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A Friend Is a Gift You Give Yourself
After Brooklyn mob widow Rena Ruggiero hits her eighty-year-old neighbor Enzio in the head with an ashtray when he makes an unwanted move on her, she embarks on a bizarre adventure. Taking off in Enzio’s ’62 Impala, she retreats to the Bronx home of her estranged daughter, Adrienne, and her granddaughter, Lucia, only to be turned away by Adrienne at the door. Their neighbor, Lacey “Wolfie” Wolfstein, a one-time Golden Age porn star and retired Florida Suncoast grifter, takes Rena in and befriends her.
When Lucia discovers that Adrienne is planning to hit the road with her ex-boyfriend Richie, she figures Rena’s her only way out of a life on the run with a mother she can’t stand. But Richie has massacred a few members of the Brancaccio crime family for a big payday, and he drags even more trouble into the mix in the form of an unhinged enforcer named Crea. The stage is set for an explosion that will propel Rena, Wolfie, and Lucia down a strange path, each woman running from something and unsure what comes next.
A Friend Is a Gift You Give Yourself is a screwball noir about finding friendship and family where you least expect it, in which William Boyle again draws readers into the familiar—and sometimes frightening—world in the shadows at the edges of New York’s neighborhoods.
When Lucia discovers that Adrienne is planning to hit the road with her ex-boyfriend Richie, she figures Rena’s her only way out of a life on the run with a mother she can’t stand. But Richie has massacred a few members of the Brancaccio crime family for a big payday, and he drags even more trouble into the mix in the form of an unhinged enforcer named Crea. The stage is set for an explosion that will propel Rena, Wolfie, and Lucia down a strange path, each woman running from something and unsure what comes next.
A Friend Is a Gift You Give Yourself is a screwball noir about finding friendship and family where you least expect it, in which William Boyle again draws readers into the familiar—and sometimes frightening—world in the shadows at the edges of New York’s neighborhoods.
320 pages, Paperback
First published March 5, 2019
227 people are currently reading
3772 people want to read
About the author
William Boyle
42 books430 followersWilliam Boyle is the author of eight books set in and around the southern Brooklyn neighborhood of Gravesend, where he was born and raised. His most recent novel is SAINT OF THE NARROWS STREET, available in February 2025 from Soho Crime in the US and March 2025 from No Exit in the UK. His books have been nominated for the Hammett Prize, the John Creasey (New Blood) Dagger Award in the UK, and the Grand Prix de Littérature Policière in France, and they have been included on best-of lists in Washington Post, CrimeReads, and more. He currently lives in Oxford, Mississippi.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 210 reviews
March 5, 2019
I received a free advance copy from NetGalley for review.
A mob widow, her granddaughter, and a retired porn star go on the run with two bags of cash and a hammer wielding psychopath hot on their trail.
If that sentence doesn’t sell you on this book then I don’t know what would.
Rena Ruggiero has been living a quiet, lonely life ever since her mobster husband was murdered in front of their house in Brooklyn. After an elderly neighbor gets too aggressive in making an advance on her, Rena clocks him with an ashtray and takes his car. In a panic, Rena goes to see her estranged daughter, Adrienne, thinking that she can finally reconnect with her and the granddaughter, Lucia, she hasn’t seen in years. When her hopes of a reconciliation are instantly crushed Rena meets Adrienne's neighbor, Lacey Wolfstein. Wolfstein starred in a lot of porn movies back in the ‘70s and ‘80s, and then she moved on to hustling old men for cash. Now she has a sack of money stashed in the wall of her house as she spends her golden years drinking vodka and watching old movies.
Things go sideways after Adrienne's mobbed up boyfriend and an old victim of Wolfstein’s both show up at the same time with their own agendas, and Rena, Wolfstein, and Lucia have to flee with Wolfstein’s retirement fund. Their stolen Cadillac also has a briefcase full of stolen mob money and a machine gun in the trunk.
William Boyle’s two novels, Gravesend and The Lonely Witness, quickly made me a fan of his, and this one is an early contender for my favorite of 2019. While the other two are loosely connected and focus heavily on the their Brooklyn setting, this is more of a plot based crime novel with incredibly well developed and offbeat characters. It reminded me a lot of Elmore Leonard at his best, and that’s just about the highest praise I can give a book.
Boyle’s characters frequently act irrationally which makes sense because they do really seem like people instead of characters. However, since this one is more plot heavy that came across as a bit more frustrating because those actions continue to drive the plot. Lucia, in particular, was irritating as hell at times, but on the other hand, she’s a teenager. So it makes sense.
That’s a relatively minor nitpick in an otherwise great book. Wolfstein, in particular, was incredibly fun as this pragmatic woman with a wild history who is also incredibly compassionate and empathetic. I’d love to read an entire novel that was about her younger days as a porn star and grifter. His portrayal of Rene is also very well done as a woman whose whole world was her marriage, her kitchen, and her church, and who know finds herself struggling to figure out who she wants to be from now on. Their odd couple friendship is at the heart of this story, and it’s compelling reading.
A friend may be the gift you give yourself, but you could also give yourself the gift of reading this book.
A mob widow, her granddaughter, and a retired porn star go on the run with two bags of cash and a hammer wielding psychopath hot on their trail.
If that sentence doesn’t sell you on this book then I don’t know what would.
Rena Ruggiero has been living a quiet, lonely life ever since her mobster husband was murdered in front of their house in Brooklyn. After an elderly neighbor gets too aggressive in making an advance on her, Rena clocks him with an ashtray and takes his car. In a panic, Rena goes to see her estranged daughter, Adrienne, thinking that she can finally reconnect with her and the granddaughter, Lucia, she hasn’t seen in years. When her hopes of a reconciliation are instantly crushed Rena meets Adrienne's neighbor, Lacey Wolfstein. Wolfstein starred in a lot of porn movies back in the ‘70s and ‘80s, and then she moved on to hustling old men for cash. Now she has a sack of money stashed in the wall of her house as she spends her golden years drinking vodka and watching old movies.
