Rating: 
Summary: If You Like The Genre
Review: Comparisons to Mario Puzo's work are always going to be made when a new Author adds his work to the organized crime genre, especially when the tale spans generations. Readers seem to be unusually protective of the Godfather Saga so an Author must tread carefully if he or she decides to enter this arena at all. The feeling of territoriality with Mr. Puzo is understandable, as he created the classic by which all others will be judged.Mr. Carcaterra has produced a worthwhile and enjoyable read about his fictional characters in 20th century organized crime. "Gangster", is familiar in the sense it is derivative, but the Author's knowledge and occasional use of real members of the crime world allow the reader to slip into a sense of reading Historical Fiction. He does not glamorize the lifestyle, his players are very tough, and when violence is used it is with brutal and graphic finality. There are no shades of gray in this depiction of crime, loyalty may be absolute without being forever, and the idea that no one can be trusted extends to the people you have known since you were a child. The three primary characters are all brought together in unusual ways and the Author maintains the entirety and hidden detail of the relationships until the final page. This may sound contrived, and with a weaker Author it would be. Happily, Mr. Carcaterra clearly knows and enjoys that which he writes about. The world he presents is one of obsessive pursuit of power for its own sake. The material gains that are a by-product of "success" in the word his characters occupy quickly become relatively meaningless. He illustrates this beautifully when far younger generations of Gangsters decide their time has come, and that of the old men has passed. The different motivations of the groups determine conduct, demonstrate the most casual concern for lives, and finally determine the outcome of the conflicts. It was noted that this story was to become a television event. My initial reaction was to leave it and move on, as books/scripts and screenplays hold no interest for me. These tend to be compromises in writing style with the result being mediocre at best. This is absolutely not the case with, "Gangster"; it is well written and enjoyable to read. And one player accomplishes something even Michael Corleone never did.
Rating: 
Summary: Don't Bother
Review: I have enjoyed this authors last two novels however this is a waste of time. Cliche...Cliche....Cliche. Melodramtic writing. I suspect he really "wrote this as a screenplay first because it is so vapid. Don't waste your time.
Rating: 
Summary: A 'family' saga that goes deeper
Review: Gangland -- or at least its literary environs -- hasn't been the same since the late Mario Puzo's "The Godfather" pumped a little ba-da-bing into the phrase "family saga." Lorenzo Carcaterra's "Gangster" is a rich tale about the rise of an Italian mobster, from his roots in turn-of-the-century Italy to the mean streets of New York City. By hook or crook -- mostly crook -- he rises to the highest echelons of the underworld and, having survived the bullets and mayhem, is dying rather ignominiously as an old man. And his likeliest successor is uncertain he wants to claim his iniquitous inheritance. Sound familiar? Well, fuhgeddaboudit. There's one word even the most astute reader will not find in "Gangster": Godfather. Puzo admitted he never met an "honest-to-God real-life gangster," but Carcaterra ate, drank and lived with them most of his life. The author of "Sleepers" and "Apaches" knows these wiseguys intimately, and he understands the public's long-standing fascination with the Mafia. These characters are not denizens of his vivid and proven imagination; they were his friends and neighbors in Hell's Kitchen, the tough New York neighborhood where he grew up. The son of a convicted murderer didn't hang out with the kids of doctors and lawyers. The goodfellas of Carcaterra's youth weren't today's Russian mobsters and urban street gangs; the best of the Old World gangsters embraced friendship, loyalty and revenge as equally noble. And those very "qualities" have played a role in each of Carcaterra's books. His familiarity with the underworld, however peripheral, shines through in "Gangster." Yes, comparisons between Angelo Vestieri and Vito Corleone are inevitable, but they are different in significant ways, too. "Gangster" is not "The Godfather." Both are eloquent works on the mob oeuvre. "Gangster" is more panoramic, an epic that embraces not only a handful of flawed men and women on the margins of society, but their time and place, too. "Gangster" is a story of fathers and sons, not just godfathers and guns. It is a complex morality play in which the reader occasionally roots for the villains and frowns upon the good guys. Carcaterra knows the underworld's rhythms and philosophy as well as he knows its dirty streets, rain-slicked piers and smoke-filled social clubs. Gangland is Carcaterra's country.
