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Bourbon & Blondes
Minimalist in approach but long on mood and atmosphere, the first entry in The Ladies of Liquor series is a boozy mix of old-school pulp, shadowy noir and hard-boiled double-crosses.
Writer Anthony Venutolo delivers a collection of nearly 50 flash fictions and short stories that splatter onto the page at 90 proof. From the deserted bus stations of Route 66 to the smoky, neon-tinged jazz dives of the big cities, these wanton tales of longing introduce us to desperate vixens on the fringe and those shifty men that drove them there.
Get your shot glass ready because in this retro world, showgirls, drifters, barmaids and thieves have one thing in common -- they're all painted on a seedy canvas drenched in a hearty barrel of Kentucky's finest nectar.
~ Bottoms up...
Writer Anthony Venutolo delivers a collection of nearly 50 flash fictions and short stories that splatter onto the page at 90 proof. From the deserted bus stations of Route 66 to the smoky, neon-tinged jazz dives of the big cities, these wanton tales of longing introduce us to desperate vixens on the fringe and those shifty men that drove them there.
Get your shot glass ready because in this retro world, showgirls, drifters, barmaids and thieves have one thing in common -- they're all painted on a seedy canvas drenched in a hearty barrel of Kentucky's finest nectar.
~ Bottoms up...
110 pages, Kindle Edition
First published November 1, 2013
7 people are currently reading
27 people want to read
About the author
Anthony Venutolo
4 books17 followersBy day, I'm an online editor and digital strategist at The Star-Ledger, a Pultizer-prize winning daily newspaper but I also dabble in fiction, flash fiction, short stories and poetry.
My pulp novella 'FRONT PAGE PALOOKA' was released September 2013, written under the pseudonym Jack Tunney and for FIGHT CARD books.
On the features and news front, I've freelanced for such magazines as Bikini, Details, Chance, Men's Health and Playboy Online. I also wrote a column for the gambling magazines Casino Player and Strictly Slots.
Online, my flash fiction and poems have appeared at Zygote in My Coffee, Red Fez, Deuce Coupe, Gutter Eloquence, Shoots and Vines and Six Sentences.
I blog from http://bukowskisbasement.blogspot.com/
My pulp novella 'FRONT PAGE PALOOKA' was released September 2013, written under the pseudonym Jack Tunney and for FIGHT CARD books.
On the features and news front, I've freelanced for such magazines as Bikini, Details, Chance, Men's Health and Playboy Online. I also wrote a column for the gambling magazines Casino Player and Strictly Slots.
Online, my flash fiction and poems have appeared at Zygote in My Coffee, Red Fez, Deuce Coupe, Gutter Eloquence, Shoots and Vines and Six Sentences.
I blog from http://bukowskisbasement.blogspot.com/
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
November 4, 2014
I have been waiting to scream from the rooftops about this writer. I love this book. Bourbon and Blondes is a book packed with vintage flash fiction. It is from my favorite era. This is a time when it okay to call a woman a dame and the men relaxed by drinking bourbon and playing cards. People smoked Chesterfields and ate at the lunch counter in Woolworth.
I had favorite characters that I hope will turn up in some of Venutolo's other books. In the story, *Cleaning Up The Game*, there is a boxer, Eddie "Eagle Eye" Rockport. He was so good in the ring that he was known as the fighter that "..never bled, always beat the count and never kissed the canvas". Unfortunately, there is "no drama in a guy who always wins", so he takes on a life of killing gangsters.
I loved the story, *The Secret Society of Bourbon Drinkers*, where a bar owner reminisces about his childhood and his memorable day, with "Uncle Gags", in Las Vegas. Las Vegas in the Seventies, when "tourists packed cuff links and cocktail dresses".
I loved *Bubbles McCoy:Woman Of Ill Repute*. A story about a couple of guys that splurge for that one night with a sexy blonde, whose hair smelled liked .."the cosmetics section of Bloomingdale's".
Plus, Venutolo has proven that he knows his history and he likes to hide it in his stories. So, as you read through this book, see if you can recognize a couple of people that you know, without mention of names.
The whole book is enjoyable and I cannot wait until the second in the series is released. I highly recommend Bourbon & Blondes. Anthony Venutolo has proven that he has the gift of descriptive writing. He can take you back in time, with his words, and leave you smiling and wanting more. True talent.
I had favorite characters that I hope will turn up in some of Venutolo's other books. In the story, *Cleaning Up The Game*, there is a boxer, Eddie "Eagle Eye" Rockport. He was so good in the ring that he was known as the fighter that "..never bled, always beat the count and never kissed the canvas". Unfortunately, there is "no drama in a guy who always wins", so he takes on a life of killing gangsters.
I loved the story, *The Secret Society of Bourbon Drinkers*, where a bar owner reminisces about his childhood and his memorable day, with "Uncle Gags", in Las Vegas. Las Vegas in the Seventies, when "tourists packed cuff links and cocktail dresses".
I loved *Bubbles McCoy:Woman Of Ill Repute*. A story about a couple of guys that splurge for that one night with a sexy blonde, whose hair smelled liked .."the cosmetics section of Bloomingdale's".
Plus, Venutolo has proven that he knows his history and he likes to hide it in his stories. So, as you read through this book, see if you can recognize a couple of people that you know, without mention of names.
The whole book is enjoyable and I cannot wait until the second in the series is released. I highly recommend Bourbon & Blondes. Anthony Venutolo has proven that he has the gift of descriptive writing. He can take you back in time, with his words, and leave you smiling and wanting more. True talent.
November 11, 2014
Anthony Venutolo's "Bourbon & Blondes" serves up the perfect concoction of gritty fast-pace noir tales that will leave you wanting more. Full of nefarious ne'er-do-wells, seductresses, and lives on the brink of calamity this intense flash fiction is so good that you won't want to put it down. Venutolo makes every word count in each of these stories, and the twists and turns herein will entice you to read many of these stories more than once. The longest story here, "The Secret Society of Bourbon Drinkers," stands out as a masterful work of fiction and anyone who can remember being taken to a bar as a kid could relate to this story. All the stories in this collection truly pack a punch and move fast. If you are a fan of noir fiction, crime stories, boxing, or grimy old Las Vegas this collection is right up your alley.
July 27, 2021
Audiobook - a series of very short stories that are not connected. Great atmosphere for the classic hard boiled and noir writings. I just wish that most were longer.
December 3, 2015
If, as the prologue states-"the moribund novel is dead" and flash fiction is the new form of writing, then I am thankful I have a collection of older novels. I hope this is just hyperbole, but considering the short attention span of the "Twitter" age, I have to acknowledge the possibility. I pity future generations if this is the case.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews