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Shepherd Avenue #1
Shepherd Avenue
When his mother dies and his grief-stricken father abandons him, 10-year-old Joey is sent to his father's parents, Connie and Angelo, where he becomes friends with his baseball-playing Uncle Vic and tomboy Mel, and meets other residents of the boisterous Italian American community in Brooklyn. (Nancy Pearl)
- GenresFictionDramaContemporary
276 pages, Paperback
First published September 7, 2011
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 59 reviews
August 29, 2017
3.5 stars rounded up to 4 stars
I discovered this book when I requested and received an advance copy of its sequel, Return to Shepherd Avenue a few months ago. I decided couldn't read that one until I read the first one and I'm so glad I did. There's a cast of characters some of whom you can't help but love in spite of their flaws, an Italian family in a neighborhood in Brooklyn in the 1960's is wonderfully presented. I didn't grow up in Brooklyn but I felt I knew the heart of these people. Maybe a little because I feel some kind of connection being raised in a second generation Italian family growing up in a neighborhood, albeit different than this Brooklyn neighborhood. Ten year Joey Ambrosio is left with his grandparents, whom he hardly knows, when his father, after the death of Joey's mother leaves him there "for a while ". It's evident once he's there that he didn't really know his parents very well either. I got to knew these characters not just because they were familiar but because this author opens the door and lets the reader into this time and place. I have always enjoyed a good coming of age story and I'm partial to childhood narrators so I found this to be a satisfying story. So much so that I've started the sequel because I really want to know what happens in Joey's life.
I discovered this book when I requested and received an advance copy of its sequel, Return to Shepherd Avenue a few months ago. I decided couldn't read that one until I read the first one and I'm so glad I did. There's a cast of characters some of whom you can't help but love in spite of their flaws, an Italian family in a neighborhood in Brooklyn in the 1960's is wonderfully presented. I didn't grow up in Brooklyn but I felt I knew the heart of these people. Maybe a little because I feel some kind of connection being raised in a second generation Italian family growing up in a neighborhood, albeit different than this Brooklyn neighborhood. Ten year Joey Ambrosio is left with his grandparents, whom he hardly knows, when his father, after the death of Joey's mother leaves him there "for a while ". It's evident once he's there that he didn't really know his parents very well either. I got to knew these characters not just because they were familiar but because this author opens the door and lets the reader into this time and place. I have always enjoyed a good coming of age story and I'm partial to childhood narrators so I found this to be a satisfying story. So much so that I've started the sequel because I really want to know what happens in Joey's life.
September 1, 2018
Joey Ambrosio, our narrator, is the 10-year-old son of Salvatore Ambrosio and Elizabeth McCullough Ambrosio. It is 1961 and when his mother died on May 13th, his life would alter irrevocably.
Salvatore, often called Sally by his Italian family, felt his way blindly through the last few weeks of Joey’s school year. Then he became untethered: he quit his job as an advertising copywriter, sold their house, packed up their personal belongings, and dropped his son off at his parents’ house on Shepherd Avenue in the East New York section of Brooklyn – “only for a couple of weeks.” His father left almost as soon as Joey and his clothes exited the car. Here Joey was, far from Roslyn where he grew up, stranded with people who last saw him when he was a baby in a highchair.
This delectable novel is Joey’s story about the weeks that became months, spent in his grand-parents’ home; the same home his grand-father built; the same home where his father was born and grew up. His Uncle Vic is 18 and living at home until he can get into the Major Leagues and become a baseball star.
”You’re gonna be livin’ here awhile, so forget about that Grandma and Grandpa business,” said Vic, my roommate, as he lugged double armfuls of my stuff to his room.
“We decided this morning,” he said, breathing hard. “No titles. Just Connie and Angie and Vic.”
So Grandma Constanzia became Connie, Grandpa Angelo became Angie, and Uncle Victor became Vic.
Within a day, or maybe two, Joey meets most of the people his grand-parents and Vic know from a lifetime of living on Shepherd Avenue. These will be the people who form the bulwark between Joey and the great unknown during the months he lives there. As he mourns his mother’s death and deals with his own confusion and pain, it is these people in the neighbourhood who will mold and form his anguish into the shape of a person.
