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4.17 AVERAGE
4.17 AVERAGE
Great read, just flows like Henry Hill is telling you his story in a bar somewhere. A few extra details here that weren't included in the movie, which just made it more rewarding to read!
Usually the book is better than the movie, in rare cases the movie is better than the book, but in the rarest of cases, both the book and the movie are equally extraordinary. This is an instance of the rarest of cases.
adventurous
dark
funny
fast-paced
Sounds like this might be one of the few times the movie is better than the book, but I had no idea this was the basis for “Goodfellas” when I first started reading it so I am none the wiser. A decent, journalistic look into life as a mafioso - a brutal, cutthroat world where there is no honour, loyalty or empathy. Where money comes and goes, with hustlers rich one week and empty handed in another. And where you can only survive if you rat out your friend before they get you first.
The film Goodfellas isn't just an amazing film because it was a Martin Scorsese film. It was amazing because it was based off a truly mind-blowing and crazy life captured in this book. The author did a phenomenal job of telling Henry Hill's story. I loved his style of writing and I appreciate him (probably) going out this way to also interview Henry's wife and his girlfriend Linda to get their perspectives as well. I listened to the audiobook and it was like listening to the movie. (But with some events Scorsese choose not to cover in the film.)
dark
funny
tense
medium-paced
This was tough to get through. I think people who like this book are obsessed with the movie (goodfellas) and think they should like the book too.
The fact that Goodfellas is my favorite movie and I hadn’t read Pileggi’s book never sat right with me, so this one was a long time coming. To start, I was shocked and impressed by just how closely the movie reflected the major events and details, both those described by Henry and Karen directly, and the narration provided by Pileggi. Additionally, the tone conveyed through Scorsese’s visuals in the film are a direct influence of the machine-gun way that Henry describes his actions, choices, and “responsibilities”. However, while this was certainly effective in conveying what it felt like to be in this life, there were times at which I wish Pileggi had used Henry’s monologue-like portions more sparingly, as I sometimes found it difficult to keep track of individuals and connections between them and the “businesses” they were involved in. However, overall, the choice to include so many first-hand descriptions is what made this book, and subsequently the film, so memorable. Fans of Goodfellas will likely find much to enjoy in this book, as well as those interested in true stories of organized crime, told largely from the perspective of the individuals involved, rather than officers running the investigations.
Content is 5 stars and it would be if i didn't know what was gonna happen because I watched the movie. Maybe that's unfair but this is my goodreads!!