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The Mafia Funeral and Other Short Stories
Award-Winning author Morgan St. James presents a short story collection including mystery, humor, a bit of romance and more. Some of the stories are inspired by true events, others are pure fiction. The title story finds Sue at a Mafia funeral and wake, mistaken for the daughter of a Mafia mobster. Funny and mostly true.
138 pages, Paperback
First published January 24, 2012
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
June 19, 2014
AudioBook Review:
Stars: Overall 4 Narration 3 Story 5
I love short stories so it was no hardship or question that I would gravitate toward this title. And St. James has made a lovely collection here with stories that are skillfully written to bring situation, character and action clearly to the reader without great struggle. Each word is carefully placed and chosen to present the correct tone, definition and connotation to the story, creating subtext that clearly enhances each story’s voice. A mix of focus in this collection, this gives a solid feel for the author’s intent: from simple-appearing moment in the life stories to gentle tales with a romance leaning, they work together or stand alone without issue: always fresh, presenting clear imagery and voice.
Narration in this story was presented by Denise van Venrooy and was a bit inconsistent for me. Not exactly right or wrong, her narration was consistent across all of the stories in this volume -a choice that did not allow for the variation in tone of each story’s voice that would have brought this narration from a simple reading into the arena of performance.
While the stories are wonderfully adept pieces of writing that present the best of what this genre can be, I believe I will find the written version far more enjoyable.
I received an AudioBook copy of the title from the author via AudioBook Jukebox. I was not compensated for this review: all conclusions are my own responsibility.
July 28, 2012
The Mafia Funeral and Other Short Stories – Review by Martha A. Cheves, Author of Stir, Laugh, Repeat; Think With Your Taste Buds; A Book and A Dish
The procession of forty black limos and one flashy yellow convertible made its way along the thirty-five mile route from downtown Los Angeles to the cemetery in Tustin, flanked by at least fifteen officers on motorcycles. The heads of drivers in nearby cars whirled to take in the sight, probably wondering which dignitary had died.
In The Mafia Funeral the dignitary that died turned out to be a family member of the mafia. Eliot’s wife is mistaken for the daughter of a Mafia Don and has a time convincing the ‘Uncle Johnnie’ that she isn’t. This story has a sadness, a touch of humor and a bit of oh my.
Rip Off takes Stephen Rollins from a bad life to a good life and back to the ultimate of bad.
Saying Goodbye to Miss Molly is a story that brought tears to my eyes.
Morgan St. James has written a garden of stories with some of them being as beautiful as the daisy, some with the beauty of the rose but will stick you with their thorns and some that are as threatening as a weed. The Mafia Funeral is a collection of short stories, some true, some fiction but all well worth reading.
Now I’m impatiently waiting on her next book Confessions of a Cougar that is due out in late 2012.
The procession of forty black limos and one flashy yellow convertible made its way along the thirty-five mile route from downtown Los Angeles to the cemetery in Tustin, flanked by at least fifteen officers on motorcycles. The heads of drivers in nearby cars whirled to take in the sight, probably wondering which dignitary had died.
In The Mafia Funeral the dignitary that died turned out to be a family member of the mafia. Eliot’s wife is mistaken for the daughter of a Mafia Don and has a time convincing the ‘Uncle Johnnie’ that she isn’t. This story has a sadness, a touch of humor and a bit of oh my.
Rip Off takes Stephen Rollins from a bad life to a good life and back to the ultimate of bad.
Saying Goodbye to Miss Molly is a story that brought tears to my eyes.
Morgan St. James has written a garden of stories with some of them being as beautiful as the daisy, some with the beauty of the rose but will stick you with their thorns and some that are as threatening as a weed. The Mafia Funeral is a collection of short stories, some true, some fiction but all well worth reading.
Now I’m impatiently waiting on her next book Confessions of a Cougar that is due out in late 2012.
July 6, 2014
I really enjoy short stories. These are some delicious little appetizers! They are clearly penned by the same author but have varied themes.
If you could sum up The Mafia Funeral and Other Short Stories in three words, what would they be?
Delicious creative treats
What did you like best about this story?
I loved Saying Goodbye to Miss Molly, it was such a lovely story that had me getting emotional. Sometimes a good cry is cathartic.
What aspect of Denise van Venrooy’s performance would you have changed?
She has a nice solid read but it lacked variety. I would have loved it is each story felt different in the narration. There was a lot of opportunity to deliver a varied performance. She has a great pace that flows nicely but it lacked that extra bit that brings the stories to a new level.
Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?
It could have been in one sitting but I did it on my commute, which really worked out. Each story fit nicely into my drive time and entertained from beginning to end.
Any additional comments?
I would love to see more of this author, if these short stories are any indication she has some real skill as a story teller.
Disclosure - I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts, opinions and ratings are my own.
If you could sum up The Mafia Funeral and Other Short Stories in three words, what would they be?
Delicious creative treats
What did you like best about this story?
I loved Saying Goodbye to Miss Molly, it was such a lovely story that had me getting emotional. Sometimes a good cry is cathartic.
What aspect of Denise van Venrooy’s performance would you have changed?
She has a nice solid read but it lacked variety. I would have loved it is each story felt different in the narration. There was a lot of opportunity to deliver a varied performance. She has a great pace that flows nicely but it lacked that extra bit that brings the stories to a new level.
Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?
It could have been in one sitting but I did it on my commute, which really worked out. Each story fit nicely into my drive time and entertained from beginning to end.
Any additional comments?
I would love to see more of this author, if these short stories are any indication she has some real skill as a story teller.
Disclosure - I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts, opinions and ratings are my own.
March 31, 2012
Since I love mafia true crime stories, this short read was fantastic!
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews