Take a photo of a barcode or cover
4.17 AVERAGE
4.17 AVERAGE
Really interesting! But if you've seen Goodfellas, you already know everything that happens.
When I was a kid I thought the American Mafia was the epitome of cool. The culture revered movies like The Godfather, GoodFellas, and shows like the Sopranos. It's fascinating to read this book as an adult with a fully formed frontal lobe and realize everyone here dies a horrible death.
Even though I knew exactly what happened, Pileggi does a fantastic job making this a terrific page turner.
Only thing left to do now is watch GoodFellas
Even though I knew exactly what happened, Pileggi does a fantastic job making this a terrific page turner.
Only thing left to do now is watch GoodFellas
relaxing
sad
fast-paced
Good book. Got to be a bit of a hit-list towards the end. This Henry Hill sounds like really not the nicest guy in actuality, but as a subject of a book—seems he really works. A good short story subject. Nearly 300 pages of him beating up and robbing everyone he meets…might have been nice to get another perspective on that. Adding Karen’s “testimony” does help but that’s really more soap opera than checking his macho bravado.
funny
informative
medium-paced
I've seen GoodFellas more times than I can count, so naturally this has always been on my list. Some tweaks aside, Marty did a great job adapting this to the point where this almost feels superfluous. I already know most of what's in here, but you can't knock a book because a filmmaker made a movie about it.
It's a super informative and interesting look at how that world really worked. No glitz or glamor about it! Glad I checked it out. Definitely planning to read check out On The Run: A Mafia Childhood by his children soon.
It's a super informative and interesting look at how that world really worked. No glitz or glamor about it! Glad I checked it out. Definitely planning to read check out On The Run: A Mafia Childhood by his children soon.
adventurous
dark
informative
medium-paced
The book that was the basis for the film "Goodfellas". I read this as a rebellious teenager that always wanted to be a gangster, or the equivalent thereof. This book takes a deep dive into the life of Henry Hill, a low ranking soldier for the Luchesse family and member of Paul Vario's crew.
Pretty similar to Goodfellas basically, there are just a few scenes missing. And Tommy is in it way less. The audio was abridged too, so I'm not sure how much I missed. Good gangster story if you like that sort of thing..
DNF at 41% ... I couldn’t get into this. It felt repetitive and every chapter explains Hill’s numerous scams but there’s not much insight beyond that.
Rating my experience: 4.5 out of 5
I first experienced Wiseguy through its 1990 film adaptation, Goodfellas. As a cinephile, the movie blew me away (I think I saw it three times in the theater). Sometime after, I picked up Wiseguy, and now, with this 2024 reading, I think it's my second or third time revisiting the book. It remains every bit as excellent as the film—highly recommended for anyone interested in true crime, criminal psychopathy, and cultural biographical stories. This time around, I noticed Pileggi's clever use of contrasting certain anecdotes told by Henry Hill, the primary "protagonist," with versions from his wife Karen. From this, we feel Hill might not be the most reliable narrator, echoing both Rashomon-style storytelling and the manipulative nature of a criminal sociopath. Overall, Wiseguy is gripping, paced beautifully, and leaves a lasting impression about the most remorseless people we share the world with.
I first experienced Wiseguy through its 1990 film adaptation, Goodfellas. As a cinephile, the movie blew me away (I think I saw it three times in the theater). Sometime after, I picked up Wiseguy, and now, with this 2024 reading, I think it's my second or third time revisiting the book. It remains every bit as excellent as the film—highly recommended for anyone interested in true crime, criminal psychopathy, and cultural biographical stories. This time around, I noticed Pileggi's clever use of contrasting certain anecdotes told by Henry Hill, the primary "protagonist," with versions from his wife Karen. From this, we feel Hill might not be the most reliable narrator, echoing both Rashomon-style storytelling and the manipulative nature of a criminal sociopath. Overall, Wiseguy is gripping, paced beautifully, and leaves a lasting impression about the most remorseless people we share the world with.
adventurous
informative
fast-paced