Rating: 
Summary: Fools Die ? While waiting for the plot!
Review: This book is story of two books - one of great fluidity, great sequences, -the other one of no plot, little action, and very little intrigue. Mario Puzo is always a great read, and when reading his works, pages just seem to fly by. The unfortunate thing is that this book is 500 pages (more like 800 because of the small font) of nothing.There really is no plot. It basically chronicles a man named John Merlyn for a few years, as he visits or works in Las Vegas, then New York, and then Los Angeles. Another Puzo novel, the Fortunate Pilgrim, also really doesn?t have a plot, but the characters and description are so interesting, it captivates the reader. This book has none of that. The characters are not appealing, a little unreal, and are not really covered in great depth. Also, the book gets repetitive after a while. Puzo feels the need to describe the same emotions of the some character over and over again in only slightly different situations. Of the few books I've read of Puzo, this is by far the worst.
Rating: 
Summary: This is Puzo's 2nd Best Work
Review: I really enjoyed this introspective, somewhat auto-biographical novel. Puzo draws on his experiences in Vegas, in Hollywood during production of the "Godfather" and in NY, to convey a very realistic writer's life. It doesn't always surprise, it just tells a good story of a not-so-perfect man and his somewhat ordinary existence. Merlyn is no magician, and neither is Puzo, he is just a talented storyteller we know well.
Rating: 
Summary: One of the worst books I've ever read!
Review: By far, one of the worst books I've ever managed to get through . It seems to me that it was only re-released to capitalize on the author's death.
Rating:
Summary: Outstandingly Flawed!!
Review: Merlyn would have hated this book and the author who wrote it. Amazingly shallow with numerous, rediculous and gratutious sex narratives. The "thrashing" episode was a waste of ink and could easily have been written by any hormonal 17 year old high school male.
Rating: 
Summary: Good Read defiently entertaning
Review: This book was a good read. It was entertaing. However I was not completly impresed as I ussaly am by Puzzos work. It was realistic and down to earth entering fun. I definetly recomend it if you have nothing else to read. There are also intresting little parts about how casinos are run and so on.
Rating:
Summary: Decent book, Gripping it is not.
Review: I've never read a Puzo novel but found this book to be very average. There was really no set plot as far as I understood but maybe that's the way he wanted it. I found myself getting bored with all the ranting going on, especially from the "Osano" character. The only thing I REALLY liked about it were the conversations between Cully and Groneburg (was that his name?)and the little casino secret tidbits they talked about. A few of the things about the characters weren't very belivable and irritated me. For example, how Merlyn grew to not care about the film he was semi-working on and his percentage on it. For a man struggling for any type of income why would he do this? Maybe I'm just overanalyzing the whole thing but in my opinion it just wasn't the "GRIPPING, POWERFUL" novel that half of you reviewers are claiming it to be. But for an affordable p-back, you really can't go TOO wrong.
Rating:
Summary: Absolutely fantastic
Review: A great book! Absolutely Fantastic!
Rating:
Summary: Ponderous Puzo
Review: Sorry. I was very disappointed in this book. Frankly, at times it was a struggle to read. The story was good, the characters believeable, but something was lacking. I'm still not sure if I would term Merlyn as deep or shallow. Here's a man who loves his wife yet holds a lifelong, cross country affair wth a bisexual actress. Please! The man was a series of contrasts. Maybe that is what Puzo was trying to bring out but he lost it on me. What I did, however, particularly enjoy, was how Puzo brought the "beginning" of the book to the climax. That was genius. But if you want to read a good Puzo book, pick up "The Last Don."
Rating:
Summary: Who cares about the godfather!
Review: Who cares about the godfather! Mafia ? If you want a thought provoking book, written at a pace which will not only captivate and entertain you. This is the one. Unbelievable, This book blew my mind... The characters become your friends and the scenes your life. I finished the book in the early hours of the morning and am proud to call myself a Puzo fan.
Rating:
Summary: It's not like the Godfather, BUT it sure is good!
Review: This book is great. Why? Well, because it talks a lot about life and the funky things that go on in it. Now it may not be the funky things that go on in your life, but we all tend to have some weirdness to our lives and this story is one that focuses in on a guy and the bizarre things that go on in his. I've read al ot of the reviews and it appeared that a lot of people we're comparing it to the Godfather and I say to those people who are looking to read this book for that reason, they shouldn't. They should'nt because it's nothing like the Godfather. Puzo's writing is still wonderful, but this book dose not have anything to do with the mafia. I highly recommend this book to anyone who wants a fun, fast, entertaining read, but not to those who are just looking for another book like the Godfather.
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