Feast of the Seven Fishes: The Collected Comic Strip and Italian Holiday Cookbook

by Robert Tinnell, Alex Saviuk (Illustrator), Steve Geppi (Foreword)

The Italian-American Christmas Eve tradition comes to life in this popular online comic strip collected here for the first time, complete with a foreword by Steve Geppi and a cookbook for serving up your own Feast!

Genres: Graphic Novels, Holiday, Cooking, Comics

96 pages, Hardcover

First published November 1, 2005

Reviews

[tony dillard jr · Rating 5 out of 5]

A delightful comic strip turned graphic novel about an Italian family from West Virginia and the hours leading up to their 1983 Christmas Eve dinner. The event is called the Feast of the Seven Fishes and I only just learned of this tradition earlier this year when I saw that the Impractical Jokers were celebrating it virtually on their 'Dinner Party' series. Along with the story, this book is also part cook book with around a dozen seafood recipes and couple of Italian desserts. It's also a history book with a multi-page background of the EZ Street author Robert Tinnell's life in that region of the U.S.

My wife got this for me for Christmas this year and it was a perfect gift. I love graphic novels. I'm a professional chef. I love history, being originally a history major in college. And I love the Steelers and the area of West Virginia in which this story takes place is Steeler Nation Territory! The only thing I hated about this book was the ending!

There's a romance that brews in this story. And personally, I am not a fan of how this tale ends. Robert Tinnell wants to make a pair of sequels that take place in 1993 and 2003. So many the story completes nicely. But for right now, it's been about 15 or 16 years since this story originally was published online. So unless we've got a holiday miracle in the works, I doubt it. A live-action movie was made of this story- maybe it's got a happier ending...

The artwork was fantastic. The first half of the story was illustrated by the ever wonderful Ed Piskor (Hip Hop Family Tree). A tightening schedule made Piskor unable to complete the story. So DC/Marvel journeyman Alex Saviuk took over the reigns and despite the fact that Pittsburgh's Piskor is my guy, I thought that Saviuk's artwork was even more amazing. Sorry Ed...

The Feast of the Seven Fishes was a nearly perfect book. But that ending did leave me bummed. To make up for it, maybe I'll cook up a fisherman's buffet because those recipes look delicious!

This really was a great book. Don't let the conclusion turn you away. If you love Christmas, food, Italians and the Pittsburgh Steelers- you will love this book!

[Rosemary · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quick little Christmas Eve journey to Rivesville, WV, 1983. Told as a graphic novel, about the Italian tradition of the Feast of the Seven Fishes, shared with family and friends on Christmas Eve, complete with recipes and a little coming of age love story. It’s the story of traditions, of being with someone you love for the holidays and sharing exuberant food and family together, lots of nostalgic fun.

[Megan · Rating 4 out of 5]

A charming comic about an Italian American family as they carry on with their Christmas Eve tradition. I had never heard of the Feast of the Seven Fishes until recently, but wish I could go to one just to try all the different food.

[Violet Van Buren · Rating 3 out of 5]

Charming.

But I’ll say, the film did a whole lot with not very much! I’m more impressed by that than by the original work. Still charming.

[Joe Vernon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nostalgia, heart, humor, and food. A great story.

[Kathleen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved the recipe section at the back!

[Tara · Rating 3 out of 5]

This last week I have spent some time discovering Italian Christmas Traditions (since my family is Italian and we have a Christmas celebration steeped with tradition). I came across this book and picked it up for an afternoon read. I'd never read comics before, but it was sort of a fun change. There is just something unique about Italian families, and Tinnell's story made me think about my own family. I didn't like the bad language used, but it did make me think of my Poppi's frequent use of "Goddfrey David," which made me smile. There are recipes for the Feast of the Seven Fishes in the back of the book. I'm excited to try them, but I don't know if they can compare to our family's tradition of pasta, pasta, meatballs, and more pasta!

[Italo Italophiles · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found it to be a fun read. And besides getting recipes for that I used for my own Italian Christmas Eve, I had a fun book for the family to read while digesting. Be aware that there is some suggestive language, so it is not a book for small children.

For my full and illustrated review visit the Italophiles Book Reviews blog at
http://italophilebookreviews.blogspot...

[Peacegal · Rating 2 out of 5]

Feast is an entertaining and humorous look at a family’s Christmas traditions. However, I can’t say I’m as enthusiastic about a holiday that encourages the gobbling of as much sea life as possible. Unfortunately, recipes are included to encourage others to start their own ocean-consuming “feasts.”

[Jason · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is really quite clever. It collects Tinnell's excellent FEAST OF THE SEVEN FISHES webcomics, funny stories of his large Italian family during the traditional Feast of the Seven Fishes with a cookbook in the back that tells you how to make the recipes featured in the comic.

[Bri · Rating 3 out of 5]

A nice insight into Christmas Eve with this Italian family in the 80s. It certainly made me hungry for seafood!