Things go sideways after Adrienne's mobbed up boyfriend and an old victim of Wolfstein’s both show up at the same time with their own agendas, and Rena, Wolfstein, and Lucia have to flee with Wolfstein’s retirement fund. Their stolen Cadillac also has a briefcase full of stolen mob money and a machine gun in the trunk.
William Boyle’s two novels, Gravesend and The Lonely Witness, quickly made me a fan of his, and this one is an early contender for my favorite of 2019. While the other two are loosely connected and focus heavily on the their Brooklyn setting, this is more of a plot based crime novel with incredibly well developed and offbeat characters. It reminded me a lot of Elmore Leonard at his best, and that’s just about the highest praise I can give a book.
Boyle’s characters frequently act irrationally which makes sense because they do really seem like people instead of characters. However, since this one is more plot heavy that came across as a bit more frustrating because those actions continue to drive the plot. Lucia, in particular, was irritating as hell at times, but on the other hand, she’s a teenager. So it makes sense.
That’s a relatively minor nitpick in an otherwise great book. Wolfstein, in particular, was incredibly fun as this pragmatic woman with a wild history who is also incredibly compassionate and empathetic. I’d love to read an entire novel that was about her younger days as a porn star and grifter. His portrayal of Rene is also very well done as a woman whose whole world was her marriage, her kitchen, and her church, and who know finds herself struggling to figure out who she wants to be from now on. Their odd couple friendship is at the heart of this story, and it’s compelling reading.
A friend may be the gift you give yourself, but you could also give yourself the gift of reading this book.
April 19, 2019
Find all of my reviews at: http://52bookminimum.blogspot.com/
4.5 Stars
This book is a prime example of the importance of Goodreads’ friends whose ratings you can trust. There is ZERO chance I would have ever checked out A Friend Is A Gift You Give Yourself simply due to the fact that the title sounds like potentially the worst self-help book ever written and, despite the fact I’m well aware I could use some therapy, I ain’t the type who is going to get it via a book . . . . or a therapist. I’m more of the embrace the crazy variety.
But I digress. Thanks to SUSAN’s brief but persuasive wrap-up, combined with her 5 Star rating, I immediately asked the library to purchase a copy – and thankfully they did. This is one time where the blurb is spot on. This was absolutely . . . . .
Meets . . . . .
And it was so much fun.
The story begins with Rena, the widowed wife of a mafia kingpin, having to engage in a little ashtray to the head moment when her neighbor’s invite to come over for coffee turns into a porno watching, Viagra swallowing, rapey boner of a time, forcing Rena to make sure he is well aware that . . . . .
The certain death of said geezer also causes her to panic and head to her estranged daughter’s house for protection. Unfortunately, the timing there isn’t great either which results in a game of cat and mouse with Rena, her granddaughter Lucia and the former skin-flick star/neighbor Wolfie on the run in a stolen car with a trunk full of dirty money and multiple mobsters in pursuit trying tokill catch them.
What a rip-roaring good time. This thing was an action-packed, fast paced and sometimes hilarious ride. Despite the fact that it came to my attention my brain had cast people well over the age they probably truly were supposed to be, I couldn’t help but imagine Rena as . . . . .
And Wolfie as . . . . .
Half star deduction because I don’t like obnoxious, know-it-all teenagers (I already live with a couple of them so I don’t need any included in my fiction), and this one was no exception. Rounded up because Mo will definitely go down in the history books as one of my favorite characters of the year and I would 100% read more of her story.
4.5 Stars
This book is a prime example of the importance of Goodreads’ friends whose ratings you can trust. There is ZERO chance I would have ever checked out A Friend Is A Gift You Give Yourself simply due to the fact that the title sounds like potentially the worst self-help book ever written and, despite the fact I’m well aware I could use some therapy, I ain’t the type who is going to get it via a book . . . . or a therapist. I’m more of the embrace the crazy variety.
But I digress. Thanks to SUSAN’s brief but persuasive wrap-up, combined with her 5 Star rating, I immediately asked the library to purchase a copy – and thankfully they did. This is one time where the blurb is spot on. This was absolutely . . . . .
Meets . . . . .
And it was so much fun.
The story begins with Rena, the widowed wife of a mafia kingpin, having to engage in a little ashtray to the head moment when her neighbor’s invite to come over for coffee turns into a porno watching, Viagra swallowing, rapey boner of a time, forcing Rena to make sure he is well aware that . . . . .
The certain death of said geezer also causes her to panic and head to her estranged daughter’s house for protection. Unfortunately, the timing there isn’t great either which results in a game of cat and mouse with Rena, her granddaughter Lucia and the former skin-flick star/neighbor Wolfie on the run in a stolen car with a trunk full of dirty money and multiple mobsters in pursuit trying to
What a rip-roaring good time. This thing was an action-packed, fast paced and sometimes hilarious ride. Despite the fact that it came to my attention my brain had cast people well over the age they probably truly were supposed to be, I couldn’t help but imagine Rena as . . . . .
And Wolfie as . . . . .
Half star deduction because I don’t like obnoxious, know-it-all teenagers (I already live with a couple of them so I don’t need any included in my fiction), and this one was no exception. Rounded up because Mo will definitely go down in the history books as one of my favorite characters of the year and I would 100% read more of her story.
March 27, 2019
Inside this Soprano style, Thelma and Louise vibed book one finds a motley crew of characters. We have an elderly man who gets beaned because he tries to get a little nookie from the wrong person. A mob bosses widow, and an older woman whose past jobs included porn Queen and drifter. A teenage girl who is determined not to run off in the sunset with her mother and her boyfriend. All the elements for a tragic comedy, and at first it is humorous.
Then the bullets start flying, great sums of money are bandied about, and the car chases ensue. The pace is fast, there are some gritty and violent moments, and those left standing at the end must pick up the pieces. How? With some baked ziti, sausage and peppers and some bricole of course. That works everytime.
ARC from Edelweiss.
