Rating: 
Summary: Great Book, Flawed Subject
Review: "The Prince of Providence" is as entertaining as its subject. I had never heard of Buddy Cianci before reading this book, and I don't see how I missed him. He is a fascinating individual. The author does not exaggerate when he compares Mayor Cianci to James Michael Curley or even Huey Long. There some great stories in this book, though it does drag in some parts. Mr. Stanton know his subject very well, and I am sure it was hard for him to leave out anything that he felt was important to the story. This book would make a great movie, maybe even better than "The Last Hurrah" or "All the King's Men." It is worth a look for anyone interested in some great stories about urban politics and a man who transformed a city. One has to wonder what it would have been like had Cianci been elected to a statewide office.
Rating: 
Summary: buddy...you can't change the spots on a leopard!!!
Review: all i read about & hear is all he has done for providence. people forget that he is two for two with his administrations. corruption times two. he is no different that a common petty thief. all he did for providence was give it two black eye's. he turned Porvidence into the chicago of the east.
Rating:
Summary: oh Buddy
Review: As a native of Providence, Buddy Cianci is really the only mayor that I remember. He was first elected as I was starting elementary school, forced to resign for beating up a man he believed to be his estranged wife's lover as I was leaving for college and in shades of Marion Barry, re-elected by his forgiving supporters as I returned home after college graduation. For various reasons, I left the state again during his second reign.Fortunately for the reader, Mike Stanton captures it all...the too strange to be fiction of Rhode Island's capital city, it's questionable politics and the cast of characters involved. Anyone who didn't grow up in Providence can be forgiven for thinking that they've stepped into an Elmore Leonard novel. At the center of the book is Vincent "Buddy" Cianci, a protagonist straight from the pages of a Greek morality play. Charming, highly intelligent and charimastic, Cianci's fatal flaw seemed to be his arrogant belief that he could get away with anything. Stanton makes the reader understand how Cianci was elected over and over again despite compelling evidence of financial mismanagement of city funds, shakedowns and racketeering. The legend of Buddy is vast...the toupees, the flamboyance, the temper tantrums and the marinara sauce. Many voters suspected that he was corrupt but after the success of the Providence Renaissance, well... it didn't seem like a big deal. Unfortunately for Buddy, his misdeeds eventually caught up with him and his cronies. Although I had been mortified when the voters returned him to office, I was saddened by Cianci's fall. The tale is a complicated one and Stanton provides much detail. If there is one fault with this book it may be that the author didn't condense some of the minutae. Some sections may overwhelm the reader with legalese. At the end of the book, Stanton writes that his book has been optioned for a movie. I sincerely hope it's made. This tale is stranger than anything a fiction writer could think up.
Rating:
Summary: Both entertaining and illuminating.
Review: As a native Rhode Islander who last lived there in 1975 (the year the Buddy story really started) I came to this book with a somewhat sketchy knowledge of the story of Buddy Cianci's reign(s) over Providence. With relatives still living there I paid some attention, but didn't follow it in depth. I knew about the two sides of Buddy, and the strong feelings he elicited, as well as the attitude that, yeah, he was corrupt, but look what he did for Providence, so he's okay. I even witnessed something described in the book-the incredible adoration Cianci would receive upon entering the Providence Civic Center late in a Bruins hockey game to take his seat. I have never seen ANYTHING like this (and I live in NH, so I've seen lots of politicians).
With this background I can say that I thoroughly enjoyed Mike Stanton's book, and, after reading this, I can only conclude that my fellow Rhode Islanders who support this guy are either morally brain dead, or just were not aware of the depth of the corruption that existed in his administration. Stanton's in depth analysis of how it all happened put to rest any sympathy I may have had for Cianci. The book is thoroughly entertaining, and I recommend it to anyone interested in an amazing well-told story, not just Rhode Islanders or political junkies, although it will certainly appeal to both of those groups.