I loved this novel and everything about it. Joey’s perceptions and how he tries to find his place while still honouring the values and courtesies his mother instilled in him are endearing. His struggles between love and hate for his family often land somewhere in the middle, and I struggled right along with him.
For a while, I was right there living on Shepherd Avenue, and I adored this sojourn so much that my next read is Return to Shepherd Avenue. I highly recommend this novel for its richness of ambience, culture, and people.
Salvatore, often called Sally by his Italian family, felt his way blindly through the last few weeks of Joey’s school year. Then he became untethered: he quit his job as an advertising copywriter, sold their house, packed up their personal belongings, and dropped his son off at his parents’ house on Shepherd Avenue in the East New York section of Brooklyn – “only for a couple of weeks.” His father left almost as soon as Joey and his clothes exited the car. Here Joey was, far from Roslyn where he grew up, stranded with people who last saw him when he was a baby in a highchair.
This delectable novel is Joey’s story about the weeks that became months, spent in his grand-parents’ home; the same home his grand-father built; the same home where his father was born and grew up. His Uncle Vic is 18 and living at home until he can get into the Major Leagues and become a baseball star.
”You’re gonna be livin’ here awhile, so forget about that Grandma and Grandpa business,” said Vic, my roommate, as he lugged double armfuls of my stuff to his room.
“We decided this morning,” he said, breathing hard. “No titles. Just Connie and Angie and Vic.”
So Grandma Constanzia became Connie, Grandpa Angelo became Angie, and Uncle Victor became Vic.
Within a day, or maybe two, Joey meets most of the people his grand-parents and Vic know from a lifetime of living on Shepherd Avenue. These will be the people who form the bulwark between Joey and the great unknown during the months he lives there. As he mourns his mother’s death and deals with his own confusion and pain, it is these people in the neighbourhood who will mold and form his anguish into the shape of a person.
I loved this novel and everything about it. Joey’s perceptions and how he tries to find his place while still honouring the values and courtesies his mother instilled in him are endearing. His struggles between love and hate for his family often land somewhere in the middle, and I struggled right along with him.
For a while, I was right there living on Shepherd Avenue, and I adored this sojourn so much that my next read is Return to Shepherd Avenue. I highly recommend this novel for its richness of ambience, culture, and people.
September 18, 2020
It is 1960 Brooklyn, NY. Ten year old Joey’s Mom died and his Dad pawns him off on grandparents whom he does not know. This is the story of Joey’s summer of finding his way in this unknown world, loving and losing friends and relationships. I’m not sure why but the story and characters charmed me. They are not all kindly and sympathetic.
I am rounding up to four in my rating where typically I would knock off points for the typos which makes me crazy. If anyone proofread the book, they would easily have caught and corrected them.
I am rounding up to four in my rating where typically I would knock off points for the typos which makes me crazy. If anyone proofread the book, they would easily have caught and corrected them.
January 15, 2023
This is a moving, easy to read "coming of age" story. Joey is dropped off at his Grandparents home in Brooklyn while his father, grieving, takes off. His father's departure leaves Joey alone with family members he has never met. The family is welcoming and the rest of the neighbourhood is mostly friendly. Kids are left to themselves to play in the streets most of the time. His Grandmother is almost a caricature of an Italian mother, his grandfather is not really around at first. He is sharing a room with his 18 year old cousin who is on his way to becoming a pro baseball player. The relationships will grow and change as the story progresses.
Joey is angry, sad, and defensive, his family is mostly patient with him. He winds up learning many life lessons and maturing so much during this Summer. The neighbourhood is changing, the times are changing, Joey is changing, but Grandma is not. Some wounds are slowly healed, others are opened.
Nothing unusual happens, this is a novel about characters and relationships, family and friendship. It is just a well told story of a somewhat dysfunctional family that loves and infuriates one another.
Joey is angry, sad, and defensive, his family is mostly patient with him. He winds up learning many life lessons and maturing so much during this Summer. The neighbourhood is changing, the times are changing, Joey is changing, but Grandma is not. Some wounds are slowly healed, others are opened.