Rating:
Summary: This is a good novel thayhas one flaw
Review: Over the decades, powerful mob boss Angelo Vestieri has defeated many an enemy by insuring close ties with his allies. However, the ravages of time and illness have taken their toll and by 1996, Angelo lies dying in a hospital bed. His protege Gabe loves Angelo like a father. However, Gabe cannot stomach the "family" business that he does not want to lead. Gabe thinks back to 1964 when as a ten-year-old he ran away from his latest foster parents and meets Angelo. The mob kingpin immediately sees something in the lad that he fails to observe in his own children. He "adopts" Gabe, whose job description includes number running and debt collection. Angelo instills values such as loyalty and honesty with one's friends in Gabe who truly loves his mentor. Gabe also hears stories about Angelo's coming to America at the beginning of the century and his rise as a crime boss. However, that does not mean the life of a GANGSTER is the lifestyle chosen by Gabe who wants to go straight. GANGSTER is an excellent portrayal of the life of a mob kingpin. The story line is exciting and character driven as the audience sees deep inside Angelo and to a lesser degree, his family and Gabe. However, best-selling author Lorenzo Carcaterra could have provided a better character analysis of Gabe for genre fans. That way, they would have a better understanding of the schism that splits Gabe's soul between his loathing of the mob life and his intense love and loyalty for the man who embodies its value system. Harriet Klausner
Rating:
Summary: Good gangsters and bad gangsters in a wonderful story
Review: This recent book by Lorenzo Carcaterra, author of "Sleepers" and other bestsellers, has a familiar theme. This is a story of a Mafia boss and the boy he raised to be a gangster but has nevertheless rejected the life. The younger man, Gabe, now sits in a hospital room as the old man is dying and recalls the old man's story and the lessons he taught him about life. Alternating between flashbacks and narrative insights, the tale of Angelo Vestieri unfolds. We learn the secret that traveled with him from Italy; we see his lonely childhood on the streets of New York, the people who influenced him, his friends and his enemies. We follow his rise to power and cheer him on, understanding what makes him tick and identifying with him. And again get a sense of the crime culture in New York in the early and mid 20th Century. Of course there's violence. It's gruesome and ugly and awful. But, like many other books of this kind, there are bad gangsters and good gangsters. The bad gangsters are cruel to children and animals and say mean things to insult the good gangsters. Certainly, they all deserve to die. The good gangsters have a sense of honor and have suffered betrayal and tragedy and loss. They protect the innocent and drink milk or coffee instead of alcohol. They have good manners and keep a low profile and are always smarter than the bad gangsters. It's stereotype all the way for everyone, including a colorful female character who runs a café and is not only a mother figure, but also knows how to use a gun. Carcaterra writes well. His words just slide across the page and make it all seem real. This is the Hudson River before Battery Park City. This is downtown Manhattan before the World Trade Center. This is violence and evil without blowing up buildings or biological terrorism. This is nostalgia for the more innocent world of mob wars and retribution and revenge. Ah - the simple life! I loved it. Couldn't put it down. And will probably forget about it tomorrow. Highly recommended.
Rating:
Summary: Gangster
Review: This book is by far one of the best books I've ever read. It made you feel like you were living in those times, very descriptive. The story itself is a wonderful story and put together very well.
If you like a bit of history of how things happened and why they turned out the way they did, this is a book for you.
Lorenzo Carcaterra did an excellent job of keeping all the pieces in their place and a very thought provoking, realistic novel. I highly recommend it for people interested in the turn of the century mob history through present day in the Hell's Kitchen neighborhood section of NYC.
Rating: 
Summary: Good, but not great
Review: Like some others, this is the first Lorenzo Carcaterra book I've read. It was a nice read, but just seemed familiar...I've read it before in other books of this genre.
Rating:
Summary: Five Stars for GANSTER
Review: This book could have been good ... had it been 1,000 pages longer. Carcaterra has a good story to tell, but he tries to cram 100 years of story into 375 pages of text. Can't be done. As a result, the book has two problems: 1. Something earthshattering happens every 15 pages or so, which diminishes the impact of such events, and 2. With the exception of the main 3 characters, we never get character development necessary to really care about some of the people that are killed, etc. This story needed to take the route of Wouk's Winds of War/War and Rememberance, i.e., it should have been a 1,500-page epic that really drew out the characters and plot over time. I major killing or major war every 20 pages becomes shallow and redundant. I loved Sleepers, but I'd say this one was just interesting enough to force me to finish reading it out of curiosity for how it ended. It can't hold a candle to Sleepers, The Godfather, Wiseguy, or the litany of non-fiction ganster books available. I can't recommend it.
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