Donna Florio (3.5/5 Stars)
Read this if you:
· have ever wondered what secret lives your neighbours lead
· want to know what it’s like to be born and raised in New York City
· are curious about how a neighbourhood (and the people living in it) change and evolve over many decades
Synopsis:
This book is a memoir of life in a dynamic New York City neighbourhood, Greenwich Village. The author chronicles life on Bank Street where she was born, raised, and still lives decades later. Bank Street was also home to many other interesting characters whose stories the author also details. Raised by free-spirited parents and neighbours, Donna Florio experienced life among many different people, from activists to rockstars. She uses this book to detail their many lives and the culture that once filled Bank Street.
My thoughts on the book:
In a time where travel has been non-existent for over a year, I felt like this book really gave me what I’ve been missing. I felt pulled in by Donna’s descriptions of both her life and of Bank Street itself. I did find that it was more enjoyable to read about some of her neighbours than others but all of their stories really painted a thorough picture of the neighbourhood. I also appreciated Donna’s extensive knowledge about the neighbourhood and her neighbours. She was able to describe who they were and how they changed over time, which I found to be a very interesting piece to Bank Street’s puzzle.