Five-Finger Discount: A Crooked Family History - Hardcover

Stapinski, Helene

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0679463062 ISBN 13: 9780679463061

Publisher: Random House Inc, 2001

Synopsis

A hilarious memoir chronicles the seedy adventures of a Jersey City family of criminals, bookies, con artists, embezzlers, and mobster-wannabes and the author's dramatic experiences growing up in such an environment. 75,000 first printing.

About this title

Review:

" [Five-Finger Discount] will steal your heart."
-- People
" By turns hilarious and alarming, uproarious and depressing, [stapinski' s] book reads on the surface like something by Damon Runyon and Elmore Leonard, with a dark undertow of real-life pain and disillusion."
-- Michiko Kakutani, The New York Times
" It's a brilliant book, a darling book. It is the blessedly modest chronicle of a magical consciousness that seems to have been born pulling diamonds out of the muck, hearing angels' voices in the fiercest thunder....I adored every word of this wondrous book. Get it. Read it."
-- Michael Pakenham, Baltimore Sun
" In the tradition of...Rita Mae Brown and Amy Tan, Ms. Stapinski is an exciting writer, unabashedly candid, and at the same time unashamedly self-contained. Five-Finger Discount is a must-read."
-- Victoria Gotti, The New York Observer
" What [Frank] McCourt did for Limerick, Ireland, Helene Stapinski does for Jersey City."
-- Newark Sunday Star-Ledger
" Hugely entertaining."
-- London Sunday Times

"[Five-Finger Discount] will steal your heart."
--People
"By turns hilarious and alarming, uproarious and depressing, [stapinski's] book reads on the surface like something by Damon Runyon and Elmore Leonard, with a dark undertow of real-life pain and disillusion."
--Michiko Kakutani, The New York Times
"It's a brilliant book, a darling book. It is the blessedly modest chronicle of a magical consciousness that seems to have been born pulling diamonds out of the muck, hearing angels' voices in the fiercest thunder....I adored every word of this wondrous book. Get it. Read it."
--Michael Pakenham, Baltimore Sun
"In the tradition of...Rita Mae Brown and Amy Tan, Ms. Stapinski is an exciting writer, unabashedly candid, and at the same time unashamedly self-contained. Five-Finger Discount is a must-read."
--Victoria Gotti, The New York Observer
"What [Frank] McCourt did for Limerick, Ireland, Helene Stapinski does for Jersey City."
--Newark Sunday Star-Ledger
"Hugely entertaining."
--London Sunday Times

[Five-Finger Discount] will steal your heart.
People
By turns hilarious and alarming, uproarious and depressing, [stapinski s] book reads on the surface like something by Damon Runyon and Elmore Leonard, with a dark undertow of real-life pain and disillusion.
Michiko Kakutani, The New York Times
It s a brilliant book, a darling book. It is the blessedly modest chronicle of a magical consciousness that seems to have been born pulling diamonds out of the muck, hearing angels voices in the fiercest thunder....I adored every word of this wondrous book. Get it. Read it.
Michael Pakenham, Baltimore Sun
In the tradition of...Rita Mae Brown and Amy Tan, Ms. Stapinski is an exciting writer, unabashedly candid, and at the same time unashamedly self-contained. Five-Finger Discount is a must-read.
Victoria Gotti, The New York Observer
What [Frank] McCourt did for Limerick, Ireland, Helene Stapinski does for Jersey City.
Newark Sunday Star-Ledger
Hugely entertaining.
London Sunday Times"

[Five-Finger Discount] will steal your heart.
People
By turns hilarious and alarming, uproarious and depressing, [stapinski s] book reads on the surface like something by Damon Runyon and Elmore Leonard, with a dark undertow of real-life pain and disillusion.
Michiko Kakutani, The New York Times
It s a brilliant book, a darling book. It is the blessedly modest chronicle of a magical consciousness that seems to have been born pulling diamonds out of the muck, hearing angels voices in the fiercest thunder....I adored every word of this wondrous book. Get it. Read it.
Michael Pakenham, Baltimore Sun
In the tradition of...Rita Mae Brown and Amy Tan, Ms. Stapinski is an exciting writer, unabashedly candid, and at the same time unashamedly self-contained. Five-Finger Discount is a must-read.
Victoria Gotti, The New York Observer
What [Frank] McCourt did for Limerick, Ireland, Helene Stapinski does for Jersey City.
Newark Sunday Star-Ledger
Hugely entertaining.
London Sunday Times"

"[Five-Finger Discount] will steal your heart."
--People
"By turns hilarious and alarming, uproarious and depressing, [stapinski's] book reads on the surface like something by Damon Runyon and Elmore Leonard, with a dark undertow of real-life pain and disillusion."
--Michiko Kakutani, The New York Times
"It's a brilliant book, a darling book. It is the blessedly modest chronicle of a magical consciousness that seems to have been born pulling diamonds out of the muck, hearing angels' voices in the fiercest thunder....I adored every word of this wondrous book. Get it. Read it."
--Michael Pakenham, Baltimore Sun
"In the tradition of...Rita Mae Brown and Amy Tan, Ms. Stapinski is an exciting writer, unabashedly candid, and at the same time unashamedly self-contained. Five-Finger Discount is a must-read."
--Victoria Gotti, The New York Observer
"What [Frank] McCourt did for Limerick, Ireland, Helene Stapinski does for Jersey City."
--Newark Sunday Star-Ledger
"Hugely entertaining."
--London Sunday Times

"By turns hilarious and alarming, [Helene Stapinski's] book reads on the surface like something by Damon Runyon and Elmore Leonard, with a dark undertow of real-life pain and disillusion."--Michiko Kakutani, The New York Times

"It's a brilliant book, a darling book. It is the blessedly modest chronicle of a magical consciousness that seems to have been born pulling diamonds out of the muck, hearing angels' voices in the fiercest thunder. . . . I adored every word of this wondrous book. Get it. Read it."--Michael Pakenham, The Baltimore Sun

"In the tradition of . . . Rita Mae Brown and Amy Tan, Ms. Stapinski is an exciting writer, unabashedly candid, and at the same time unashamedly self-contained. Five-Finger Discount is a must-read."--Victoria Gotti, The New York Observer

"What [Frank] McCourt did for Limerick, Ireland, Helene Stapinski does for Jersey City."--The Star-Ledger

"Hugely entertaining."--The Sunday Times (London)

About the Author:

Helene Stapinski began her career at her hometown newspaper, The Jersey Journal, and since then has written for The New York Times, New York magazine, and People, among other publications. She received her B.A. in journalism from New York University in 1987 and her M.F.A. from Columbia in 1995. She lives in Brooklyn with her husband and son.

About this edition

• Publisher: Random House Inc
• Publication date: 2001
• ISBN 10: 0679463062
• ISBN 13: 9780679463061
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 260