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Curby
It’s not every day that a newborn baby is stuffed inside a cardboard box, folded up and left in the gutter. Nick Santinelli steers a huge New York City street sweeper around a corner and sees the box lying just ahead. He gets out and picks it up, both surprised and shocked at what he finds inside. He brings the sleeping baby home and only blocks from his route. “Sandy!” he calls out, as soon as he enters the living room. His girlfriend's hair is still wet from a shower and shes sitting on the couch drying it. “What are you doing home, Hon?” “Oh, nothing important…just a baby I found in the street.” She instantly stops drying her hair, holding the still pose and replaying what she just heard inside her mind, or what she thought she just heard. No, that could not have been what he said. She turns to him with a questioning look. “What did you just say?” Sandy, his longtime girlfriend, decides they should not report anything and raise the baby themselves. She’s dying of terminal cancer and wants this one chance to be a mother. After she passes away, Nick finds a Nanny who he believes he can trust. When the nanny steps out to buy cigarettes after leaving the now three year old to take his afternoon nap, Curby walks out of the apartment and becomes lost in the Brooklyn streets. Without a birth certificate, Nick can’t prove the boy is his. He battles the court and the assigned city caretakers from Children’s Services for custody of Curby where a surprise awaits everyone.
160 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 20, 2013
238 people are currently reading
391 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 102 reviews
April 10, 2020
A good, short read.
September 12, 2024
Sweet
A little novella about a loving couple and a baby found at the curb. They named him Curby, what else ?
A little novella about a loving couple and a baby found at the curb. They named him Curby, what else ?
August 11, 2014
Absolutely an Amazing, beautiful story!!!
Absolutely an Amazing, beautiful story!!!
Absolutely loved this book, although it was short it was absolutely a wonderful story. I was very sad that his wife past though. I was so grateful that they took the ill baby into there home and loved him so dearly. I am very upset when the nanny was not there and decided to make a very bad selfish decision to leave to buy cigarettes I was so cursing at that part. I do however wish it was longer, but it's probably best that it wasn't because for sure it would have drove me crazy to have to wait to know what happened, did they find Curby? Did Nick get his baby back? what happened with Jamie and his birth mother being there at the court? It would have drove me crazy waiting to know so for that reason I'm glad it was short.
Absolutely an Amazing, beautiful story!!!
Absolutely loved this book, although it was short it was absolutely a wonderful story. I was very sad that his wife past though. I was so grateful that they took the ill baby into there home and loved him so dearly. I am very upset when the nanny was not there and decided to make a very bad selfish decision to leave to buy cigarettes I was so cursing at that part. I do however wish it was longer, but it's probably best that it wasn't because for sure it would have drove me crazy to have to wait to know what happened, did they find Curby? Did Nick get his baby back? what happened with Jamie and his birth mother being there at the court? It would have drove me crazy waiting to know so for that reason I'm glad it was short.
June 15, 2014
After reading this book it makes me wonder if it was self published. This book reads more like an outline. I enjoyed the idea of the story, but it lacked more detailed every day life and more depth to the characters in the book. It also jumped ahead three years from a newborn to a toddler and was missing a huge part of the little boys upbringing and life. It was a quick read and the end of the book had an abrupt ending. All in all it was a good idea for a story but definitely needs more work to make it a great novel. I would still recommend anyone to read it as long as they can use their own imagination and fill in the gaps.
February 7, 2015
Great premise, horrible execution.
The writing was OK, although it really needed an editor. But some of the plot made no sense whatsoever.
Sorry, just not buying it.
The writing was OK, although it really needed an editor. But some of the plot made no sense whatsoever.
Sorry, just not buying it.
September 24, 2015
This book was shorter than I wanted it to be....but a great book nonetheless. Nick, a sanitation worker, finds a box while cleaning the streets. In it is a newborn baby....and what would you do? Well he doesnt do what you would expect...he takes the baby home to his live in girlfriend, who has cancer, and they decide to raise him. They name him Curby (found on a curb) and life is good until the girlfriend passes, and Nick hires a nanny who carelessly leaves him to wander out of the house...what follows is a heartbreaking story of will Nick lose this child he has raised but has no right too, cant claim as his own and ends up in court fighting the foster mom who wants to keep him.....
December 1, 2024
This book had a lot of potential but ended up being pretty disappointing. It was very choppy and short and it seemed like the author was trying to make connections that were only half there. Maybe I'm just not a fan of this writing style but there was a poem in the middle of a page that just did not belong and made no sense as part of the book. It was also never explained and I'm not sure what eluded to there being a poem. Overall, the book was interesting enough for me to keep reading but mostly I had hoped it would turn out better.
March 16, 2014
A good but too quick a read!
I chose five star rating, because I thought it was a good premise and thought the story flowed well. The only thing I didn't like was that the end "came upon me" rather too quickly. I feel more could have been developed with the characters especially, i.e., the biological mother. I'd recommend this to anyone who wants to fill an hour or so with a different type of premise on becoming a parent.