Then the bullets start flying, great sums of money are bandied about, and the car chases ensue. The pace is fast, there are some gritty and violent moments, and those left standing at the end must pick up the pieces. How? With some baked ziti, sausage and peppers and some bricole of course. That works everytime.
ARC from Edelweiss.
December 14, 2024
Start with Goodfellas, change the focus to women, add in a healthy portion of humor, a vintage Impala, a pristine El Dorado, and a Lincoln Towncar driven by a crazed hit man, and if you’re lucky you’ll end up with this entertaining tale.
Although the manic plot is a treat, the real joy in the book is the wild assortment of richly detailed characters. And Boyle’s illustrations of how friendships are formed and sustained. The title of the book is a Robert Louis Stevenson quote that nicely sums up the message of the book. Friends can be found in the most unusual places.
Although the manic plot is a treat, the real joy in the book is the wild assortment of richly detailed characters. And Boyle’s illustrations of how friendships are formed and sustained. The title of the book is a Robert Louis Stevenson quote that nicely sums up the message of the book. Friends can be found in the most unusual places.
October 12, 2018
Noir that's straight outta Brooklyn. Intense, gripping, funny, suspenseful, with a plot that just rockets ahead. Sometimes you know it's a great one right from the start and that's certainly the case here. A Friend takes a mafia crew chief's widow and pairs her with an ex porn star grifter and gets them on the run with bags of money and a psycho on their heels. It's not Goodfellas. It's more the aftermath, years later as people age and drift apart and are left to deal with the wreckage left behind. There's a great sense of humor at work here as the characters in the midst of gun battles, car chases, and the like focus on what's important to them from their classic cars to the daddy they never met to the classic movies made during the seventies and Eighties to old beefs. And it all starts with an old shmoe scarfing viagra and trying to turn on Gentle Vic's widow.
Many thanks to the publisher for providing a copy for review. Sign me up for the next novel Boyle churns out. I want to read it.
Many thanks to the publisher for providing a copy for review. Sign me up for the next novel Boyle churns out. I want to read it.
March 5, 2019
William Boyle's latest book might also be his most accessible, with a tone that's pretty different from his two previous novels. While it's set mostly in the same outskirts of Brooklyn where the other books take place and it's just as offbeat, this one is filled to the gills with quirk, witty comedy, and hope; a bit of a departure from the earlier crime downers and melancholy character pieces. It tells the story of a mob widow, an ex-pornstar, a precocious teen girl, a mid-level gangster, and an 80-year-old Viagra-popping pervert, bouncing off each other as they flee the wrath of a psycho hitman armed with a sledgehammer.
It's fun, suspenseful, and delightfully oddball. What few action scenes there are never go quite the way you expect. The chapter in the first third of the book where all of our characters collide in the Bronx is one of the best chapters of any book I've read in a long while! It's well-written with absorbing characters, but Boyle does show a constant issue with narrative momentum as he's always interrupting the flow of the story at the worst moments just for the characters to reminisce. It always helped deepen my understanding of the characters but I wish it was done with a bit more finesse.
I had a great time reading this one. It's a tale of how friendship can be found in the most unlikely places, and how sometimes all you need is the right people around you in order to discover who you really are.
*Advanced Copy provided through Netgalley for an honest review*
It's fun, suspenseful, and delightfully oddball. What few action scenes there are never go quite the way you expect. The chapter in the first third of the book where all of our characters collide in the Bronx is one of the best chapters of any book I've read in a long while! It's well-written with absorbing characters, but Boyle does show a constant issue with narrative momentum as he's always interrupting the flow of the story at the worst moments just for the characters to reminisce. It always helped deepen my understanding of the characters but I wish it was done with a bit more finesse.
I had a great time reading this one. It's a tale of how friendship can be found in the most unlikely places, and how sometimes all you need is the right people around you in order to discover who you really are.
*Advanced Copy provided through Netgalley for an honest review*
January 10, 2025
3.5 stars
short review for busy readers: a highly enjoyable, fun female mafia-adjacent crime romp. Lean writing, comical situations, off-beat characters, but with a disconcertingly wholesome, heartwarming undertone, an undercooked ending and a pacing problem.
in detail:
Some of the high-action, madcap scenes in this novel about a mob widow, her granddaughter and half a million dollars are right out of the best of crime comedy. For fans of the likes of Joe R Lansdale, that's as good as double chocolate brownies with extra helpings of whipped cream. 🍒
Unfortunately, those scenes are somewhat sparse.
Unfortunately also, each high-action sequence is followed by long downtime in which little happens except for conversations and unnecessary backstory reveals (unnecessary in this type of fiction), leading to the feeling of uneven, jerky pacing.
And ultimately unfortunately, the plot entirely loses steam once the 'chase' comes to its dramatic end (and what an end!), as if Boyle wasn't sure what to do with the characters/plot after that.
What he does do after that is more or less heartwarming porridge that adds nothing to the story, but is supposed to wrap up all threads and create the feeling of safety and family joy after harrowing events.
About as Hallmark as I've ever seen a crime novel get.
The action scenes, the murder scenes (deliberate and accidental), the car chases, the "go on, take the money and run🎵" vibes, the involvement of a Lincoln Town Car, an Eldorado and a '62 Impala in mint condition, and some determined but nutty criminals are all fantastic. Really fantastic.
Everything else...😑 to 🥱 to ⌚👀.
Thanks to my GR friend Barbara K for putting this one on my radar.
short review for busy readers: a highly enjoyable, fun female mafia-adjacent crime romp. Lean writing, comical situations, off-beat characters, but with a disconcertingly wholesome, heartwarming undertone, an undercooked ending and a pacing problem.
in detail:
Some of the high-action, madcap scenes in this novel about a mob widow, her granddaughter and half a million dollars are right out of the best of crime comedy. For fans of the likes of Joe R Lansdale, that's as good as double chocolate brownies with extra helpings of whipped cream. 🍒
Unfortunately, those scenes are somewhat sparse.
Unfortunately also, each high-action sequence is followed by long downtime in which little happens except for conversations and unnecessary backstory reveals (unnecessary in this type of fiction), leading to the feeling of uneven, jerky pacing.