I think most of the reviews I have browsed through are pretty consistent, and pretty accurate, but let me add my disagreement with some of the comments. First, there is no fluff or excess in this book. All of the anecdotes are useful, and interesting, and I would not take a single one out. If anything, I wanted more. There is so much in this book that just touches the surface of various incidents or scams, this book could have easily have been half as long again, and I would have followed along. The minor repetitions that exist serve to remind you of who different players were, and, given the large cast of characters I found it helpful rather than redundant. Second, while the author does not always name names, the detailed notes at the end do name names, excepting, of course, those sources who chose to stay anonymous, for, I think most would agree, excellent reasons. In fact, I am somewhat amazed that as many people spoke on the record to the author as did, and I really thought the author did a nice job of telling the story, and pulling together such an assemblage of information. In fact, given that he usually writes for a newspaper, I was very impressed with his engaging and articulate style. If I have a quibble with this book, it is that, while it makes it clear about the corrupt side of Cianci, it is hard to understand what it was he did or had that made him so successful in leading the Providence renaissance. Clearly he has drive, charisma, charm, and chutzpah. But how did he create, fund and shepherd such massive projects, such that people did not mind the fact that he was totally corrupt? I wish there had been a little more insight into this facet of Buddy, but aside from that, this book filled in the gaps in my knowledge. I will be recommending it to all my Rhode Island friends and relatives, and anyone else who wants a great read.
By the way I gave this book four stars, rather than five, not because it is not one of the better books I have read recently, as it is, but because I try to reserve five stars for the Crime and Punishments of this world, the books that are truly great, not just a cut above the others. There are too many reviewers, IMHO, that will give a five star review to anything they like, and are not being critical enough. This is not in a league with five star books, but it is not far off.
Rating:
Summary: Rhode Island is spelled M-O-B
Review: As a Rhode Islander, this book makes me sick to my stomach. It confirms many opinions that the state is a cesspool. It's full of people who are corrupt, greedy, willing to make a buck off of other's pain and willing to, literally, commit murder for any reason. And these are our politicians and the people surrounding our politicians. Yet, I believe every Rhode Islander should read this book. Maybe seeing in print what our politicians are doing to us will wake us up. Mike Stanton is a well-respected writer for the Providence Journal & does an excellent job of telling the story of Buddy, Buckles, Bobo & the massive corruption in Rhode Island.
Rating:
Summary: Answers some questions, not all...
Review: Buddy Cianci was Mayor of Providence for my entire childhood - I never knew another Mayor until I left the City of Providence at the age of 23. When Cianci was elected into office - the choices were slim - 'same ole, same ole' or 'what's his name' OR a young, bright, newcomer with actual thoughts in his head. The choice was obvious for many voters in Providence. Mike Stanton's book captures a lot of stories into this book and some are absolutely hysterical, but the book itself is disjointed, repetitive and at times extremely boring. It is also full of comments that speak negatively toward the people of Providence - comments that had I not lived there and returned for many years, would leave me believing that the entire state is a cesspool of idiots. They are not. Providence is a City like any other City - most of the people who vote do so by the eenie meenie method - very few vote with a true understanding or any kind of knowledge of the person they are giving power to - and usually any candidate that is elected ANYWHERE will be scrutinized by what they do good for their city and what they screw up. Most do not last as long as Buddy, in fact, no one has EVER lasted as long as Buddy - so why are some readers surprised by the lengthy stay? because Mike Stanton chose to write about mob, murder and mayhem and get the book out to the public for the quick money instead of writing a fully-developed story on each of the characters and WHY the people of Providence continued to keep him in office. Was the reason Buddy stayed in office for so long because he bought his way through a century? If you read this book, keep in the back of your mind - that government jobs, while there may be many of them, there are not THAT many out there that can be used to satisfy a whole city of voters - and also remember that any government revolves inside an insulated world - the information we get is all narrated by the media who are only informed by in-house people when they feel it necessary to inform the public of what is 'going on' in their world - which is usually biased and explained by someone who is really ticked off. Buddy was handed a filthy, dirty, rat-infested city and turned it into something that cannot be believed unless seen with your own eyes - the City is truly a beautiful place to be in - words I thought I would never say. Is there a darkness behind the City - of course there is - as there is every place in this world. I could go on for days - but I guess what I want people to remember while reading this book is that after all was said and done, after many, many years of digging and scraping Providence politics from top to bottom - the FBI and all the glory that help them - came away with less than a handful of people they could actually put away and put them away with nothing any more unusual than what goes on in every big company run in the US today. Cesspool? For Sale Sign on Everything? Have you checked out your home town today?