I chose five star rating, because I thought it was a good premise and thought the story flowed well. The only thing I didn't like was that the end "came upon me" rather too quickly. I feel more could have been developed with the characters especially, i.e., the biological mother. I'd recommend this to anyone who wants to fill an hour or so with a different type of premise on becoming a parent.
November 19, 2015
Poorly written and sometimes sketchy.
Not a good book. Could have been written by a teenager. Grammar poor .wouldn't recommend this book.
Won't be looking for another by same author.
Not a good book. Could have been written by a teenager. Grammar poor .wouldn't recommend this book.
Won't be looking for another by same author.
January 8, 2018
Curby — Adrian Del Valle (5 titled chapters) Jan. 7, 2018
I would not normally read a book like this. I had read some reviews after I bought it and thought I might not like it, but as it has turned out, this book is pretty darn good.
This is a story of boy who was abandon, the couple who adopted him, and the child who loved them all. It is a very good relationship story, with a little drama (but not a lot of development on that.) There is some foreshadowing to the climax. And the ending isn’t clear until the very end.
The characters and plot were pretty well developed, despite the shortness of the story. The ending seemed a little forced and slightly weird, but also it felt realistic as well.
As apprehensive as I was to read it, I’m glad I did. This boo would be good for readers who want a very short literary-like book to read. Excellent reading for a commute.
Three stars.
I would not normally read a book like this. I had read some reviews after I bought it and thought I might not like it, but as it has turned out, this book is pretty darn good.
This is a story of boy who was abandon, the couple who adopted him, and the child who loved them all. It is a very good relationship story, with a little drama (but not a lot of development on that.) There is some foreshadowing to the climax. And the ending isn’t clear until the very end.
The characters and plot were pretty well developed, despite the shortness of the story. The ending seemed a little forced and slightly weird, but also it felt realistic as well.
As apprehensive as I was to read it, I’m glad I did. This boo would be good for readers who want a very short literary-like book to read. Excellent reading for a commute.
Three stars.
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December 1, 2020A Great Short Story- Well Defined Characters
If you enjoy a good story, but don't have a lot of time to read, as you would like to, Curby will give you the reward you're looking for in a book. The characters are well defined and the setting is true to the borough in the time which it took place. I love the way the author wrote with distinct accents for his characters. The unique ability to provoke emotion from your audience is present. By the time you are finished reading Curby, you feel like you actually know a few of the characters in real life. Thank you. I loved this book.
If you enjoy a good story, but don't have a lot of time to read, as you would like to, Curby will give you the reward you're looking for in a book. The characters are well defined and the setting is true to the borough in the time which it took place. I love the way the author wrote with distinct accents for his characters. The unique ability to provoke emotion from your audience is present. By the time you are finished reading Curby, you feel like you actually know a few of the characters in real life. Thank you. I loved this book.
November 10, 2018
Great basis for a story, but poorly written
I liked the start of this story but then it became silly to me. Nick should’ve been way more upset about being separated from Curby. If it were me, I’d have been a hot mess with people constantly telling me to calm down and the like. Then the fact that everyone else took everything in stride, like a man keeping a baby he found on a curb is normal, is absurd. I feel like this story would have been better if it had been fleshed out a bit more, too.
I liked the start of this story but then it became silly to me. Nick should’ve been way more upset about being separated from Curby. If it were me, I’d have been a hot mess with people constantly telling me to calm down and the like. Then the fact that everyone else took everything in stride, like a man keeping a baby he found on a curb is normal, is absurd. I feel like this story would have been better if it had been fleshed out a bit more, too.
February 29, 2020
I loved the book. Yes it was a little on the short side, but it told the story so well. The baby was found on the street, brought home and then they decided to keep him. They loved him totally and gave him a great life.
This story shows that a baby can be found and loved, even it they are not related. This little boy was one of the lucky children that somebody wanted, after his mother threw him away.
I liked the ending. Wish it had been a tad longer, but it said what it needed to say.
Love is a great word. That's what this book is about. The love for a child.
This story shows that a baby can be found and loved, even it they are not related. This little boy was one of the lucky children that somebody wanted, after his mother threw him away.
I liked the ending. Wish it had been a tad longer, but it said what it needed to say.
Love is a great word. That's what this book is about. The love for a child.
December 28, 2020
Strange short story
(Contains Spoilers)
The story itself is rather rapid and short. There is no build up to when he finds the boy and then when the court case happens. The judgment is handed down fairly quickly and at the end all of a sudden the Father happens to be married and his neighbour is suddenly pregnant which makes no sense at all. I would've liked the story to have been a bit longer but all in all a very lovely heartwarming story. I would've liked to have seen what happened next, For example, Was the nanny sacked etc..
(Contains Spoilers)
The story itself is rather rapid and short. There is no build up to when he finds the boy and then when the court case happens. The judgment is handed down fairly quickly and at the end all of a sudden the Father happens to be married and his neighbour is suddenly pregnant which makes no sense at all. I would've liked the story to have been a bit longer but all in all a very lovely heartwarming story. I would've liked to have seen what happened next, For example, Was the nanny sacked etc..