And ultimately unfortunately, the plot entirely loses steam once the 'chase' comes to its dramatic end (and what an end!), as if Boyle wasn't sure what to do with the characters/plot after that.
What he does do after that is more or less heartwarming porridge that adds nothing to the story, but is supposed to wrap up all threads and create the feeling of safety and family joy after harrowing events.
About as Hallmark as I've ever seen a crime novel get.
The action scenes, the murder scenes (deliberate and accidental), the car chases, the "go on, take the money and run🎵" vibes, the involvement of a Lincoln Town Car, an Eldorado and a '62 Impala in mint condition, and some determined but nutty criminals are all fantastic. Really fantastic.
Everything else...😑 to 🥱 to ⌚👀.
Thanks to my GR friend Barbara K for putting this one on my radar.
August 4, 2019
The blurb says Goodfellas meets Thelma and Louise, the latter is what attracted me to it, but I found it to be more like Pulp Fiction. It has the same sort of approach--multiple strands, quirky characters, pithy dialogue, graphic violence--but it was missing some of Pulp’s dark humor and, of course, the Thurman/Travolta dance number.
I found the characters believable with Wolfie especially intriguing, but found the story erratic and it never really pulled me in. I pushed myself to finish it only because I wanted to know who would be left standing in the end.
We’re all unfinished wreckage. Whatever’s not dead is fixable.
I could say a lot more, but why beat a subject to death (which actually happens to a character). This was not the book for me, but others have loved and the critics have fawned over it, so you be the judge.
I found the characters believable with Wolfie especially intriguing, but found the story erratic and it never really pulled me in. I pushed myself to finish it only because I wanted to know who would be left standing in the end.
We’re all unfinished wreckage. Whatever’s not dead is fixable.
I could say a lot more, but why beat a subject to death (which actually happens to a character). This was not the book for me, but others have loved and the critics have fawned over it, so you be the judge.
November 11, 2021
Somewhat interesting, a story about long term friends and their crime ridden families as they escape the bindings of the past. While well written, the use of far too much back story ruins the pace and bogs it down to no end. Characters are reasonably unique especially Wolfstein due to her early days in the porn business. What appears as a momentum builder midway through, falls flat when three women and a teen are being chased by a mob character. It's neither mystery or drama but somewhere in between though I felt it was mediocre.
December 18, 2021
A quick, crazy, heartful, suspenseful read. William Boyle is super talented - he keeps multiple viewpoints and a half-dozen characters feeling real. In scenes where they are all interacting, the dialogue and action zings; not a stray line or implausible moment, or wasted action. I loved that its a novel of women in what is traditionally a man's world, and women with spunk, fight and vulnerability - often we get one at the expense of the other.
It's a slightly zany novel, where all the action seems to crash in on itself and then ripple outwards. Taking place over a 48 hour period, the ride is non-stop. This is an easy to consume novel, over before you realise it. Highly recommended.
It's a slightly zany novel, where all the action seems to crash in on itself and then ripple outwards. Taking place over a 48 hour period, the ride is non-stop. This is an easy to consume novel, over before you realise it. Highly recommended.
April 12, 2019
Loved the characters,loved the storytelling and I want a sequel with Mo and Wolfie !!
March 12, 2019
"'You hearing this? You're not laughing? Enzio wakes up with a boner, covered in blood. Old broad bopped him one with an ashtray. That'll teach you about consent.'"
William Boyle has written yet another winner (although would that I had been reading this at the beginning of June, as I did The Lonely Witness, instead of bloody March), this time with a yarn about a mob widow, an ill-advised cash grab, an Terminator-esque hammer-wielding mob enforcer, and one of the greatest characters ever to grace the page, former porn star Lacey Wolfstein. Boozy, empathetic, Stevie Nicks fan, possessor of pearls of wisdom such as: "'That bus crashed into that big-deal plane, and they're both here . . . Point is, we're all like that all the time. We're all unfinished wreckage. Whatever's not dead is fixable. You and Lucia, you're not dead. You've been surrounded by some bad things, that's true. But you've still got your life. You're a righteous woman, and I'm your pal.'" Oh yeah, and a bus crashes into a plane.
The thing that makes Boyle such great reading for me, other than the incredible dialogue and the fabulous characters, is that he's so damn good at crafting complex, darkly funny scenes with a lot of moving parts that ramp up deliciously and play out perfectly. At some point all of the main characters are gathered together in a house with a lot of the secondary hangers-on and someone has a gun and is waving it around but being ignored, someone is listing off the titles of Wolfstein's movies despite being told repeatedly that this really isn’t the time, someone keeps dropping his car keys while someone else is laughing at him, everyone is talking over each other and the whole time the hammer murderer guy is probably going to show up any minute and it just builds into this delirious crescendo that's hilarious and terrible all at once. Boyle writes, "Lucia is excited and confused, like this is Shakespeare happening in front of her," and well basically, yes. Five stars doesn't just happen every day, you know.
William Boyle has written yet another winner (although would that I had been reading this at the beginning of June, as I did The Lonely Witness, instead of bloody March), this time with a yarn about a mob widow, an ill-advised cash grab, an Terminator-esque hammer-wielding mob enforcer, and one of the greatest characters ever to grace the page, former porn star Lacey Wolfstein. Boozy, empathetic, Stevie Nicks fan, possessor of pearls of wisdom such as: "'That bus crashed into that big-deal plane, and they're both here . . . Point is, we're all like that all the time. We're all unfinished wreckage. Whatever's not dead is fixable. You and Lucia, you're not dead. You've been surrounded by some bad things, that's true. But you've still got your life. You're a righteous woman, and I'm your pal.'" Oh yeah, and a bus crashes into a plane.
