I’m Italian American and I live in NYC so I love all books and movies about the mob and gangsters. I love the Sopranos and all things like this. I thought the Family was going to be the perfect fit! Except it was slow and dragged a lot. I did end up liking it, but this book has so much potential! It needed more about the Family business, and less about the actual family. I did love the time period and all the commentary about the gentrification of the Brooklyn neighborhoods.

It was still a fun read, and I would read another by this author. It was good timing to read over the Thanksgiving break with my own family.

3.5 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Special thanks to Penguin Group Putnam and G.P. and sons for the ARC of this book in exchange for my own opinion.

This book gave me the wrong impression by the title. I thought I was in for some Italian mafia action. I thought I was reading the wrong book and yes this is in a way about the Italian mob and what you're expected to do and be for "The Family". I was going to put it down but said what the heck, I'm not in the mood for bloodshed anyway, because if you're looking for some good ole Mafia killings, this is not your book.

But, I am so glad I stuck with it because its a book about two mafia daughters Sofia (wild and carefree) and Antonia (more tamed and studious). They live next door to one another so they are " connected" and they are best friends. This story takes place in the 20's, 30's and 40's, and its about two best friends who are different but the book's main focus was about these girls individuality, friendship, family and what we do for the ones we love!

The Family by Naomi Krupitsky caught my eye because I am obsessed with mafia movies so I was really excited to read this book. I enjoyed her writing style a lot and her atmospheric prose.

This was a coming of age of two daughters who are associated with the mob. I felt like majority of the book there wasn’t anything super groundbreaking but huge character development. The very end there was a direction and it was climatic.


*ARC received in exchange for review*

Sofia and Antonia are born in the late 1920’s Brooklyn. Their fathers are in the Mafia. The two families are very close until Antonia’s father disappears, and a distance grows between them. Not until much later when fate draws them back together. It’s a look at what like growing up where your classmate’\s distance themselves become of the Mafia. It’s a story of weekly dinners, of interesting characters. It’s a look at life when “the family” comes first and distancing oneself from the family is nearly impossible. Its also a look at why Jewish and Italian immigrants got pulled into organized crime.

All tell, no show and terribly slow. I skimmed to the end where at least there was less passivity. Not recommended. I received a free copy of this book from the publisher.

A captivating story of two girls coming of age in early 20th century Brooklyn within the confines of the Italian mafia family. Antonia and Sofia are best friends who are like sisters; their complex and intriguing relationship is portrayed in a powerful and touching manner. As they navigate the challenges of childhood, choosing their paths, motherhood and marriage, their friendship at times ebbs and wains yet they share an unbreakable bond. The unique female perspective on life in The Family and how it defines their identities and determines their future is gripping. Filled with power struggles, secrets, treachery, love, loss and resilience the emotional journey of these friends is one not to be missed.
Thanks to NetGalley for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Set in the late 1920s in the Brooklyn neighborhood of Red Hook, The Family, tells the story of two best friends whose fathers, Joey and Carlos, were part of the Italian Mafia. Sofia Colicchico and Antonia Russo were best friends from a very young age, their families even had Sunday dinners together. The girls knew their fathers worked together but what they did was a mystery. When Antonia's father Carlos goes out one night and never returns, it is Joey who steps up and takes care of the fatherless Russo family. As the girls grow, marry and become mothers their lives take a much different turn and fissures in their relationship begin to show but, they remain friends.

What happens when someone wants out of the "family?"

I wasn't sure this book was going to be for me but, I found it to be a rather powerful coming of age story. The husbands of Sofia and Antonia added much interest to the story as well (Antonia marries a Jew). I liked the time period: prohibition, the Great Depression and WWII. I also enjoyed the background on how the Mafia and the protection aspect first came into play. I found some parts of the book to be a bit repetitive and I knew the ending would be somewhat shocking or surprising at the very least. I wasn't disappointed. This book seems to have sequel potential as well. The audio book was read by Marin Ireland who did an excellent job. I think this debut is worth reading and was happy I tried it.

Rating - 4/5 stars

So much to love about this book! A coming of age story mixed with family, friendship, and the mafia. The story revolves around Antonia and Sofia growing up in New York City in the 1940's. What does it mean to be a part of a family and a part of The Family? What choices would we make to protect the ones we love? A page turner and a great debut by Naomi Krupitsky.

Thank you to PENGUIN GROUP Putnam and NetGalley for this ARC.

I can see why this was chosen for the Read with Jenna Book Club. This historical fiction is unlike anything I’ve read before.

Set in the 30s and 40s in Red Hook, NY, this is the story of two girls born into the Italian Mafia. Sophia and Antonia are the best of friends, neighbors, and daughters of local mob members.

The story spans their childhood, adolescence, and early adulthood as they navigate their relationships with each other and “The Family.”

It was captivating and wonderful to learn about lives of the women in the crime family.

