Sleepers: A True Story When Friendship Runs Deeper Than Blood by Lorenzo Carcaterra |
by Lorenzo Carcaterra
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by Lorenzo Carcaterra
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by Lorenzo Carcaterra
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by Lorenzo Carcaterra
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Amazon.co.uk Review
It will come as no surprise to anyone who understands the derivative nature of filmmaking that Lorenzo Carcaterra's Gangster has been bought for a TV mini series. After all, how many times can you rerun all three parts of The Godfather? Here the author of Sleepers and Apaches provides a full accounting of the life of one Angelo Vestiere, told from the perspective of two people who witnessed it first hand: Gabe, the street kid who ultimately betrayed Angelo's hope that he would succeed him; and Mary, the woman who loved him. One knows a secret about the other, which isn't revealed until the book's final pages. But by that time the secret doesn't matter and sheds no more light on Angelo than the reader has gleaned in the previous chapters.
Angelo has few redeeming characteristics. As the protagonist of this sprawling novel of the rise of organised crime in America, he never earns the reader's empathy, despite Carcaterra's attempts to humanise his central character by presenting the "code of the gangster" as a believable rationale for Angelo's existence and his success in his chosen career. By far the more interesting thugs who people this book are Pudge, Angus McQueen and Ida the Goose, a trio of fellow gangsters the author pulls into Angelo's orbit. Despite their moral and ethical shortcomings, they are picaresque enough to have a certain raffish charm. But Angelo is no Don Corleone or even Tony Soprano. And while Carcaterra's a journeyman writer, he's not ready to inherit the mantle of the late (and in this case sadly lamented) Mario Puzo. --Jane Adams, Amazon.com --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Review
The powerful Sleepers was the book that marked Carcaterra out as a crime writer of distinction, and this complex, ambitious novel is a more than worthy successor. The book will be more ammunition to those who claim that books and shows such as The Sopranos are defaming Italian Americans, presenting them as godfathers and goodfellas, but Carcaterra knows his territory and paints it with a vividness that sweeps away such criticism. Gangster is a truly epic vision of one man's life. Young Angelo Vestieri has decided to leave behind him his Italian past and his father, moving to the New World to build a career in early 20th century New York. Ruthlessly dispensing violence, he moves from soldier to capo with betrayal as his stock in trade but always aware of the virtues of relationships. When Angelo takes Gabe, an orphan boy, under his protection, he has made a rod for his own back: he will have to choose between his love for the boy, or his desire to live by the brutal rules that are so much part of his life. Carcaterra has not quite solved the problem that also defeated Mario Puzo in The Godfather (why should we be concerned about the moral conflicts of characters so obviously beyond the pale of normal human behaviour?), but few would deny his skill in conveying this bloody world with authenticity and power. Angelo is a remarkable anti-hero, painted with terrifying richness. (Kirkus UK)
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What Do Customers Ultimately Buy After Viewing This Item?
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69% buy the item featured on this page: Gangster |
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12% buy Sleepers: A True Story When Friendship Runs Deeper Than Blood £5.97 |
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8% buy Apaches £6.23 |
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6% buy The Sicilian £5.34 |
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