The thing that makes Boyle such great reading for me, other than the incredible dialogue and the fabulous characters, is that he's so damn good at crafting complex, darkly funny scenes with a lot of moving parts that ramp up deliciously and play out perfectly. At some point all of the main characters are gathered together in a house with a lot of the secondary hangers-on and someone has a gun and is waving it around but being ignored, someone is listing off the titles of Wolfstein's movies despite being told repeatedly that this really isn’t the time, someone keeps dropping his car keys while someone else is laughing at him, everyone is talking over each other and the whole time the hammer murderer guy is probably going to show up any minute and it just builds into this delirious crescendo that's hilarious and terrible all at once. Boyle writes, "Lucia is excited and confused, like this is Shakespeare happening in front of her," and well basically, yes. Five stars doesn't just happen every day, you know.
June 15, 2019
“Screwball noir” is what the book description calls this and that’s a good description. Other good descriptive words would be totally bonkers, crazy violent, hilarious—and lovely. When I heard about the book, I thought the contrast between the storyline and the book’s title was meant to be ironic. It turns out, though, that with all its over-the-top brutality and nonstop action, at its core this really is a book about friendship, about finding the people in life whom you can rely on.
I tore through almost all of this in one go because it’s just such a propulsive story and I wanted to know what happens to Rena, Wolfie and Lucia. And when I turned the last page, I just said wow.
I tore through almost all of this in one go because it’s just such a propulsive story and I wanted to know what happens to Rena, Wolfie and Lucia. And when I turned the last page, I just said wow.
April 28, 2024
Boyle excels at weaving sad, endearing characters’ stories around the hardscrabble, gritty NYC of yesteryear. I love his work, and Friend ranks among his best.
August 11, 2019
First impression after the first two regrettable and unnecessary pages: Oh, joy. Another male author who doesn't have a clue how to write women so he reverts to his own coarse wet-dream material with lesbian overtones and gutter mentality.
It's a wonder I continued, but I blame my library. They labeled this as a "mystery." There is nothing mysterious about it. It's self-proclaimed noir, but lacks the style and flair that I expect of noir. What it is, is a paean to the writer's favorite movies and TV show. He's memorized them and watched them over and over and over. This is fanfic for "Goodfellas," "Casino," and "The Sopranos." The characters are stereotypes and drawn with too shallow a pen for me to care about what happens to them. And, knowing the movies/show that are invoked too many times ("like in the movie..." popped up with sad frequency), I already knew what would happen to them.
I need to say, I lived in Brooklyn, too. My godmother was the first woman deputy police commissioner of New York City. She had a lot of stories to tell. My best friend was the daughter of a minor hood in the Mafia. I know these people. They're not as mono-dimensional as this book makes them.
I've yet to read a genuinely good book that derives its inspiration from movies and TV shows. Back away from the screen. Go outside. Talk to people. Then write.
I haven't read any other work by the writer, but from the dust cover bio, it seems he's a one-trick pony. He lives in Mississippi and I guess he's harking back to his Brooklyn days in some pseudo-realistic, tough-guy fantasy. For those who like this kind of thing...great! Personally, I think it should have been a graphic comic book/novel complete with red-outlined SPLAT! and OOF!
It doesn't have the soul to be anything else.
It's a wonder I continued, but I blame my library. They labeled this as a "mystery." There is nothing mysterious about it. It's self-proclaimed noir, but lacks the style and flair that I expect of noir. What it is, is a paean to the writer's favorite movies and TV show. He's memorized them and watched them over and over and over. This is fanfic for "Goodfellas," "Casino," and "The Sopranos." The characters are stereotypes and drawn with too shallow a pen for me to care about what happens to them. And, knowing the movies/show that are invoked too many times ("like in the movie..." popped up with sad frequency), I already knew what would happen to them.
I need to say, I lived in Brooklyn, too. My godmother was the first woman deputy police commissioner of New York City. She had a lot of stories to tell. My best friend was the daughter of a minor hood in the Mafia. I know these people. They're not as mono-dimensional as this book makes them.
I've yet to read a genuinely good book that derives its inspiration from movies and TV shows. Back away from the screen. Go outside. Talk to people. Then write.
I haven't read any other work by the writer, but from the dust cover bio, it seems he's a one-trick pony. He lives in Mississippi and I guess he's harking back to his Brooklyn days in some pseudo-realistic, tough-guy fantasy. For those who like this kind of thing...great! Personally, I think it should have been a graphic comic book/novel complete with red-outlined SPLAT! and OOF!
It doesn't have the soul to be anything else.
March 17, 2019
Visit the locations in the novel
If there’s not a genre of fiction called Brooklyn Noir then there should be as this is the title read. There’s not many books you can spend time with lovable rogues and funny gangsters if you can ever call a mobster lovable.
This is pure comedy gold as well as a brilliantly addictive insight into the various New York ’hoods’ – see I’m picking up the lingo already. The characters jump from the page kicking and screaming and even shooting. Each one is unique, their own stories and problems making up a rich tapestry of both mobster and regular traits.
I really enjoyed spending time with these characters as that’s exactly what they are – characters who could be in a movie given they’re so vivid and vibrant.
The setting comes alive – the sights, sounds, smells and neighbourhood eccentricities for which New York is so well known fight each other in a swirl of excitement.
Take time out and spend time in Brooklyn and the Bronx. A mobster of a plot, unforgettable characters and a whirlwind visit to some of the most vibrant New York neighbourhoods
March 31, 2019
William Boyle writes novels the way desperate people fire guns—like a bullet is their only chance to survive. All his characters pop and sing. They are damaged and somehow filled with hope. They are failing but want to succeed. His new novel, the brilliantly titled A Friend Is A Gift You Give Yourself, comes with the same intensity as his previous books but there’s a sweetness here that interrupts the insanity that comes from making epically bad choices. And a comedy. I laughed constantly. Maybe it’s because the main characters are women. Maybe it’s because they’re mostly older. Maybe it’s because one of the main characters is a retired porn star and another one is a mob wife with a moral code not far removed from Billy Graham. So much happens here: inside mob deals, murder, more murder, not quite murder. Family. Family falling apart and coming together. Watch out for the old man with the hammer. Watch out for the old lady with the ashtray. This is the most fun I’ve had reading a crime novel since James Crumley was alive and yet I always wanted to cry over how hard it was to survive. I can’t wait to see where Boyle takes us next. Heaven, maybe. At least further from hell.
