I have contrived to obtain myself a copy of "I Heard You Paint Houses". I have just started it this very morning.

Totally drawn into it from the start, i at first *groaned* when the inevitable story of his own life started in Chapter 3.
I was pleasantly surprised to find it was not so boring after all. A few things cracked me up, like his views on masturbation and his earliest sexual experiences.
Or how his father would bet other men money that Frank could beat up their sons, so he could drink the winnings.
And how he see's "Tuxedo Junction" as his "theme-song".

I was, though, shocked by the allegations of attrocities committed by American soldiers under Patton in Sicily, the murder of busloads of prisoners and other awful shit. Call me naive, but not only did i have no knowledge of such, but would not have suspected. I know fucked-up things happen during war but i never would have expected they happened at that particular time & place. I guess i had thought Patton and his troop's to be ...shit, i dont know. More honourable maybe? My naievity (spl?)

And 411 days of combat? He'd seen some shit. Your right, Lilo, you can almost feel the cold indifference of his words when he descibes death & killing. Its a little creepy.

Anyway, im up to Chapter 8, Russel Bufalino, and am digging this book.

- Nothing for nothing, but i was a bit annoyed with the boxing kangaroo anecdote. Call me a bleeding heart, but the guy was punching the shit out of a kangaroo for chrissakes! Probably an old enfeebled one with its foot-claw clipped, brutally trained to "box" and do as commanded. Aahhhrrgghh... sorry, but this got to me a bit. Even though he presents it as a light-hearted story, my modern sensibilities couldnt reconcile such archaic entertainment. Sorry, maybe because im an Aussie, but even if it was a dog or whatever. I was happy that the kangaroo hurt his head at least. Ha.

Still a good book, of course. Russel Bufalino is an interesting man.

Last edited by Mickey_MeatBalls_DeMonica; 02/05/10 01:16 AM.

(cough.)