Rating: 
Summary: Done with the Don
Review: I finally stumbled upon my problem with Mario Puzo's THE LAST DON. On page 344 we are introduced to a new character, one Kenneth Koldare who is the greatest dentist in Hollywood. "..the only thing Kenneth believes in is the art of dentistry." Need more be said? PUzo tells a slight tale, surely nothing to throw down in disgust or sheer boredom, but it is now assumed we are 'in' on the underworld and his characters can be reduced to cliche. Each and every character is tops in his field, the best at what he does, including assassin, screenwriter, casino magnate and movie star and The Don is better than them all! Even the number two hammer of the family is good enough to believe he could assassinate the President, but he has a quirk to differentiate him from the other fabulously competant people in this book. He has 'blood on his mouth', a reference to a bloodthirstyness beyond the necessary in getting a job done. The fact that he is the favored grandson makes him THE LAST DON'S equivalent of Sonny Corleone, and yes, many characters share counterparts with the original. This is not good. The characters' names too, read like a mad soap opera. Crossifixio and Pippi DeLena, Athena Aquitane, Bobby Bartz and my favorite, in the spirit of Ayn Rand, Skippy Deere. After a while, I found this more annoying than amusing. The insights to another, frightening world, the jargon and slang that made THE GODFATHER so appealling, seem forced here, and trivial and the story is too trite to be more than mildly amusing. The writing style is blunt and direct, the action moves from Las Vegas to Hollywood to New York, where we get a factual account of each locale. It is a 90's movie view of a secret world and it seems remarkable only in its insipidness, probably because everything in THE LAST DON has been said before in a more powerful, less self-examining, more engrossing manner. Puzo writes of one character, "...daring but prudent, brave but not foolhardy.." This makes for an uninspired read because it relates to so many of the characters. Sorry.
Rating: 
Summary: A great fast paced mafia tale
Review: After reading the GodFather about 2 years ago i discovered a genre that totally blew me away. Having liked the godfather so much (5 stars) I had quite high expectations when I started reading 'The Last Don'. The book kicked off with an excellent pace that kept constant throughout the whole book. The characters in the book although not quite elaborate by Puzo had their distinct characteristics and likeability traits. The concept of the story is quite noble for a Mafia tale and depending on one's perspective can add to the interest of the book. If you've already read 'The Godfather' and you're in the mood of an American Mafia tale then read 'The Last Don'. However if you're new to the genre then 'The Godfather' is the must!
Rating: 
Summary: The GodFather it ain't!
Review: After reading the Godfather, I felt another Mafioso story from Puzo would be fantastico, but it was unbelievably boring! I was considering dumping it halfway through the book, but I stuck with it. It doesn't get any better - there is hardly any action only a couple of interesting plots. Apart from that, it is pure money & sex - a Jackie Collins novel with a Mafia family here and there. If you are looking for a good Mafia book, stay away from this offering from Puzo. Re-read The Godfather!
Rating: 
Summary: A Gem of a Mafia Novel
Review: Mario Puzo tells the story of a modern Mafia family. The Clercuzio's lives (both private, and "family") are vividly displayed in the great novel. Each character is described with careful detail, and play signifigant roles throughout the novel. The story balances equally in setting between Quogue, Long Island, and the Midwest. This novel is grand in scale, and is the late Mario Puzo's second best.
Rating:
Summary: this book sleeps with the fishes
Review: when i started this book i expected a good mafia story with good characters and a good plot,but all i got was a pretty weak story with fake characters.i mean a made guy named cross who as the main character didnt work for me.also he was too young.another character that didnt fit was a cousin of cross who wore all kinds of funny hats cause he thought he looked cool.i dont recommend this book if your looking for a mafia read.i highly recommend the nonfiction book."the last mafioso" by ovid demaris.
Rating: 
Summary: Probably was the first draft of the Godfather
Review: Comparisons to THE Godfather were inevitable. That was a classic , both in the literary and cinematographic sense. THE Last Don however is sort of not bad...but fairly predictable.
Rating:
Summary: I have to disagree... I thought this book was GREAT
Review: It may not be the Godfather (hey, you can only discover the theory of relativity once, so to speak), but it was intense, suspenseful and gripping. It had me glued from cover to cover, and I have to say, it shocked me a few times with it's twists and turns. If you are a fan of mobster books, this is a definite must have page turner.
Rating:
Summary: Not one of the better books of Mario Puzo
Review: The nicest thing I can say about this book is that if you have a long plane flight and nothing better to read, this is a page-turner that'll see you through. But THE GODFATHER it ain't, and that one was a better movie.
Rating:
Summary: A badly written book
Review: This is a very poorly written book. If you have read the Godfather, you will be horribly disappointed. There are some good points about how casinos are run and Hollywood but all the characters in this book are so hollow by the end of the book you don't care if they all get wiped out.
Rating:
Summary: Puzo's Worst
Review: As someone who has truly enjoyed the works of Mario Puzo over the years I was terribly disappointed in this book. The book reads as though Puzo has taken bits and pieces from previous books and pasted them together. The only thing saving this from 1 star was Puzo's incredible command of language. But for the most part the characters were hollow and the plot was thin.
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