Lauri E. (Luluette) -
I enjoyed reading this book - it was a fascinating look into the Sicilian/American family mindset. However, at the risk of sounding ghoulish, I felt that not enough attention was paid to the honor killing that was supposed to be the backbone of the story. It took a long time (over 1/2 the book) for it to come into play at all, and then it was almost an aside to the other stories of the family. I think it was slightly "bait and switch"...you thought you were going to get one kind of story, and it really was mostly something else. However, if you are interested in the history of Italian families in America, I highly recommend it for that purpose.
Bonnie S. (Bonnie) -
This is from the back cover: "...historical mystery and family story that unwraps the many layers of family: honor, memory, and fear to find an honor killing in turn-of-the-century Detroit." And yes, while it happened in Detroit, the book flashes back and forth in time between there and Sicily. A hard book to read when you realize that these honor killings weren't just done upon the men who may have insulted the mafia, or a head of a household, but the also the wives and daughters who didn't obey the men. Well-written, a page-turner, anyone with immigrant or first generation history will find this story fascinating, and it doesn't have to be just Italians I'm sure.
