Gangster: A Novel

I do not understand how this book has garnered the reviews and acclaim that it has. It is anything but a classic. It cannot be mentioned in the same breath as The Godfather or The Sicilian. Agreed, it is about organised crime, but there the similarities end. This book is essentially pulp fiction, worthy of an airport newsstand. Completely disposable. It is a microwave meal of a gangster book. OK if you are hungry but imparting little nutrition and leaving you wishing you had consumed something better.

The characters, from main players Angelo Vestieri, Pudge, and Gabe right through to lesser characters like Richie Scarafino all suffer from a common ailment; They are paper thin, unconvincing, shallow and intrusively so throughout reading the book. One never ever forgets that this is a book whilst reading it. Carcaterra is present at all times, his hamfist hacking away at the rockface of this effort. You are never immersed in its world. If you are ever close to being so, it is not through the book itself, but rather through one's familiarity with the genre as a result of superior works by other authors. Plot devices are conspicuous. Moments intended to be emotionally powerful, are signposted far, far in advance, clumsily executed and go off like dud fireworks when you finally get there. The book feels like a budget TV movie, a pseudo-epic.

It is an OK story, but so poor in its final form. One wonders whether this may have been a draft, which was never polished. It feels uneven in its consistency. The story itself is filled with parts which are just not credible. The death of Vestieri's father is truly weak and incredible. Pudge's death is mildly sad but hardly operatic. Contrast this with Sonny's assassination. Contrast ANY character from The Sicilian with ANY character from Gangster. Its three dimensions versus one dimension. Its living, breathing originality versus derivative, dead, sketchy and immature imitation.

The whole book feels like it is written by a teenager. There is no attention to detail, and seemingly no knowledge of the world in which the book is set - a great surprise considering Carcaterra's reputation for being born and bred within such an environment. The scenes of violence in the book are childishly written and gory without having any impact. Paper characters killing even thinner ones. Small details can be irritating, for example; `The man ...picked up a black homing device with a green button in the center. He pressed down on the button and turned his head away from the dock. The explosion rocked the alley...'. Since when do homing devices have detonators built into them? Early sections when pipsqueaks Angelo and Pudge run a crime empire as teenagers are embarrassingly unconvincing. Teenagers as killers - yes. Teenagers as `Bosses' - no way.

Carcaterra ends many a section of the book with yet more corny Gangster fantasy trailer-voiceover speak. `He was a stone-hearted killer quick to eliminate any enemy who presented the slightest threat to his empire. He was Angelo Vestieri. A gangster'. The much feted `twist' at the end is just so utterly corny and not remotely worth waiting for. By the time you get there, it really doesn't matter anyway. Worthy of a daytime soap perhaps.

Don't believe the hype. This book is childish and very disappointing. One cliché after another. It's a moneyspinner, cynically marketed at an audience created by the works of much better authors. This would be perfect for a TV miniseries, replete with half-baked gangsters, hammy accents, cheesy epic orchestral scores (in the Italian stylee - to take you there), cliff hanger moments cutting to commercials, B-movie melodramatics. Mark my words. The only hope for this may be if the cast provide the depth necessary to breath some life into this complete dud. Gangster? Best advice? Fuggedaboudit! Go and read The Sicilian.

It was a disappointment. It was a big bag of clichés. It was weak and thin. It was GANGSTER.

As another reviewer mentioned, I also got off to at bad start when the author describes a raging World War I in the latter part of 1913. Naturally, that made me suspect to other facts in the story to follow. Certain events in the book were obviously "made for TV" events...the childbirth in the raging inferno, the "here Dad, shoot yourself" suicide of the Papa and the gunfight in the prostitute's bedroom were enough to make me roll my eyes and feel somewhat insulted. As a Puzo fan, and one who was looking forward to this read, I think when it comes out as USA Network's Mini-series of the Week, I'll flip the channel over to Emeril....

Carcaterra narrates the story of Angelo's (Bones') life in a way that draws the reader in, its almost like you're sitting in a dark bar when a stranger leans over and starts telling a story and everything else, the atmosphere, your drink, the conversation becomes a backdrop for a wonderful story. I could feel the ups and downs of the story as I observed the lives of Angleo and Pudge. I've read many books based on the mafia and gangsetrs including all of Puzo's novels but this is the best! As a matter of fact this is one of the best novels I've ever read. Thumbs up Carcaterra!

A superb page turner filled with intrigue, murder, romance, and family secrets. Carcarterra is a master story teller, weaving the past and present events of two stories simultaneously. The story unfolds with two adolescent outcasts brought together by an unusual circumstance. Opposites in every way, Angelo and Pudge form an unbreakable bond as they rise to the top of the power chain in a world of gangsters. Flavored with colorful and unsavory characters and a shocking ending, "Gangster" is a superb page turner that will keep you up at night!