March 29, 2020
I actually liked this book! Its short, an easy read, but a compelling story. It concerns a street sweeper who finds a box on the curb with a newborn baby boy in it, obviously abandoned. He brings him home to his girlfriend, who has terminal cancer. They decide to keep him so she can be a mother for the time she has left. They name him Curby (get it?) The story is what happens after, and the trials they go through when she passes.
June 3, 2019
Strange.
A funny little book! Almost as if the author couldn't be bothered to write a full novel . Also, yet another book missing a proof reader. What could have been a lovely feelgood book, turned into a hastily assembled idea, carried out in very few pages. A shame really but hey ho!
A funny little book! Almost as if the author couldn't be bothered to write a full novel . Also, yet another book missing a proof reader. What could have been a lovely feelgood book, turned into a hastily assembled idea, carried out in very few pages. A shame really but hey ho!
August 10, 2019
i went through every emotion
Beautifully written and so compelling. Sometimes life can get screwed up by well meaning people that are prodded from behind by spiteful, nasty people that are only out for themselves. I just wish every judge could see through the sullied pitch and put the child's desire first. Unconditional love of a child should be the most important evidence
Beautifully written and so compelling. Sometimes life can get screwed up by well meaning people that are prodded from behind by spiteful, nasty people that are only out for themselves. I just wish every judge could see through the sullied pitch and put the child's desire first. Unconditional love of a child should be the most important evidence
February 23, 2020
Curby was found at the curb near a gutter, thus his name.
Finding the new born baby in a box thrown in the gutter brought Nick and his girlfriend much happiness for the three years before she died. After Curby wandered off Nick ran into much legal difficult before winning full custody of him.
Finding the new born baby in a box thrown in the gutter brought Nick and his girlfriend much happiness for the three years before she died. After Curby wandered off Nick ran into much legal difficult before winning full custody of him.
May 7, 2017
Not the best book
The book reads like it was written by a junior high school student. It jumps around and there is no plot or in depth character development. Nice story but the writing is a little juvenile for my taste.
The book reads like it was written by a junior high school student. It jumps around and there is no plot or in depth character development. Nice story but the writing is a little juvenile for my taste.
February 16, 2020
A quick read with all the pathos that was intended.
A sob story so manipulative that it defied its telling. Brief and amateurish as though written by a student. If it wasn't as short as it was, I would have bailed early on.
A sob story so manipulative that it defied its telling. Brief and amateurish as though written by a student. If it wasn't as short as it was, I would have bailed early on.
February 25, 2020
Great story
I loved this small story. It is about someone who does a good deed and almost loses the child because of it. A very heart tending story. I recommend this book to anyone!
I loved this small story. It is about someone who does a good deed and almost loses the child because of it. A very heart tending story. I recommend this book to anyone!
March 4, 2020
Very good read I just did not it to end, I can't wait for the next one,
Waiting for a longer book but just as good as this one, keep up the great work. I am sure I am nor the only one waiting
Waiting for a longer book but just as good as this one, keep up the great work. I am sure I am nor the only one waiting
June 26, 2020
The premise of the story is bittersweet, a child abandoned in a gutter is taken in and cared for. Sweet. But the writing and, more importantly, the editing is not good at all. It seems it may be a self-published book that lacked an editor and proofreader. It could have been so good.
June 29, 2020
Sweet story
A sweet story about a couple who raised a little boy as their own. They father loved the boy dearly and was a good father. Beyond that I don’t want to say more because I wouldn’t want to give a spoiler alert.
A sweet story about a couple who raised a little boy as their own. They father loved the boy dearly and was a good father. Beyond that I don’t want to say more because I wouldn’t want to give a spoiler alert.
May 16, 2024
I hate not finishing a book, but this really wasn't worth the effort. Poorly written, no character build up, no emotion, the story had potential, but just badly executed. Thank goodness was only a short story, and free! Would have given it zero stars if I could.
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September 17, 2017Fastest book i every read, loved it from start to finish.
February 12, 2018
Fast read
Wow! Man finds abandoned child. Takes him home, he & girlfriend raise him. Nanny let child wander the streets, child put in foster care. Stuff happens.
Wow! Man finds abandoned child. Takes him home, he & girlfriend raise him. Nanny let child wander the streets, child put in foster care. Stuff happens.
November 21, 2018
Simple plot line
Written on a third grade level. Sweet story but just too simple. Maybe with a few twists it would d be more complex.
Written on a third grade level. Sweet story but just too simple. Maybe with a few twists it would d be more complex.
January 6, 2019
Not much to it
A lot was missed ... and while I sort of expected this end, it was over before I even realized!
A lot was missed ... and while I sort of expected this end, it was over before I even realized!
March 16, 2019
Great book
Displaying 1 - 30 of 102 reviews