July 6, 2019
Fantastic book!!!
This is one of those books that is shockingly underrepresented on Goodreads and Instagram. It is so funny and action packed. The blurb states it’s a cross between Thelma and Louise and Goodfellas. That’s pretty accurate except almost everyone is a bit older! I genuinely laughed out loud at parts and you know that’s impressive for a book to do. Can’t wait to read more by Boyle and highly recommend!
This is one of those books that is shockingly underrepresented on Goodreads and Instagram. It is so funny and action packed. The blurb states it’s a cross between Thelma and Louise and Goodfellas. That’s pretty accurate except almost everyone is a bit older! I genuinely laughed out loud at parts and you know that’s impressive for a book to do. Can’t wait to read more by Boyle and highly recommend!
April 8, 2021
Abwechslungsreicher und abgedrehter Roman (Screwball Noir) um schmierige Mafiosi und starke Frauen. Vielleicht ein Tick zu lang.
June 3, 2025
Ein langer Tag
Mal wieder fängt alles ganz harmlos an. Rena Ruggiero ist seit einigen Jahren Witwe. Sie hat ein Auskommen, auch wenn es manchmal knapp wird. Hätte sie wieder Kontakt zu ihrer Tochter und ihrer Enkelin, wäre ihr Leben fast perfekt. Dann jedoch taucht Nachbar Enzio auf und meint, man könne sich ja zusammentun. Seine Meinung verteidigt er etwas sehr nachdrücklich. Eigentlich muss er sich nicht wundern, dass er nur Minuten später mit blutendem Schädel in Renas Wohnzimmer liegt. In ihrer Not weiß sich Rena keinen anderen Rat als zu ihrer Tochter zu fahren (mit Enzios kostbaren Impala).
Mit etwas über sechzig Jahren krempelt sich Renas Leben nochmal komplett um. Von ihrer Tochter hat sie zwar nicht viel zu erwarten, aber eher zufällig nimmt deren Nachbarin Wolfstein Rena unter ihre Fittiche. Sie ist im gleichen Alter wie Rena und hat im Gegensatz zu Renas Hausfrauendasein ein turbulentes Leben hinter sich. Um ein turbulentes Leben geht es Rena nicht, se möchte nur ihr normales Leben wiederhaben. Dass die Frauen dafür eine Rundreise durch New York und die nähere Umgebung starten müssen, war nicht vorhersehbar. Und dass diverse Autos und Leben abhanden kommen, auch nicht.
Dieser Roman strotzt nur so vor aberwitzigen Szenen, wobei der Titel nicht unbedingt täuscht. Wolfstein erweist sich tatsächlich als Freundin, die Rena dabei hilft, ihr Leben wieder in Ordnung zu bringen. Angesichts dessen, was passiert ist, erscheint das fast unmöglich. Irgendwie gewinnt man den Eindruck, dass die Lage im Gegenteil immer auswegloser wird. Manchmal muss man sich schütteln bei dem ganzen Irrsinn, denn wieder schmunzelt man, weil es einfach zu schräg ist. Vielleicht fällt einem der eine oder andere Film ein, der ähnliches thematisiert. Vielleicht denkt man auch, dieser Roman könnte verfilmt werden. Jedenfalls wird man bestens unterhalten von diesem nur manchmal etwas zu blutigen, ansonsten aber rasanten Überlebenskampf von Frauen, die stärker sind als sie gedacht hatten.
Mal wieder fängt alles ganz harmlos an. Rena Ruggiero ist seit einigen Jahren Witwe. Sie hat ein Auskommen, auch wenn es manchmal knapp wird. Hätte sie wieder Kontakt zu ihrer Tochter und ihrer Enkelin, wäre ihr Leben fast perfekt. Dann jedoch taucht Nachbar Enzio auf und meint, man könne sich ja zusammentun. Seine Meinung verteidigt er etwas sehr nachdrücklich. Eigentlich muss er sich nicht wundern, dass er nur Minuten später mit blutendem Schädel in Renas Wohnzimmer liegt. In ihrer Not weiß sich Rena keinen anderen Rat als zu ihrer Tochter zu fahren (mit Enzios kostbaren Impala).
Mit etwas über sechzig Jahren krempelt sich Renas Leben nochmal komplett um. Von ihrer Tochter hat sie zwar nicht viel zu erwarten, aber eher zufällig nimmt deren Nachbarin Wolfstein Rena unter ihre Fittiche. Sie ist im gleichen Alter wie Rena und hat im Gegensatz zu Renas Hausfrauendasein ein turbulentes Leben hinter sich. Um ein turbulentes Leben geht es Rena nicht, se möchte nur ihr normales Leben wiederhaben. Dass die Frauen dafür eine Rundreise durch New York und die nähere Umgebung starten müssen, war nicht vorhersehbar. Und dass diverse Autos und Leben abhanden kommen, auch nicht.
Dieser Roman strotzt nur so vor aberwitzigen Szenen, wobei der Titel nicht unbedingt täuscht. Wolfstein erweist sich tatsächlich als Freundin, die Rena dabei hilft, ihr Leben wieder in Ordnung zu bringen. Angesichts dessen, was passiert ist, erscheint das fast unmöglich. Irgendwie gewinnt man den Eindruck, dass die Lage im Gegenteil immer auswegloser wird. Manchmal muss man sich schütteln bei dem ganzen Irrsinn, denn wieder schmunzelt man, weil es einfach zu schräg ist. Vielleicht fällt einem der eine oder andere Film ein, der ähnliches thematisiert. Vielleicht denkt man auch, dieser Roman könnte verfilmt werden. Jedenfalls wird man bestens unterhalten von diesem nur manchmal etwas zu blutigen, ansonsten aber rasanten Überlebenskampf von Frauen, die stärker sind als sie gedacht hatten.
June 9, 2021
I loved William Boyle's "A Friend is a Gift You Give Yourself". Great, straightforward noir writing with outstanding dialogue and a wacky but believable plot combine to make this slice of the NYC boroughs an enjoyable read.
