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20 of 21 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
The Birth of a New America, 3 April 2003
To anyone who has seen the Sergio Leone film "Once Upon A Time In America" expect the same characters , settings and major events to take place in this book. Just don't expect the same mood, feel or pace about it. As a lover of both film and book I will tell you why.While the film is a sprawling, thoughtful artistic piece, languishing in beautiful shots and haunting melodies (namely Cockeye's panpipes), the book is pure boys own adventure. It moves at breakneck speed and is one of the most enjoyable and quickest reads I have ever had. It follows the lives and crimes of the four hoods from the title from leaving school to when they are near top of the tree in the illegitimate gangster world of early 20th century New York. Perhaps the attraction of the book is the attraction of the lives of these four (perhaps a moral person may disagree). Their life is chiefly concerned with making money through schemes, scams, thefts, murder and racketeering. Even with this heavy schedule they still find time for women, parties, and seem to spend their full waking hours drinking Mt Vernon and smoking Corrola Carrola cigars. The attraction is not the violence of their lives, but the fun they seem to fit into it. P>Some may be critical and state that the life is not fully realistic and everything is far to easy. This I agree is true, but adds to the fun of this book. The characters, at least for a majority of the book, are true heroes and champions. They give to the needy, and only seem to rip of those who are corrupt and greedy. As I stated, this is boys own adventure and we want them to be winners. They are in part feared, loved and respected. Harry Grey does seem to have one serious point to make with the book, and that is the corruption of modern America. The characters continually argue that they are in fact more honest than the normal people who hide their corruption. There is the idea that everyone has their price, everyone is part of the same business with some covering their nature more than others. The Hoods shows the dawn of a new America where capitalism is taken to illegitimate extremes and everything can be bought and sold. I urge you to read this book for pure enjoyment. Fans of the film should love it. But please realise that this is not the movie, and don't judge it as such.
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