMBER OF YOUR COMMENT YOU LEAVE FOR THE NEW COOL.

GIVEAWAY ENDS AT

6 PM, EST, APRIL 6!

GOOD LUCK!