Rating:
Summary: Answers some questions, not all...
Review: Buddy Cianci was Mayor of Providence for my entire childhood - I never knew another Mayor until I left the City of Providence at the age of 23. When Cianci was elected into office - the choices were slim - 'same ole, same ole' or 'what's his name' OR a young, bright, newcomer with actual thoughts in his head. The choice was obvious for many voters in Providence. Mike Stanton's book captures a lot of stories into this book and some are absolutely hysterical, but the book itself is disjointed, repetitive and at times extremely boring. It is also full of comments that speak negatively toward the people of Providence - comments that had I not lived there and returned for many years, would leave me believing that the entire state is a cesspool of idiots. They are not. Providence is a City like any other City - most of the people who vote do so by the eenie meenie method - very few vote with a true understanding or any kind of knowledge of the person they are giving power to - and usually any candidate that is elected ANYWHERE will be scrutinized by what they do good for their city and what they screw up. Most do not last as long as Buddy, in fact, no one has EVER lasted as long as Buddy - so why are some readers surprised by the lengthy stay? because Mike Stanton chose to write about mob, murder and mayhem and get the book out to the public for the quick money instead of writing a fully-developed story on each of the characters and WHY the people of Providence continued to keep him in office. Was the reason Buddy stayed in office for so long because he bought his way through a century? If you read this book, keep in the back of your mind - that government jobs, while there may be many of them, there are not THAT many out there that can be used to satisfy a whole city of voters - and also remember that any government revolves inside an insulated world - the information we get is all narrated by the media who are only informed by in-house people when they feel it necessary to inform the public of what is 'going on' in their world - which is usually biased and explained by someone who is really ticked off. Buddy was handed a filthy, dirty, rat-infested city and turned it into something that cannot be believed unless seen with your own eyes - the City is truly a beautiful place to be in - words I thought I would never say. Is there a darkness behind the City - of course there is - as there is every place in this world. I could go on for days - but I guess what I want people to remember while reading this book is that after all was said and done, after many, many years of digging and scraping Providence politics from top to bottom - the FBI and all the glory that help them - came away with less than a handful of people they could actually put away and put them away with nothing any more unusual than what goes on in every big company run in the US today. Cesspool? For Sale Sign on Everything? Have you checked out your home town today?
Rating: 
Summary: Love that Buddy !!
Review: Buddy put Providence and Rhode Island on the map, not always in a good way, but you gotta love the guy. He loved (and probably still does) the city and was it's greatest supporter and helped propel the city into the gem it is today !!! We miss you Buddy !
Rating:
Summary: The Story of the Most Colorful Politician
Review: Everybody in Providence knows Buddy. This was the man who turned Providence into America's Renaissance City. He was also, probably, corrupt. Currently serving time in jail or, as he calls it, a really cheap spa, we can look back upon Buddy the man and Buddy the mayor. Stanton doesn't pull punches. He tells the story of Buddy's rise and fall objectively. This just makes the story of Buddy that much more entertaining. Who else would say "The toe you step on today may be connected to the ass you have to kiss tomorrow"? For more of Buddy, this book is definitive (well, until Buddy writes his own).
Rating:
Summary: Thorough and readable
Review: Great read! It is obvious the author has a strong command of the charachters and also a good touch at the typewriter.
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