Mr. Morello is a slightly confused, pear-shaped, 45 year-old Italian immigrant living with his larger, plump wife and three children. As a family, they share a curious fondness for all things British and yet by dint of their Italian heritage, struggle to come to terms with some of our more esoteric characteristics. Mr. Morello, a fastidious and prodigious letter writer, takes it upon himself to correspond with some of the great institutions and individuals—from Tony Blair, George W. Bush, The Lord Chancellor, Richard Branson, and the Archbishop of Canterbury to Gordon Ramsay and The Bank of England. All in an attempt to have his seemingly endless list of quandaries answered by the experts and, at times, in vain attempts to secure employment for his idling children. These hilarious letters, composed in Mr. Morello's bizarre English-Italian hybrid vernacular, and plethora of responses from the great and not so good, follow a long and successful tradition of prankish correspondence, as pioneered by Lazlo Toth and Henry Root. This good-natured exploration of British customs and idiosyncrasies is written with gentle and generous humor.
My review:
Packed with humorous and often hilarious letters to the stars, this book is great for picking up and reading in little bits, and equally easy to read all the way through in one setting. Some of the letters are fantastically imaginative, others are just plain weird. A wonderfully light book, perfect for a break from the seriousness of real life.
Action Point:
Why not brighten up someone's day by sending them a letter, humourous or heart-warming as suites your nature.