Nothing unusual happens, this is a novel about characters and relationships, family and friendship. It is just a well told story of a somewhat dysfunctional family that loves and infuriates one another.
May 26, 2012
Charlie Carillo's first novel...not bad for starters, but I'm not raving as I did with his other works.
This is a coming of age story of a 10-year old boy who lost his mother and had to live with grandparents he hadn't met before, after his father left him for reasons he couldn't understand. At an awkward age, Joey was just a child and a bundle of emotions at the same time. Though it was a bit slow-paced, the plot was rich with characters and events that all had an effect on him.
I am on a roll right now with Carillo's books and after this third one, it's good to know that he's got a lot of good stories to tell. Simple stories, but he writes them all beautifully. They're all about Italian Americans, but each one is different and holds its own.
This is a coming of age story of a 10-year old boy who lost his mother and had to live with grandparents he hadn't met before, after his father left him for reasons he couldn't understand. At an awkward age, Joey was just a child and a bundle of emotions at the same time. Though it was a bit slow-paced, the plot was rich with characters and events that all had an effect on him.
I am on a roll right now with Carillo's books and after this third one, it's good to know that he's got a lot of good stories to tell. Simple stories, but he writes them all beautifully. They're all about Italian Americans, but each one is different and holds its own.
April 2, 2025
Phew well this was a gritty and tough at times read. The life and times of a poor Brooklyn neighbourhood and lots of tragic and difficult events as life is incredibly hard for all who live there. Brilliantly written and testament to the author that you feel every page of this novel as if you’re part of the family. I feel pretty low after all the sufferings and hard times it contains. Hoping the sequel will be more optimistic.
January 6, 2022
This is a really dull coming of age novel that I read as a selection of the local book club and I struggled through it but cannot imagine why anyone suggested it?
January 21, 2015
This story was about a 10-year-old boy who is dropped at his grandparents' after his mother's death. These are not grandparents that he knew at all and he's left there to deal with the loss of his mother and get to know them while his father wanders off to handle his own grief. He has an uncle who was living there and with whom he shared a bedroom. His uncle was high school age with high aspirations of becoming a professional baseball player. Little Joey learned much about life from him. Joey's mother was apparently not well liked by his dad's folks which explained why he never got to know them. It was an enjoyable read.
February 28, 2017
Wow, what a great book. One of my favorite type of reads. I am a sucker for coming of age books and this one did not disappoint. Brought me back to my youth. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes reading about the 60's. I wish it didn't end. A 5 star for sure. Thanks Net Galley for the read.
August 24, 2019
I found this book interesting but also puzzling. At times Joey/Joe/Joseph seemed mature for a 10-year old, and at other times he seemed to be much younger than 10. I know many young people today drop the f-bomb frequently, but I don't think it happened that often in 1961, but then again I don't know what happened on Shepherd Avenue in 1961.
I didn't expect to read some of the comments about people who were different from Joey's own family. Were people not so aware of what was politically correct in 1961? I guess we weren't now that I think back to 1961.
Over all, I thought the boy was welcomed by family and neighbors in his new home more than I thought he would be, but he was too upset about his mother's recent death and his father's travels to be able to appreciate life with his grandparents. Maybe his attitude will be very different in Book 2 after more time passes.
I read this on my Kindle and got the impression that an outdated optical reader was used to convert the book to the digital version since the number 1 often appeared for the letter I. There were other errors that made me think there was a problem with the conversion.
I didn't expect to read some of the comments about people who were different from Joey's own family. Were people not so aware of what was politically correct in 1961? I guess we weren't now that I think back to 1961.
Over all, I thought the boy was welcomed by family and neighbors in his new home more than I thought he would be, but he was too upset about his mother's recent death and his father's travels to be able to appreciate life with his grandparents. Maybe his attitude will be very different in Book 2 after more time passes.
I read this on my Kindle and got the impression that an outdated optical reader was used to convert the book to the digital version since the number 1 often appeared for the letter I. There were other errors that made me think there was a problem with the conversion.
