The New Yorker
'As unusual as it is well wrought: it resonates with a Whitmanesque sense of the city's possibilities and unsatisfied longings'
ICE, London
'Gripping Crime'
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
10 of 11 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
It is amazing this is Benioff's first novel as it has a depth and maturity that is unexpected. Rather than a murder mystery or a plot driven novel, it is a story. A story about people and characters and how they relate to each other. It is however, not in the least bit boring. It is a novel driven by characters who leap off the page at you from the first sentances and who you can see in your mind as if you were watching a film. Classed as an urban thriller, Spike Lee has brought the film rights, so it will be interesting to see how he develops the characters and theme of the book. This is definately a one sitting read, because you cannot put the book down once you start. You want to know what happens to these people and you remember them long after you've read the book. Don't expect a rollercoaster plot but do expect an enjoyable read, that will leave you looking forward to Benioff's next helping. Truely a new talent and one to look out for in future!
17 of 20 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
First things first—I've read the book twice, read multiple drafts of the movie script (written by Benioff himself), and spent an hour interviewing David Benioff for Creative Screenwriting magazine, and I assure you, the film will measure up to the book.
And the book is outstanding. Slapped with the mystery/crime designation by the publisher's marketing department, the book contains very little mystery or suspense. Rather, it is a trim and haunting account of what goes on in the head of a man who realizes all too well that he’s thrown his life away and that nothing will ever be the same. The story is about the last day of freedom for Montgomery “Monty” Brogan, a pretty-boy Irish-Catholic New Yorker in his late 20s who is about to spend seven years in a federal penitentiary for dealing drugs. In his last 24 hours of freedom Monty must say goodbye to his two oldest friends, Wall Street whiz kid Frank Slattery, and high school English teacher Jakob Elinsky, as well as his longtime live-in girlfriend Naturelle, his bar owner father, his loyal pit bull Doyle, and the post-Soviet mobsters he worked for.
This last day is effectively a deathbed for Monty, as he makes his peace with all the people he’ll leave behind, knowing that he’ll be a totally different person after seven years of hard time. But it’s also about those left behind, and their own struggle to come to terms with the fact that someone close to them is gone, and that to a certain extent they are complicit in his downfall. These are fully realized characters, as Slattery struggles to control himself in a high-stakes, high-pressure job, Jakob struggles to avoid the allure of his student Mary, Naturelle must start planning on moving back to her mother’s home, and Monty’s widowed father must say goodbye to his only child. Despite the lack of suspense, the book builds steadily, ending with a powerful and uncompromising punch. A great debut and it's a shame Benioff has turned his attention almost entirely to film. For those who want more, there are at least three short stories of his available online for free.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
The story is about a guy's last 24 hours before he had to show up for a jail sentence for drug dealing. We travel around with him and get to know his girl friend and his two friends. One of the friends is a school teacher who is attracted to one of his pupils. The last evening is in a night club, owned by some kind of maffia boss, where all the characters move to and from each other. The first 90% of the book are inspired and makes you wanting more, but the end is a bit forced and a disappointment.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Gripping read from start to finish
I think I must have read this in 25 hours itself, it was that good. Encouraged by the author's other book, City of Thieves, I sought out this book and sat down to read it. Read more
Published 9 months ago by JB87
Great debut novel
This debut novel is truly brilliant and foreshadows the author's subsequent writing career. Three best friends meet for a farewell night, because the next morning, one of them will... Read more
Published 16 months ago by P. A. Doornbos
What a load of nonsense
This book is a poorly written tale of an instantly unlikeable drug dealer and his last day of freedom. Read more
Published on 23 Nov 2008 by S. Astell
The testing of friendships through a tightly written crime story
A first novel and rightly feted for both its story impact plus being immediately acquired for a Spike Lee film adaptation given its NY setting. Read more
Published on 20 Sep 2008 by Siriam
a must buy book
I bought this book in a book-sale.. it was $2, so I said to myself:" if it was bad, it's just 2 bucks".. but no, this book was good... Read more
Published on 8 July 2004 by M. Ebrahim Aldhufair
A Stunning and Moving First Novel
At last...after reading a series of bad books, not-so-good books and, worst of all, those that had such promise but somewhere along the way, took a wrong turn... Read more
Published on 21 Sep 2001 by D. Kaplan
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