April 9, 2022
2,5/5 étoiles.
note to self : arrêter de lire du contemporain parce-que à chaque fois je m'ennuie.
J'ai pas trouvé que l'histoire était transcandante DU TOUT. Après, il y avait quelques remarques drôles, et beaucoup de moments WTF?
Heureusement que je l'annotais pour Nosi, sinon je l'aurais sûrement abandonné.
note to self : arrêter de lire du contemporain parce-que à chaque fois je m'ennuie.
J'ai pas trouvé que l'histoire était transcandante DU TOUT. Après, il y avait quelques remarques drôles, et beaucoup de moments WTF?
Heureusement que je l'annotais pour Nosi, sinon je l'aurais sûrement abandonné.
June 27, 2019
Novel set in BROOKLYN
William Boyle’s latest novel is that rare thing – a taut and well-paced thriller, with wonderful characterisation, brilliant dialogue and nuggets of wickedly black humour thrown in for good measure.
Rena Ruggeiro, a Brooklyn mob widow, hasn’t had an easy time since the death of her beloved husband, Gentle Vic. She is estranged from her daughter, Adrienne, and consequently has had very little contact with her granddaughter, Lucia, who is now fifteen. She leads a lonely life, with little interaction with her neighbours until one fateful day when her eighty-year-old neighbour, Enzio, comes calling. Rena agrees to go to his house for a cookie, but Enzio has more than biscuits in mind and, when he makes a move on her, Rena picks up a heavy glass ashtray and wallops him with it. Enzio collapses, hitting his head on the table on the way down. Convinced she has killed him, Rena panics, steals Enzio’s prized ’62 Chevy Impala, and heads for her daughter’s house, hoping for a reconciliation.
But Adrienne isn’t in forgiving mood and slams the door in her mother’s face. Fortunately, Rena is given shelter by Adrienne’s neighbour, Lacey “Wolfie” Wolfstein, a retired porn star who has made a packet out of conning money out of wealthy men in Florida. Before long, Lucia joins them, desperate to get away from her mother and her mother’s mobster boyfriend. Inevitably, things turn nasty and soon there are bodies on the floor and the three women are on the run, being hotly pursued by the mob.
This is a mafia story, true, but Boyle has done something different in focusing on the women; instead of portraying them as silent figures behind their mob men, he moves them centre stage and empowers them. For Rena, Lucia and Lacey are survivors, players and hustlers in their own right who are determined to win. Boyle has created three masterful characters here, each with their own unique voice.
It would be worth reading A Friend is a Gift You Give Yourself just for the wonderful idiomatic New York dialogue alone. The novel gives the reader a genuine flavour of New York and there is a real sense of the way the city’s past has inevitably shaped its present. Granted, the crazy road trip that we are taken on tends to focus on the underbelly of the city, but there is a real feeling of love for the place, despite its flaws.
It wouldn’t be a mafia story without violence and there is plenty of it here, but it is balanced by the wonderful humour and lightened by the ultimate message of the book and the hope it offers. Definitely, one not to miss.
William Boyle’s latest novel is that rare thing – a taut and well-paced thriller, with wonderful characterisation, brilliant dialogue and nuggets of wickedly black humour thrown in for good measure.
Rena Ruggeiro, a Brooklyn mob widow, hasn’t had an easy time since the death of her beloved husband, Gentle Vic. She is estranged from her daughter, Adrienne, and consequently has had very little contact with her granddaughter, Lucia, who is now fifteen. She leads a lonely life, with little interaction with her neighbours until one fateful day when her eighty-year-old neighbour, Enzio, comes calling. Rena agrees to go to his house for a cookie, but Enzio has more than biscuits in mind and, when he makes a move on her, Rena picks up a heavy glass ashtray and wallops him with it. Enzio collapses, hitting his head on the table on the way down. Convinced she has killed him, Rena panics, steals Enzio’s prized ’62 Chevy Impala, and heads for her daughter’s house, hoping for a reconciliation.
But Adrienne isn’t in forgiving mood and slams the door in her mother’s face. Fortunately, Rena is given shelter by Adrienne’s neighbour, Lacey “Wolfie” Wolfstein, a retired porn star who has made a packet out of conning money out of wealthy men in Florida. Before long, Lucia joins them, desperate to get away from her mother and her mother’s mobster boyfriend. Inevitably, things turn nasty and soon there are bodies on the floor and the three women are on the run, being hotly pursued by the mob.
This is a mafia story, true, but Boyle has done something different in focusing on the women; instead of portraying them as silent figures behind their mob men, he moves them centre stage and empowers them. For Rena, Lucia and Lacey are survivors, players and hustlers in their own right who are determined to win. Boyle has created three masterful characters here, each with their own unique voice.
It would be worth reading A Friend is a Gift You Give Yourself just for the wonderful idiomatic New York dialogue alone. The novel gives the reader a genuine flavour of New York and there is a real sense of the way the city’s past has inevitably shaped its present. Granted, the crazy road trip that we are taken on tends to focus on the underbelly of the city, but there is a real feeling of love for the place, despite its flaws.
It wouldn’t be a mafia story without violence and there is plenty of it here, but it is balanced by the wonderful humour and lightened by the ultimate message of the book and the hope it offers. Definitely, one not to miss.
April 28, 2020
Boyle has a great knack for wonderfully crafted crime stories. This one, a tad more graphically detailed than his other novels, takes us on a road of mischief of mayhem from his familiar turf of south Brooklyn to the Bronx to the Hudson valley and back to Brooklyn again. While the story seemed like it might lose some steam about three quarters through, Boyle pulls it all together and finishes strong. As with Boyle's other 2 novels, I highly recommend A Friend...
