Two Nickels by Michael F. DeConzo REVIEW

Two Nickels

by Michael F. DeConzo

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Synopsis

Thirty-year-old Johnny Romano wants to be taken seriously, but the choices he makes—a one-man production of Waiting for Godot, a monumental sneeze in a cold syrup commercial, and a thirty-thousand-dollar gambling debt to Salvatore "Sally Toast" Tosterelli—have sabotaged his acting career. His bad decisions have, more importantly, put his four-and-a-half-year relationship with a woman he truly loves—soap opera star Laura Winters—on the edge of a cliff.

 
Through a botched car theft, Johnny meets Virgil Shepherd, street person and sometime porter for a bar on Hudson Street in Greenwich Village. Scribbling his poems on napkins from Dunkin Donuts, Virgil is convinced that he is the Roman poet who guided Dante through Hell. Johnny is convinced that he is crazy. But as their lives converge, Johnny begins to suspect that the mysterious Virgil may actually have an agenda of his own.

Set ten days before Christmas in 1997, Two Nickels follows this very unlikely pair through Manhattan (and a few choice spots on Staten Island) as they head toward the answer to a question that Johnny has done his best to avoid: What does it take for us to forgive ourselves and begin to heal?

Review

Thank you to the author for a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are my own.

I really enjoyed reading Two Nickels. I really liked how New York was described in enough detail to create easy visualization without becoming dense and bogged down with information overload. The story itself was a lot of fun. It was refreshing yet cozy. The details of characters and events were well written with a great balance of action, drama and humor. The entire book is incredibly well written.

I would classify this book as easy reading. It is not going to give you thrills and chills, but if you're looking for something to give your mind a break while you simply relax and enjoy then this is what you're looking for. It's light and fun and a great book for a relaxed and casual reading experience.