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Title: The Last Don by Mario Puzo, Joe Mantegna ISBN: 1-86021-847-4 Publisher: Arrow (A Division of Random House Group) Pub. Date: 07 July, 1997 Format: Audio Cassette |
Average Customer Rating: 3.55 (98 reviews)
Rating: 4
Summary: A very readable novel if not quite "The Godfather"
Comment: This is an extraordinarily readable novel. As always when writing about the Mafia, Puzo tells a great story. This is the story of the Clericuzio crime family and the long range plan of its ruling Don to join the legitimate world and exit the Mafia, with the family wealth intact. This plan is fraught with peril and requires much bloodshed, setting the stage for the story.
The Godfather dealt with the Mafia from roughly the 1930s through the 1950s. This novel is more contemporary and appears to be set in the 1990s. Mostly, the story has an authentic quality to it, and it moves along at a very brisk pace. Puzo's prose is clear and makes the book a pleasure to read.
Some of the sub-plots in the novel are just plain unrealistic. For example, he explains how a Hollywood attorney and a "California Jury" fails to convict a murderer based on a temporary insanity defense, and a few months later the perp is walking the streets a free man.... But hey, makes a great story, anyway. And make no mistake, this is a minor quibble--this is a great story.
Puzo's portrayal of the movie business as being essentially as brutal as the Mafia is hilarious. Is it true to life? I doubt it, but it sure is entertaining.
The Last Don was made into a miniseries which is fairly faithful to the novel (Part 1 of the miniseries is, that is). If you enjoy the novel, the DVD of the miniseries is a great entertainment value.
Rating: 2
Summary: Unless you're a Mafia junkie, don't bother.
Comment: Most of this book is filler. I mean, sure it's nice to read about Holywood scum and big breasted Vegas showgirls, but when a novel is touted as Mario Puzo's triumphant return to the realm of the Mafia, one expects.. well... one expects the Mafia. The sheer volume of wasted characters that fill this novel is astounding. I mean, we read about dentists and writers and whiney actors, all taking up valuable hit-time. Sure, there is a reason, though sloppy and forgotten about 75% of the way through the book, for Don Dom's 'foils,' a Vegas hotel owner and a major studio exec, but beyond them, the cast is simply too big. Perhaps I read this book too soon after reading the Godfather. There, minor charactors served a purpose. And the plot of The Last Don. Eew. Nothing happens until 100 pages from the end. Nothing. We miss out on a mobwar in 1965, and the 1996 'war' consists of only two, hackneyed killings (a cop and a mafioso... Hrm. Where has Puzo killed a pair of them before?). Final word is skip it. Sure, Puzo is good at what he does, but his genius seems horribly redirected in a vain attempt to live up to his past.
Rating: 5
Summary: The Last Don
Comment: I really liked this book. The reason I first got it was because I knew that Mario Puzo wrote the Godfather and I loved that movie. I decided to get the book, and I was not disappointed.
This book is about the workings of Cross DE Lena and the Clercuzio family. Cross and Dante are grandsons of the Don and they make a name for themselves. Cross owns a huge casino/hotel in Las Vegas, and Dante is the The number one hitman for the family. But when a family secret that the Don wants know one to know gets out, there becomes a huge war with in the Family.
This is a great book for anyone who likes action our who liked the Godfather. This book shows that after all these years Puzo can still write a great mafia story.
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Title: The Sicilian by Mario Puzo ISBN: 0345441702 Publisher: Ballantine Books Pub. Date: 01 May, 2001 List Price(USD): $7.99 |
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Title: Omerta by MARIO PUZO ISBN: 0345432401 Publisher: Ballantine Books Pub. Date: 01 May, 2001 List Price(USD): $7.99 |
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Title: The Godfather by Mario Puzo ISBN: 0451167716 Publisher: Signet Pub. Date: December, 1995 List Price(USD): $7.99 |
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Title: The Family by Mario Puzo ISBN: 0061032425 Publisher: Regan Books Pub. Date: 01 September, 2002 List Price(USD): $7.99 |
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Title: Fools Die by Mario Puzo ISBN: 0451160193 Publisher: Signet Pub. Date: August, 1994 List Price(USD): $7.99 |
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