Falconi's Tractor

Italian Canadians is a group I've never thought about, but this is an engaging story with interesting characters; Another story about how family history impacts members many years later. There's certainly drama and focus on family honor, and I did not predict what came next or how it ended. I enjoyed it overall, and read it pretty quickly. I'll be interested to check out Mr. LeBlanc's next book. I really appreciate the advanced copy for review!

Honest ~ Unvarnished ~ Nostalgic

tl:dr: Second-generation Italian kid grows up.

This book has the vibe of Allen's Radio Days or Stand by Me. Like both of those movies, the joy and innocence soon gives way to darker situations, as does this book. I picked up the book because I married into an Italian-American family. Certain elements of this book, such as the presence of Catholicism and the equivalence of food and love, felt familiar. Other parts, like the dark side of LeBlanc's family were not. This is not a rosy look back at a happy Italian-Canadian family. This is a memoir of a desparately challenged family. The writing is raw and truthful. There are a couple characters that I am glad to have never met. The book could have had a bit more shaping, as it reads a bit like a family diary than a novel/memoir. But, many immigrants/ second=generation people will enjoy the stories and find this book relevant to them.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I received an advanced digital copy of this book from Netgalley.com, the author and the publisher. Thanks to all for the opportunity to read and review.

Family relationships mold us and how we interact with others. Tragedies do the same. Family tragedies are even more profound and linger for years to come. That is Falconi's Tractor at it's heart. How do we move on when life will never be the same?

A good read, highly recommended.

4 out of 5 stars.

Loved this book. Loved the family dynamics it portrayed. The characters were well-developed, and beleivable. Just a nice family story.

Falconi’s Tractor by Dave LeBlanc

The blurb for the book pretty much sums up what you will find in this book. The narrator is Freddy and as he takes you through his family history it is much like reading diary entries of his memories and stories he has been told. The Falconi family dynamics are fractured in more ways than one and that any of the siblings come out semi-normal as adults is rather amazing. I have to admit I skimmed the book looking for parts I was most interested in. Driving a tractor, the way the Falconi business ended up in Candada, architecture and such were not my favorite but I did enjoy reading about Gina getting away, Dom finding someone to care for and how the story finally came full circle. I also like the feeling at the end that there might be hope in the future for both Freddy and Dom.

Thank you to NetGalley and Guernica Editions for the ARC – This is my honest review.

2-3 Stars

I grew up in Toronto, ON - the landscape of this book. I love reading an amazing story about a geographical region I am familiar with. As the Granddaughter of Hungarian immigrants who moved to Toronto after the 1956 Revolution, the prolific community of Kensington Market around Spadina Avenue and College Street is so historically significant to the city's history that anyone reading will immediately be able to picture the store front of Falcon's Tractor. Alfredo Falconi, the youngest child of the Falconi family watches the world around him change after the death of his Mother in 1984. Unsure how to proceed, he does what any child does and demonstrates resiliency, at least until he is old enough to begin to put the pieces together of that unfortunate life altering event.

This book is raw, emotional, and so beautifully written.