This book has recently become my number one recommendation to others. The relationship of Sofia and Antonia and their families is incredible. You are immediately immersed into their families and Brooklyn during that war time and it will leave you wanting more from this author. Thank you for the advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

Published by ‎G.P. Putnam's Sons on November 2, 2021

The Family isn’t quite a feminist version of The Godfather, but it does spotlight the role of two young women in a male-dominated crime family. Much of the time, their role is to fret and worry, but the two central characters become an argument for the empowerment of women as they change the family dynamic.

Before World War II, two girls are born into an Italian crime family in New York. Sofia is the daughter of Joey Colicchio. Joey and his friend Carlo worked for Tommy Fianzo. Carlo wanted out of the Family business. To facilitate that goal, he began to skim some of the money that he has been tasked with collecting. Tommy noticed and Carlo disappeared. To assure that Joey didn’t turn against him, Tommy gave him a piece of the Family’s operation in Brooklyn in exchange of a slice of the profits.

For years, Carlo’s widow is a broken shell of a woman. She raises their daughter Antonia with the Family’s help. Sofia is Joey’s daughter. In their childhood, Antonia and Sofia are inseparable. They understand what happened to Carlo but they never talk about it. Separating family from the Family, they both realize, is a complicated task.

The story follows Antonia and Sofia into adulthood. Their lives are similar but with key differences. The same is true of their personalities. Antonia is reserved; Sofia is bold. They both marry men who work for the Family, despite the warning Antonia receives from her mother not to speak to boys with slicked back hair, Antonia views her husband as a security blanket. Sofia bases her choice on passion. She falls in love (and gets pregnant by) with a young Jewish man. Her husband must sell his soul to avoid Joey’s wrath.

Much of the novel focuses on the differences between the two women as they drift apart and come back together. Antonia is happy to be a wife and mother but would like to escape to a place that exists far from the Family that took her father away. Sonia wants something more than a domestic life. The Family might be the answer to her dreams if she can convince her father to let her play an untraditional role in a man’s world.

To the extent that The Family is a story about families, the story of Sonia’s husband, although saved for the last quarter of the novel, is its most compelling component. He is uprooted by the war, wonders if he will ever see his mother again, is made to disavow his heritage, and gets a glimpse (courtesy of a Jewish gangster) of the life he should have had and still desperately wants. He makes a dangerous choice that gives the novel its late-blooming drama.

Tension is slow to build, in part because Naomi Krupitsky devotes redundant passages to explaining exactly what Antonia and Sofia are feeling at all times in their lives. Neither woman has a moment of insecurity or regret that Krupitsky fails to express. A bit more showing and a bit less explaining would have tightened the story. Even at the end, a dramatic, fast-moving scene is slowed by a dissection of what the characters are feeling and what they recall of their past feelings. The reader just wants to know what’s going to happen. The walk to the story’s resolution should have been a sprint, or at least a jog.

The novel's redundant recitation of feelings is offset by Krupitsky’s fluid and evocative prose. The last quarter of the story is suspenseful and the ending is surprising. Sofia’s refusal to play a role written by the Family men seems to be the heart of the novel until Antonia has her own moment of truth — a moment that gives her a chance to grow as a woman in a man’s world of crime. The Family is a fresh and original take on the crime family genre.

RECOMMENDED

This is not a typical mafia or friendship story. It’s based on two girls that both fathers are part of the mafia family. Although these girls have totally different personalities one being loud and very outgoing the other shy and quiet they slowly become very good friends. But their friendship is tested all on one night.
I really liked this book it’s about family, friendship and loyalty but with a different twist. I highly recommend this book. thank You to @netgalley and @naomikrupitsky for letting me read this great book for my review

Thank you to Naomi Krupitsky, Putnam and Netgalley for the gifted copy of The Family. This one is out now.

The Family is a mob story mixed in with female friendship and tied with a bow of historical fiction. This book is everywhere right now but for me it was felt so very slow. I had a really hard time wanting to pick this one up to read it. Overall a very disappointing read ruined by it being too hyped up which is totally my own fault. Let me know if you read this and please don’t hesitate to tell me how wrong I am. LET’S DISCUSS!

Two best friends and daughters of Italian mafia are featured in this coming of age story set in twentieth century Brooklyn. Antonia Russo is a thoughtful and observant while Sofia Colicchio is loud and untamed. They live in the shadow of their fathers’ unspoken community: The Family. Sunday dinners bring them all together each week to eat, discuss business and renew their bonds. When Antonia’s father disappears, it puts a wedge between the women and their families. As they grow up they both fight to preserve their families as well as their friendship. One night when their loyalty is tested, only one of them can pull the trigger before it’s too late.

“There is no easy way to untangle what is Family and what is family.”

THE FAMILY is about two best friends and daughters of the Italian mafia. The girls’ lives are intertwined in many ways: they live next door to one another, they attend school together, their parents are best friends. But mostly, their families’ roles in the Family define their identities and determine their futures. Boundaries are pushed and loyalties are tested as the girls grow into women and discover all the ways the Family both destroys and maintains their lives. I loved the setting of Brooklyn in the 1920s-1940s and the examination of female friendship over decades. I’m so glad I read this debut!