March 17, 2019
This reminds me a great deal of one of my all-time favorites, "The Pope of Greenwich Village" by Vincent Patrick. The deep New York City flavor, salty dialogue, and mob theme are what they share. But "A Friend Is a Gift You Give Yourself" forges its own direction and has a unique set of characters at its core. William Boyle's loving attention to detail also extends to central New York, not to mention food, music, and automobiles. There is much here to savor. The only thing that threw me was that I thought the story was about to end about 75-100 pages before it actually did. But I still forged ahead in the last sitting well into the night because I wanted to see how it turned out. The ending is very warmhearted.
April 22, 2025
3.5 stars — pretty good, lots of action. But the final 25% was completely unnecessary — so another star is lost.
June 11, 2019
The title might smack of sophomoric poetry collection, but the book itself is a wonderful noir with a highly appealing voice and vivid scene-setting and a rich cast of memorable characters, adding up to a tremendously fun read. I loved this book.
March 2, 2019
Wise guys and wise gals, mommas, widows and daughters, and some domestic troubles.
Brooklyn to Bronx to Monroe.
There is this broad, Rena, she did something bad and went on the run, with helluva load of problems unraveling in its course.
Estranged mother and daughter, widowed mobsters wife.
Rena and Adrienne, had a fallout at a funeral and then on things fell apart until certain forces pull them together again, everything in the play, love, family, wise guys, getaway cars, guns blazing, and hammer hitting.
There is, there was, there may not be anymore, a code, omertà, in this tale but without doubt some straight shooting entertaining reading with wisecracks at times with wise guys and gals just living through life one day at time in New York that might just brighten up your day.
Within are characters that would strike some similarities to ones in that show Sopranos, films like Goodfellas, Thelma and Louise.
Plenty movie references and the noir film influence is there in the narrative too.
I see De Niro playing a guy in here, and Pesci, Danny De Vito, Talia Shire, and Susan Sarandon.
In this New York tale there is the usual and unusual suspects, a cast of memorable characters evoked with sharp dialogue, conflict and vivid scenes, nicely crafted and immersive storytelling ingredients with a James Ellroy and Elmore Leonard strain of telling with the author’s own Jazz like potent rhythm and dialogue.
Real and human tragedy the backbone of this escapade of noir kind, people we leave behind and need to put aright, run through this tale that doesn’t let up in pace you will need quite few espressos to suite the adventure ride you may partake in the month of its release in March.
Starring Within:
Gentle Vic Ruggiero
Rena Ruggiero
Adrienne
Lucia
Wolfstein
Little Sal Lavignani
Sonny Brancaccio
Bobby Murray
Enzio
Richie Schiavano
Ralphie Baruncelli
’82 Cadillac Eldorado hardtop coupe,
’62 Chevy Impala two-door.
Read my interview with the author
Brooklyn to Bronx to Monroe.
There is this broad, Rena, she did something bad and went on the run, with helluva load of problems unraveling in its course.
Estranged mother and daughter, widowed mobsters wife.
Rena and Adrienne, had a fallout at a funeral and then on things fell apart until certain forces pull them together again, everything in the play, love, family, wise guys, getaway cars, guns blazing, and hammer hitting.
There is, there was, there may not be anymore, a code, omertà, in this tale but without doubt some straight shooting entertaining reading with wisecracks at times with wise guys and gals just living through life one day at time in New York that might just brighten up your day.
Within are characters that would strike some similarities to ones in that show Sopranos, films like Goodfellas, Thelma and Louise.
Plenty movie references and the noir film influence is there in the narrative too.
I see De Niro playing a guy in here, and Pesci, Danny De Vito, Talia Shire, and Susan Sarandon.
In this New York tale there is the usual and unusual suspects, a cast of memorable characters evoked with sharp dialogue, conflict and vivid scenes, nicely crafted and immersive storytelling ingredients with a James Ellroy and Elmore Leonard strain of telling with the author’s own Jazz like potent rhythm and dialogue.
Real and human tragedy the backbone of this escapade of noir kind, people we leave behind and need to put aright, run through this tale that doesn’t let up in pace you will need quite few espressos to suite the adventure ride you may partake in the month of its release in March.
Starring Within:
Gentle Vic Ruggiero
Rena Ruggiero
Adrienne
Lucia
Wolfstein
Little Sal Lavignani
Sonny Brancaccio
Bobby Murray
Enzio
Richie Schiavano
Ralphie Baruncelli
’82 Cadillac Eldorado hardtop coupe,
’62 Chevy Impala two-door.
Read my interview with the author
March 15, 2019
(3 1/2). The hype on this book is really true. I don't think it is quite Thelma and Louise meets Goodfellas but a lot of those components are there. After a mildly quiet short chapter or two, this puppy flips into hyper gear. Rena, Wolfie, Mo and Lucia take us around the corner, down the street and out of town on a ride you will really enjoy. Lots of bad guys, stupid guys and some minor mobster history make this one of the best carnivals around. Yes, there is a fair amount of violence, some allusions to sex, but mostly this is a terrific home cooked meal. Big fun.
March 25, 2019
Just finished this one, and I overall I was not totally enamored with it. It was just ok for me. The writing style is a little off. I did not like the flow of the dialogue at all. For example, when a character would say something, it would be presented as such—
Rena: “What is that?” Then the author would carry on other dialogue as normal. Not a fan. This happened many times over. I just thought that for me, it threw me off a bit. I was not sure if the author was going for a play type style or what.
The story was interesting, but ended up being blah, with some aspects not being fully fleshed out. This is one of those books that are not literary masterpieces, and I don’t think that it is meant to be as such.
In the end, it was ok—the ending felt a bit rushed in my opinion. I really do not think that this author won me over as a fan. My recommendation is to skip this one, unless this is the type of novel you usually go for.
Rena: “What is that?” Then the author would carry on other dialogue as normal. Not a fan. This happened many times over. I just thought that for me, it threw me off a bit. I was not sure if the author was going for a play type style or what.
The story was interesting, but ended up being blah, with some aspects not being fully fleshed out. This is one of those books that are not literary masterpieces, and I don’t think that it is meant to be as such.
In the end, it was ok—the ending felt a bit rushed in my opinion. I really do not think that this author won me over as a fan. My recommendation is to skip this one, unless this is the type of novel you usually go for.
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