January 11, 2018
I originally wanted to read this book because I am fascinated with stories about people that live in New York. I probably haven't read a novel quite like this and I really enjoyed Charles Carillo's writing. The characters personalities in Shepherd Avenue have so much depth for a relatively short read, I was easily believing this book had to be semi biographical. All my Googling seem to turn up that they were all completely fictional. The residents of Shepherd Avenue are just so interesting, quirky and at points hilarious, with a balance of tears and genuine heartache. I enjoyed this story so much that I was lost for hours at a time, something I very rarely allow myself to do. I can't wait to now read Return to Shepherd Avenue and Charles Carillo's other novels. A great read.
April 25, 2022
shepherd Ave
I liked the atmosphere of the Italian neighborhood and the way the family talked with slang and mispronunciations. Some of the characters seemed well rounded and genuine, others just seemed irrational. There were funny parts and sad parts. I was very disappointed in the ending. The buildup to Angie’s death seemed so predictable and ridiculous. Joey had a hard time but didn’t seem to mature much as time went on. You’d think he’d at least appreciate some of what his grandparents did for him. He really became unlikeable as the story continued. The ending was abrupt and it’s hard to imagine any improvements in Joey and what was left of the family. I didn’t see any lessons being learned.
I liked the atmosphere of the Italian neighborhood and the way the family talked with slang and mispronunciations. Some of the characters seemed well rounded and genuine, others just seemed irrational. There were funny parts and sad parts. I was very disappointed in the ending. The buildup to Angie’s death seemed so predictable and ridiculous. Joey had a hard time but didn’t seem to mature much as time went on. You’d think he’d at least appreciate some of what his grandparents did for him. He really became unlikeable as the story continued. The ending was abrupt and it’s hard to imagine any improvements in Joey and what was left of the family. I didn’t see any lessons being learned.
March 2, 2018
Joey hasn't had time to begin healing from his mother's death when his father (who probably is himself grieving) drops him off at his grandparents whom he doesn't remember ever seeing. While his father goes on his own quest, Joey must accustom himself to his Italian grandparents, teen-age uncle, and a neighborhood full of nosy characters. His anger about his mother's death and his father's seeming abandonment colors all that he experiences and does. He befriends Mel who is staying in the neighborhood, but she, too, is snatched from him. Through that long summer Joey struggles with attachment and loss, anger and fondness, and his own growing pains.
March 16, 2021
Joey Ambrosio is a 10 year old boy living in the 1950's. His mom has just died so his dad decides he needs to "find himself" and drops off Joey to live with his grandparents and uncle in Brooklyn. As if that isn't hard enough, Joey has not been with his relatives since he was a baby so he is pretty much living with strangers. He is soon to find out the strong ties of family that are almost impossible to escape and how love is unconditional though he has difficulty seeing it. I thought this book was pretty good. There were some funny parts and I liked the characters.
October 6, 2020
I found the first few chapters of the book to be a bit dry and unengaging despite the rather traumatic course of events. The book only begins to hit emotional pay dirt when the main character arrives on Shepherd Avenue, although even this turn of events falls a bit flat in my experience of the narrative. Soon, however, the characters, relationships, and dynamics of the neighborhood are fleshed out and I found the book hard to put down.
March 3, 2021
I think that I'm not a particular fan of this type of novel, so take my rating with a grain of salt. It's well written, a compelling look at a certain people in a certain time and place. It's a tribute to how engaged with the characters I became that I would have liked a bit more of an epilogue; I want to know how things turned out, but I can supply that with my own imagination, of course!
March 17, 2021
Not what I expected
Emotional rollercoaster of a story which engaged me from the beginning. I bought the Kindle book because it's title intrigued me and ended up totally in love with Joey and his very human family and set of neighbors on Shepard Ave in Brooklyn. The story seemed so real that I was a bit disappointed when on second glance at the description, it was a novel.
