The book is surprisingly well-written and readable for an old storekeeper, with plenty of humor and insight. Some of it reads like Garrison Keillor, but better because it's true; other parts are almost like a text book. Here's an example from the chapter in which the author became an undertaker (mortician), because the undertaker upstairs from his store sold out:
"The dean at the school (for undertakers) told me a lot depended on getting a good start. A young student in South Boston got a good start by selling a $1,200 bronze casket which cost him $450. Then he persuaded the family on a cremation, and by giving the crematory man $10, he got the casket back again. He sold it five times before the widow involved in the last sale decided a good, old-fashioned interment was good enough for her dead. There are sad moments for all of us, and no doubt this was one for him -- but he did get a good start from it."
There are plenty of other anecdotes about cooking, food quality, shoplifting, cost codes, education (the author was able to help some local kids that the school couldn't teach) etc., etc.
"The dean at the school (for undertakers) told me a lot depended on getting a good start. A young student in South Boston got a good start by selling a $1,200 bronze casket which cost him $450. Then he persuaded the family on a cremation, and by giving the crematory man $10, he got the casket back again. He sold it five times before the widow involved in the last sale decided a good, old-fashioned interment was good enough for her dead. There are sad moments for all of us, and no doubt this was one for him -- but he did get a good start from it."
There are plenty of other anecdotes about cooking, food quality, shoplifting, cost codes, education (the author was able to help some local kids that the school couldn't teach) etc., etc.
