Gangster

Rating:
Summary: Gangster - A solid book
Review: This is a solid book written in a powerful style. The content in the book shocks and surprises the reader who often doesn't expect things to happen the way they do. The book is divided into 2 sections. The main characters life in the first section and the narrator and the gangster's lives together in the second section. The words Lorenzo Carcaterra uses to depict his scenes are often powerful and convey a very clear image to the reader who can imagine the scene happening before his/her very own eyes. In my opinion, if you are a fan of gangster stories (or if you enjoyed 'The Godfather') you will find this an enjoyable read.

Rating:
Summary: Absolulely one of the best books I have ever read!
Review: I finished this book last night and can't stop thinking about it. The way that Lorenzo Carcaterra wrote was absolutley brilliant...kept me riveted to the story all the way and what an ending...I feel as if I am part of the family.

Phenomenal story, thank you Lorenzo.

Rating:
Summary: One of the best !
Review: I've been a fan of 'Lorenzo Carcaterra' sense I read 'Apaches'. When 'Gangster' came out I didn't think he could top that one. What a surpise!! It was one of the best books I have ever read. Carcaterra has a way of putting you right beside his characters. Can't wait for his new one.

Rating:
Summary: A SUPERB PAGE TURNER!
Review: A superb page turner filled with intrigue, murder, romance, and family secrets. Carcarterra is a master story teller, weaving the past and present events of two stories simultaneously. The story unfolds with two adolescent outcasts brought together by an unusual circumstance. Opposites in every way, Angelo and Pudge form an unbreakable bond as they rise to the top of the power chain in a world of gangsters. Flavored with colorful and unsavory characters and a shocking ending, "Gangster" is a superb page turner that will keep you up at night!

Rating:
Summary: One very lame recommendation
Review: Columnist/interviewer (Larry King (and I use both terms lightly) has done it to me again: CONVINCED me to read a book with a rave review in his USA Today feature that once again falls so woefully short that I wonder if publishers slip the guy under-the-table payola in order from him to trumpet a new piece of drek.

"Gangster" is a shallow, implausible, full-of-holes effort that requires the reader to continue to wade through the same old mobster lore, though this time with a complete absence of style and texture. If the author actually spent any time hanging with hoods, he certainly didn't pick up much, for this muddy tale of the prototypical Mafia "genius" is so unconvincing that it's nearly laughable. Included are 64-year-old men strong-arming professional thugs less than half their age, gang wars in which the outnumbered veterans somehow miraculously win (though we're not really told how,) and betrayals that are so unlikely that the reader dislikes the writer more than the hitman. Can you imagine that the most powerful mob boss in the country still does his own hits rather than leaving the task to underlings? Can you picture the same mob boss not living in any kind of mansion or secure compound, but a two-room apartment above a restaurant? Can you picture a lead character ruling a massive underword empire with but ONE loyal associate? If you're ready to suspend all disbelief and appreciation for quality research, then the droning tome of "Gangster" will be right up your alley. The "surprise" of the subplot can be guessed long before the truth is revealed and in the end, adds very little to the climax of the book.

Once again, Larry King has caused me a colossal waste of time as I forced myself to wade through this murky mess to the very end. Shame on me. Shame on Larry. Don't say you haven't been warned.

Rating:
Summary: Cardboard Godfather
Review: This book explains why there are so many poorly written books on the market: when you read it, you realize that even you can do better. How 'bout howlers like, "...boiling under the surface, coiled like a..." --ever hear of mixed metaphors? Or "...muscle-thin, with jet dark eyes..." Huh? "muscle-thin"?? And what exactly are "jet dark eyes" other than a cliche, wrapped in a synonym. The characters are completely one-dimensional, the dialog is wooden and the story is preposterous. (Like gangsters who remain true to their wives. Didn't this guy ever watch the Sopranos? Goodfellas?) This guy doesn't have any idea about the world he's writing so badly about. Save your money.

Rating:
Summary: Good but no Sleepers
Review: Beginning is fast paced from the birth of Angelo Vestieri to his entry into the criminal world of being a gangster. I really loved the Pudge character. I really didn't like the paragraphs whereby it seemed to be a lecture on what being a gangster entails. Story slows down from the 1960's to 1996. Some very brutal scenes. Still love Carcaterra's Sleepers the best.

Rating:
Summary: A great book showing more of the Mob world then just murder.
Review: This book was amazing. I was instantly drawn into the underworld that this book portrays. Lorenzo Carcaterra did a great job telling the real life of the people in this book. I felt like I was one of the mobsters that this book revolves around. This book was exciting right until the end. I would recommend this book to anyone who would like to see what life is like for someone in the underworld.

Rating:
Summary: Inside the Life of a Gangster
Review: Carcaterra narrates the story of Angelo's (Bones') life in a way that draws the reader in, its almost like you're sitting in a dark bar when a stranger leans over and starts telling a story and everything else, the atmosphere, your drink, the conversation becomes a backdrop for a wonderful story. I could feel the ups and downs of the story as I observed the lives of Angleo and Pudge. I've read many books based on the mafia and gangsetrs including all of Puzo's novels but this is the best! As a matter of fact this is one of the best novels I've ever read. Thumbs up Carcaterra!

Rating:
Summary: WHAT A READING - SHOT WITH EXCITEMENT!
Review: Those who remember Tony Award-winner Joe Mantegna's menace laced readings of "Get Shorty," "Sleepers" and "The Last Don" would probably bet that he's the one authentic voice for this panoramic underworld tale - and they'd be right. Whether it's on-the-take cop, tough female bartender or gangster, Mr. Mantegna delivers a stellar rendering.

Young Angelo Vestieri finds a home among the gangland toughs in Roaring 20s New York. His buddy, Pudge, has the brawn while Angelo has the brains to eventually elevate themselves to mob bosses.

The story of Angelo's Mafia life has enough betrayal and bad guys to send Tony Soprano running again to his shrink. "Gangland" is clearly author Lorenzo Carcaterra's ground; Joe Mantegna is his voice.