Rating: 
Summary: A history lesson that reads like a thriller
Review: I'm usually not big on history, but this was a gift so I decided to read until I got bored. I never did. In fact, it was one of those books that, as I got closer to the end, I didn't want it to end. It was a great story, well-written, and well-paced. Pesci made the transition from a thriller in the first few chapters to the legal drama that this incident became. He also put a human face on the participants, especially Sengbe Pieh and Roger Baldwin. Pehaps best of all, he interwined the exhaustive details and nuances of the Amistad event in such a way that it didn't feel like I was getting a history lesson. An excellent novel.
Rating: 
Summary: Uncle Tom's Cabin?
Review: If you're looking for an anti-slavery tome, read "Uncle Tom's Cabin". Harriet Beecher Stowe did a better job of writing her story and she did not confuse her readers by mixing historical fact with fiction.Frankly, the writer does the slaves no service at all by their stereotyped portrayal. While the main character Cinque (sp?) is breathlessly described again and again as the noble ebony Adonis, the other slaves seem to suffer a bipolar disorder-- either they are sitting on the deck muttering among themselves, or they are jumping around hysterically, shrieking and waving their arms. Surely a more human portrait of the slaves would have been the more accurate. Too often, authors who aspire to promote a noble cause wind up editorializing instead of writing and the resulting work becomes stale and lifeless. I'm sorry to say that Pescis book is more in this vein. "A Tale of Two Cities" it is not.
Rating:
Summary: A Great work
Review: Mr. Pesci, isn't just a writer, he is an artist who creates, through his words a manipulation of the senses. Amistad, took me into the belly of a slave ship, next to a dying child, to the height of rebellion. This man must not be overlooked as one of the great writers of our time.
Rating: 
Summary: Amistad on NY Times Best Seller List!
Review: My publisher just called to tell me that my novel Amistad has just debuted on the January 4, 1998 New York Times Best Seller List in the #25 position for paperback fiction! My thanks to everyone who bought the book!
Rating:
Summary: OUTSTANDING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Review: Pesci has grabbed my attention and kept it for the duration of my read of this masterpiece. Nothing like the movie, this is much better, and far more historically accurate!! Pesci's knack of developing his characters in a Dom DeLillo - like fashion is both enviable and beautiful. One can clearly visualize the Connecticut 1800's including its non-visual nuances such as the political pressure and social enigmas which pervaded the era. A must read for all!! The slaves aboard the Amistad did as much for freedom and its true idea as did the minutemen who first obtained liberty sixty years earlier. Truly a masterpiece!! The hardcover is far superior also, as the presentation of the book adds more to the overall sensitivity of the story.
Rating:
Summary: FORGET THE MOVIE - BUY THE BOOK!
Review: The movie was a BIG disappointment, especially since the book was so well done. Anthony Hopkins, etc. just couldn't carry off the poorly photographed and staged scenes. Read the book, don't waste time at the movie.
Rating: 
Summary: Well told story, poor editing
Review: This book is an interesting and well told account of the famous Amistad mutiny and trial. It is NOT the book the movie was based on, and I think Pesci does a better job of telling the story than Spielberg did. I picked it up in a small bookstore shortly after it was published and was presently surprised. However, there were typographical errors and sloppy editing which I found very distracting.
Rating:
Summary: Well told story, poor editing
Review: This book is an interesting and well told account of the famous Amistad mutiny and trial. It is NOT the book the movie was based on, and I think Pesci does a better job of telling the story than Spielberg did. I picked it up in a small bookstore shortly after it was published and was presently surprised. However, there were typographical errors and sloppy editing which I found very distracting.
Rating:
Summary: You won't be able to put this one down!
Review: This is a wonderful historical fiction based on the true events surrounding the ship Amistad. The beginning of the story is the drama of the blacks taken as slaves and capturing the ship. The second part is the legal battles that followed to allow these men and children to return to their homes and loved ones. It is a compelling story and one that you will never forget. Must read for all students of history. I hope the movie adequately portrays this wonderful book.
Rating:
Summary: This is a Great Book!
Review: This isn't the kind of book I would normally buy. I don'tusually read historical fiction. In fact, I stick to John Grisham,Scott Turrow, and James Paterson. But since it was a gift, and since I needed something to read on my flight from NY to LA, I picked it up. Once I started reading, I couldn't put it down. The first part read like a thriller and the second part like a legal drama. There are so many things going on, and yet Pesci made it flow. It's a great read and even more stunning because it's a true story. I can't wait for Pesci's next book.
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