Emotional rollercoaster of a story which engaged me from the beginning. I bought the Kindle book because it's title intrigued me and ended up totally in love with Joey and his very human family and set of neighbors on Shepard Ave in Brooklyn. The story seemed so real that I was a bit disappointed when on second glance at the description, it was a novel.
February 21, 2022
Great read! Felt as I'd you were there with Joey in the Ambrosio family.
Recalled many aspects of my own growing up, alternating between love & hate for those whom I thought had wronged me. Carillo captures the essence of NY's neighborhood boun- daries & cultural traits of differing ehnicities; fun pictorial of the early 60's in big city.
Recalled many aspects of my own growing up, alternating between love & hate for those whom I thought had wronged me. Carillo captures the essence of NY's neighborhood boun- daries & cultural traits of differing ehnicities; fun pictorial of the early 60's in big city.
March 4, 2018
I grew up with my dad's large Italian family on Long Island in the 1950s and 60s and at first I thought Shepherd Avenue was a memoir because the details of the families and the times rang so true to me. The ending, as others have noted, is very abrupt. That cost the book a star for me--3.5 stars.
July 30, 2021
I Loved This Book...beginning to end
I loved this story. Could not wait to begin each day reading as much as possible. Strong believable characters, so funny at times but also broke my heart . Highly recommend.
I loved this story. Could not wait to begin each day reading as much as possible. Strong believable characters, so funny at times but also broke my heart . Highly recommend.
November 12, 2021
Excellent read, enjoyed it to the end. Story of a family torn by hurt feelings, unspoken love through all the trials and tribulations. Going on to read "Return to Shepherd Avenue".
Highly recommend!!!
Highly recommend!!!
January 18, 2022
excellent tale of family relationships and neighbourhoods and friends that leave marks on our lives
i loved this tale of a young boy seemingly abandoned by his parents but now living with his grandparents who he doesn’t really know but grows to love.
i loved this tale of a young boy seemingly abandoned by his parents but now living with his grandparents who he doesn’t really know but grows to love.
January 21, 2023
Wonderful coming of age story with a quirky family , very enjoyable read and will start the next book very soon. Having grown up in New York, I could picture what the neighborhood looked like and how it was changing .
May 4, 2026
A grieving 10 year old boy is dumped off at his Italian grandparents house in Brooklyn by his father who drives away to parts unknown. Joey’s life is about to change. A story of loss, people’s failures and coming of age in the 1960’s. Lost a star because of the chickens.
October 3, 2017
Good life stories.
July 29, 2021
Such an excellent book
Loved it! About love and loss and growing up in Brooklyn in the 50's. I had trouble putting it down.
Loved it! About love and loss and growing up in Brooklyn in the 50's. I had trouble putting it down.
August 19, 2021
What a great book!!!’ The author captured the essence of life in the early 1960s so well. The characters were so realistic. One of the best reads I’ve had in a while.
August 3, 2023
The streets of Brooklyn come alive in this fascinating tale of family and nostalgia.
November 4, 2017
Don't Go Angie!
I loved this book! I felt so sorry for Joey. Dropped off with grandparents he didn't even know by his father who ran from his grief not caring about his son's. Devastated by grief and abandonment he does the best he can. Poor little booger. 😿🎡
I loved this book! I felt so sorry for Joey. Dropped off with grandparents he didn't even know by his father who ran from his grief not caring about his son's. Devastated by grief and abandonment he does the best he can. Poor little booger. 😿🎡
March 8, 2017
Shepherd Avenue
by Charlie Carillo
Kensington Books
Lyrical Press
Teens & YA, General Fiction (Adult)
Pub Date 04 Apr 2017
I am voluntarily reviewing a copy of Shepherd Avenue through the publisher and Netgalley:
Joseph lost his Mother on May.13,1961, when he was only ten, before he has a chance to grieve he is uprooted from his Suburban Long Island to his estranged Grandparents home in New York City. Joseph is left to get used to his brash Italian Grandparents, and his teenage cousin Vic who is obsessed with baseball and Frank Sinatra.
Shepherd Avenue is a story of hurting, fighting, but it is also a story of healing and forgiveness.
Four out of five stars.
Happy Reading.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 59 reviews