Unlike some other reviews, I did not find Carcaterra's 'Gangster" a page turner. I just completed the book last night, having started nearly two months ago. I must say that the author is an excellent writer. His manipulation of the English language is extraordinary, especially in the last few chapters. His words and sentence structure are often magical. While the story-line was a good one, it did not give me the suspense and page-turning material I would have expected from a book that encompasses the life of a gangster. I believe that type of information would have kept me more involved with the book. I found the storyline to be slow-paced, and in all likelihood, could have been wrapped up in half the print. I, too, found the ending to be predictable with much foreshadowing that led me to the conclusion midway through the story. I did, however, like Angelo's character and thought Carcaterra did an admirable job in developing his coldness and in revealing the character of a mobster. He gave the reader enough to see Angelo, without giving us too much of his personal side - something indicative of the gangster's persona.

This book explains why there are so many poorly written books on the market: when you read it, you realize that even you can do better. How 'bout howlers like, "...boiling under the surface, coiled like a..." --ever hear of mixed metaphors? Or "...muscle-thin, with jet dark eyes..." Huh? "muscle-thin"?? And what exactly are "jet dark eyes" other than a cliche, wrapped in a synonym. The characters are completely one-dimensional, the dialog is wooden and the story is preposterous. (Like gangsters who remain true to their wives. Didn't this guy ever watch the Sopranos? Goodfellas?) This guy doesn't have any idea about the world he's writing so badly about. Save your money.

Although Carcaterra's stories are generally unsettling (such as APACHES, where drugs are smuggled in the corpses of dead babies) his characters are fabulous. The same holds true with GANGSTERS. Angelo and Pudge are gangsters in the truest sense, and its fun to root for the "bad guys". We follow their lives from adolescence, when the mob was just getting started in America, to adulthood, with the mob in full swing. Even though the twist at the end does not come as much of a suprise, we're so involved with the characters to care.
I've really enjoyed all of Carcaterra's 3 works of fiction and would recommend them to anyone with a strong stomach. The horror just adds to the alure.

Beginning is fast paced from the birth of Angelo Vestieri to his entry into the criminal world of being a gangster. I really loved the Pudge character. I really didn't like the paragraphs whereby it seemed to be a lecture on what being a gangster entails. Story slows down from the 1960's to 1996. Some very brutal scenes. Still love Carcaterra's Sleepers the best.

This is the first book I've read by Carcaterra... it was fantastic. I loved his writing style, especially in light of some top authors who just seem to write books as fast as they can type, with very little artistry. Aside from being well written, it was a page-turner and I loved the way in which he told the story. I'm a fan - and I plan on reading his other novels.

This book was so vacuous and derivitive I couldn't finish the last 50 pages. What the author knows about the Mafia had to have come from watching movies. But we've all seen all the movies, so this book was just warmed over, imitative drivel.
Operating on the "greater fool" theory, I quickly listed the book for sale and sold it ... I actually feel a little guilty I took money for it.

This book was amazing. I was instantly drawn into the underworld that this book portrays. Lorenzo Carcaterra did a great job telling the real life of the people in this book. I felt like I was one of the mobsters that this book revolves around. This book was exciting right until the end. I would recommend this book to anyone who would like to see what life is like for someone in the underworld.

Always looking for something different than a romance novel. Was recommended by a male co worker. Good story. Shocking beginning. An, I would have never guessed that ending. This book is hard to put down. Read other books by Lorenzo also. This one is my favorite.

I have read everything Mario Puzo ever wrote and would put this with or above any of those novels... I have bought this book in paper back more than 4 times becase I keep lending them out to other friends and want to retain a copy for myself..I even bought the audio book. Totally gripping page turning story. Great character development.. Superb.

LOVED THIS BOOK AND AS A RESULT HAVE JUST ORDERED ALL MR. CARCATERRAS' BOOKS. GROWING UP IN BROOKLYN IN THE 50'S, IN AN ITALIAN NEIGHBORHOOD, PRIMED ME FOR ''GANSTERS''.....KNEW THESE PEOPLE. CANNOT PUT THIS UP THERE WITH ''THE GODFATHER'' BUT IT'S A CLOSE SECOND.

"Gangster" is a success! Rich in detail, interesting characters, and great suprises abound in this book! Angelo is just as untouchable as Michael Corleone! Though attempt come close, he can't be killed by any normal means as far as gangland is concerned. This is definitely one of my "read again" books!

I have enjoyed this authors last two novels however this is a waste of time. Cliche...Cliche....Cliche. Melodramtic writing. I suspect he really "wrote this as a screenplay first because it is so vapid.
Don't waste your time.