4.5 stars, rounded upward.
The cover grabbed me first, two women in vintage sweaters—no faces even—and the title written in Godfather font. Oh, heck yes. I need to read this thing. The author is a newbie about whom I know nothing, so I know it may be a recipe for disappointment. I’ve taken review copies this way in the past, and have regretted it, because of course, the cover doesn’t speak to the author’s ability. But old school mobster books are fun, and they’re thin on the ground these days, so I hold my breath as I take a chance…and hit the jackpot!

This is one of the year’s best works of historical fiction, and you should get it and read it. My thanks go to Net Galley and Putnam for the review copy. This book is for sale now.

Antonia and Sofia grow up together; their fathers are both mobsters, and their houses share a wall. Not only are they thrown together for Family events from early childhood forward, but their peers ostracize them in elementary school, their family’s reputations having preceded them, so for several years, they are each other’s only option. But it’s enough.

Our story starts in 1928, and it ends in 1948. We follow the girls through childhood, adolescence, and into their early adult years. At the outset, their fathers are best friends, until Carlos, Antonia’s daddy, starts skimming, covertly building a nest egg in the hope of making a new start far away with his little family, doing an honest job, and leaving the Family behind. His theft is, of course, detected, and he disappears; Joey, Sofia’s father, is promoted, and told to take care of Carlos’s widow and daughter. Thus, we have a clear, concrete reminder, right up front, that this is an ugly, violent business. The author’s note says she wants to demonstrate the strange way that violence and love can coexist, and she does that and more.

Those readers seeking a mob story full of chasing and shooting and scheming will do well to look elsewhere. We do find these things, of course, primarily in the second half, but the story’s focus is entirely on Sofia and Antonia. Whereas setting is important—and done nicely—the narrative’s fortune rises or sinks on character development, and Krupitsky does it right. These women become so real to me that toward the end, when some ominous foreshadowing suggests that devastating events are around the corner, I put the book down, stop reading it or anything else for half a day, and brood. I complain to my spouse. I complain to my daughter. And then, knowing that it’s publication day and I have an obligation, I return to face the music and finish the book. (And no. I’m not telling.)

My only concern, in the end, is a smallish smattering of revisionism that occurs during the last twenty percent of the novel. Knowing what gender roles and expectations are like in that time and place, I have to say that, while I can see one intrepid, independent female character stepping out of the mold, having multiple women do it to the degree I see it here is a reach.

Nevertheless, this is a badass book by a badass new talent, and Naomi Krupitsky proves that she is a force to be reckoned with. Get this book! Read it now.

THE FAMILY is a striking portrayal of friendship and loyalty throughout the years. This debut by Naomi Krupitsky is a beautifully written character-driven story that follows best friends Sophia and Antonia in 1920s Brooklyn. Their childhood friendship is forged by their parent’s involvement in the infamous Italian mafia. As they become wives and mothers, their fates are forever entangled, for better or for worse.

The duplicitous lives of the mafia members were fascinating to me. The Italian food, hospitality, and sense of community in their Brooklyn neighborhood was palpable. The way that the author explored conflicted relationships and allegiances kept me engaged in this slower-paced story. I’m excited to read more from the author!

RATING: 4/5

A big thank you to NetGalley and Putnam for an advanced electronic copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review

I judged the book by it’s beautiful cover and it turned out to be just as good as I expected! A coming of age story of two friends whose fathers work for the mob and how it affected their lives and friendship.

I am absolutely OBSESSED with things related to the Italian Mob. "The Departed"? Seen it a bunch of times. "Goodfellas" is one of my favorite movies. So when I found a book that tells the stories of two girls raised inside the mob, I knew I couldn't pass it up. And I'm glad I didn't. Antonia and Sofia are best friends. Their dads both work for "The Family" but one day Antonia's dad disappears. This shakes the courses of both of their lives, and comes back full circle when they are adults. I couldn't put this down, I was sucked into the girls' stories. I would absolutely recommend this for anyone like me who is fascinated with the New York mob scene, especially in the WW2 era.

A wonderful saga about two young women navigating their way in a crime family in the 1940s. Antonia and Sofia are as entwined as can be without being blood relatives. Both of their fathers- Carlo and Joey-are in the Family but they too are very different. Carlo, who wanted something more, disappears, changing life for Antonia and her mother Lina who makes her promise she won't marry a man in the family. Antonia has dreams of university but then there's Paolo, marriage, and motherhood. Sofia finds herself swept away by Saul, a Jew in the business and she too wants more. The relationship between these women is powerful and touching. Krupitsky has done a terrific job with crafting characters whose emotions run off the page. This might seem a little slow at the start but hang on for the powerful storytelling and an ending which surprised me. Thanks to the publisher for the ARC. Great read.

Thanks to Netgalley for providing me with an early copy of this book. It was a really good book to read. I liked the characters alot and the plot was very interesting. This book was well-written and I would recommend this book to anyone. I look forward to more of this authors books.