The Heart of Yonkers

by Patricia Vaccarino

Overview

From the edge of the Hudson River, we travel with fifteen year old Cookie Colangelo into The Heart of Yonkers. Close to the river’s edge, it was hot enough to take your clothes off and think about jumping into the water. Cookie has been slow to mature sexually. When her sexual awakening does occur, it’s a huge explosion, all-consuming and emotionally powerful. She desperately wants a boyfriend but will not settle for a dumb Yonkers guy. Then she meets Stanley di Falco and falls hard. This Vietnam War Vet has recently returned home. Stanley is vulnerable and trying to come to terms with his own humanity. While Cookie does everything in her power to seduce him, her age is an obstacle to consummating the relationship. Throughout this story, the presence of the river is a brilliant metaphor providing context for unforgettable characters. Meet Jimmy the Midget* who owns the Midget Bar on top of hardscrabble Nodine Hill. This popular watering hole is a refuge for working stiffs to drown themselves in the drink and to get solace from a midget who possesses uncanny insight into people. As a ruse to get close to Stanley di Falco, Cookie befriends his mother Bertha Sokól, who is a refugee and survivor of the slaughter at Nowy Targ in Poland. Many characters from the first Yonkers book are back too. They’re older but are they wiser? Black B-boy dancer Herman Lynch and his grandmother Mable Kerry continue to be the ballast in Cookie’s unstable world. Cookie’s parents are stranger and funnier than ever. The Queen Bee of Italian girls Toni Ferlinghetti embarks on a new reign of terror. Ultimately, The Heart of Yonkers is about kissing…well, learning how to kiss, or maybe, it’s about much more than kissing. 

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780996349475
Publisher:	Xanthus Communications LLC and PR for People
Publication date:	04/01/2020
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	402
File size:	678 KB
Age Range:	13 - 18 Years

Editorial Reviews

The predecessor to this work by Patricia Vaccarino was entitled YONKERS Yonkers!. This book, The Heart of Yonkers, might just be Yonkers Redux. Yes, there's a not-too-subtle Updike reference there. The story telling, the characters, everything about Yonkers and its characters, are all seen once again through the eyes of protagonist Cookie Colangelo, (Vaccarino's Rabbit).

New characters arrive who are at the heart of the story. A Vietnam vet and his mother, and a nun with a heart of gold. Yonkers, of course remains both the backdrop and plays a lead role throughout. It is Vaccarino's way of giving the characters and the city of Yonkers a warm and loving kiss.

-Dean Landsman, Author, Digital Strategist

I'm glad to see the character Cookie Colangelo again! Only she's a little older but not necessarily wiser. In fact, in "The Heart of Yonkers," Cookie is a fool for love! This story captures working-class heroes of a bygone era. Much more than a love story, great characters will touch your heart and make you feel good about what it means to be a human being. You might even remember your own first love.

-Wali Collins, Comedian & Author

The Heart of Yonkers is a revelation. Patricia Vaccarino's prose combines lyrical narrative with a practiced ear for dialogue for an authentic portrait of ethnic, blue-collar Yonkers. Cookie Colangelo is a fresh face and a welcome new voice in the world of modern literature.

-Manny Frishberg, Author, Editor

From the Publisher