Tony Soprano about his mother

Jeffrey Wernick stumbled upon a treasure trove the day a disgruntled ex-employee of the Green Grove Retirement Home handed him a thick file marked "Livia Soprano." Apparently the ex-employee, now living out of the country, had a falling out with Green Grove owner Frederick "Freddie" Capuano and made ample use of the Xerox machine on the way out the door. His financial arrangement with Mr. Wernick is undisclosed.

Livia Soprano is arguably the most important person in Tony Soprano's life. And unlike the standard mob cliché about women, she is far from powerless. You never heard Mrs. Vito Corleone utter an opinion or weigh in on a business decision, but Mrs. John "Johnny Boy" Soprano exercises power at every turn. She is the embodiment of "the tyranny of the weak."

JEFFREY WERNICK: Livia Soprano was always a tough cookie, but maybe part of her abiding frustration was that she never really got to put her brain to use. In the same sense that wiseguys use the term, she never got respect.

Filed by: MR. SEAMUS KELLY

Complaint #: 639

Details:

Mr. Kelly reported to the front desk that during last Thursday's "Parisian Nights" ballroom dancing class, Mrs. Livia Soprano attacked him for no reason. According to witnesses, i.e., the whole class, Mrs. Soprano accused Mr. Kelly of intentionally and repeatedly touching her buttocks during the complicated twists and turns of the elementary tango. His response was somewhere along the lines of "You're crazy, lady." She then apparently called him some unprintable names, then kicked him hard in the testes. He required immediate medical attention, dance class had to be stopped, and Mr. Kelly was confined to a wheelchair for a week. According to witness Mrs. Ida Samuelson, Mrs. Soprano had to be restrained by dance staff from inflicting further damage on Mr. Kelly.

ACTION TAKEN: Mrs. Soprano barred from the dance class for a month. This report passed on to Norma Charles for review and possible therapy.

 

Excerpts taken from Chapter 5