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rhirhireader's review against another edition
3.0
If Tarantino wrote books.... this is what you would get! Im a sucker for a gangsta movie! And with pulp fiction being up there as one of my faves, I got those same vibes from City Of Margins.
I was also hooked on the Sopranos recently and It really helped with some of the language used in this book.
The first part concentrates on intriduction to the many characters. They all live in Brooklyn New York and at girdt it seems they have no connection. Soon though, it becomes apparent that what brings them together is crime grief and violent pasts.
I loved Ava Bifulco, I thought she was the only character who showed genuine feelings. Falling fo Don Parascando was probably the last thing she needed, but it gave us the grit of this story and an insight into his character as well as Ava's.
Enjoyed the quick sharp story telling here. I was right there with them, as even doing the 'accents'. This is one world Id love to delve deeper into. I'm so intrigued by the lives of these people.
I was also hooked on the Sopranos recently and It really helped with some of the language used in this book.
The first part concentrates on intriduction to the many characters. They all live in Brooklyn New York and at girdt it seems they have no connection. Soon though, it becomes apparent that what brings them together is crime grief and violent pasts.
I loved Ava Bifulco, I thought she was the only character who showed genuine feelings. Falling fo Don Parascando was probably the last thing she needed, but it gave us the grit of this story and an insight into his character as well as Ava's.
Enjoyed the quick sharp story telling here. I was right there with them, as even doing the 'accents'. This is one world Id love to delve deeper into. I'm so intrigued by the lives of these people.
tdblaylock's review against another edition
4.0
When Donnie and Donna Parascandolo's son, Gabe, commits suicide, and when Rosemarie Baldini's husband and Mikey Baldini's father dies, these families along with others are connected in ways they could never imagine. Boyle's dark and evocative new novel is drama and mafia mystery at its finest.
Many authors can either develop characters well or spin a great plot, but only few can do so as Boyle has done here. His writing is so lifelike, and makes you feel like you are in the room watching the dialogue happening. His ability to interweave the different characters' lives is truly the pinnacle of the art. I've read several books that have tried to something similar, but Boyle shows how small the world can really be when life happens. His characters cover a broad spectrum of life, and he develops them in a way that you care even for the bad guys because he shows the humanity and the struggles in them all.
City of Margins can be dark, rough, and emotionally draining, but he includes hope even in the darkest places. This is one that anyone can enjoy whether you're looking for a mafia thriller or a book heavy in character development.
As an Oxford, Mississippi ex-pat, I was really happy to see this author now lives there. He is true testament to the legacy of Oxford authors.
Many authors can either develop characters well or spin a great plot, but only few can do so as Boyle has done here. His writing is so lifelike, and makes you feel like you are in the room watching the dialogue happening. His ability to interweave the different characters' lives is truly the pinnacle of the art. I've read several books that have tried to something similar, but Boyle shows how small the world can really be when life happens. His characters cover a broad spectrum of life, and he develops them in a way that you care even for the bad guys because he shows the humanity and the struggles in them all.
City of Margins can be dark, rough, and emotionally draining, but he includes hope even in the darkest places. This is one that anyone can enjoy whether you're looking for a mafia thriller or a book heavy in character development.
As an Oxford, Mississippi ex-pat, I was really happy to see this author now lives there. He is true testament to the legacy of Oxford authors.
kissmyash0600's review
2.0
This book fell apart for me about half way through...it wasn't really a thriller..or a mystery in my opinion and the writing style just did not work for me. The story was a bit compelling, but I had to force myself to finish this book; should have probably been a DNF.
travelseatsreads's review
4.0
This is a depressing, gritty and violent crime fiction which looks at just how shit people can be given their circumstances, however I loved reading it. Boyle has created a whole cast of perfectly flawed characters that you are equally loving and hating throughout the book. These people have done and continue to do terrible sordid things but there is something heartwarming and endearing running right throughout the book.
I adored how all the stories intertwined and came together towards the end. And without giving any spoilers away, it was nice to see some good prevail at the end.
I adored how all the stories intertwined and came together towards the end. And without giving any spoilers away, it was nice to see some good prevail at the end.
moreadsbooks's review
4.0
Another doozy by Boyle. When you set aside everything you had been planning to read and dig into this instead, reading in a heat and maybe sort of skipping ahead in a chapter to make sure that certain characters are going to be okay despite the fact that someone's just shown up at their house with a gun.
totallytales's review against another edition
4.0
If you loved Pulp Fiction then you would love this novel! It's dark and intense, sprinkled with some very funny moments.
Boyle has created an authentic world of tough guys, mean streets, and dark humour. The details of place, people, and actions transport you to Brooklyn. The New York slang weaved throughout is fabulous.
I enjoyed the structure of this novel, each chapter is narrated by a different character with all the threads joining them together is slowly revealed as you read.
It missed out on 5⭐ because there isn't a single likable character in there and I personally like at least one to root for.
Overall, a great example of crime noir, not for the faint-hearted. I will be looking out for his previous books.
A huge thanks to Anne Cater & No Exit Press for gifting me a copy in return for an open & honest review.
⭐⭐⭐⭐
Boyle has created an authentic world of tough guys, mean streets, and dark humour. The details of place, people, and actions transport you to Brooklyn. The New York slang weaved throughout is fabulous.
I enjoyed the structure of this novel, each chapter is narrated by a different character with all the threads joining them together is slowly revealed as you read.
It missed out on 5⭐ because there isn't a single likable character in there and I personally like at least one to root for.
Overall, a great example of crime noir, not for the faint-hearted. I will be looking out for his previous books.
A huge thanks to Anne Cater & No Exit Press for gifting me a copy in return for an open & honest review.
⭐⭐⭐⭐
loarn's review against another edition
adventurous
reflective
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Murder and despair link Boyle’s characters, but with Brooklyn rhythms embedded in their speech, their interactions are vivid and uplifting. Donnie is a disgraced ex-cop with blood on his hands. Lonely widow Ava, ruined by the debt her husband built up to a vicious crime boss, is trapped in a job she despises. Her grubby teacher son, Nick, fantasises about an easy route to success. Donna, Donnie’s ex-wife, is struggling to recover from the suicide of Gabe, their teenage son. College dropout Mikey seeks a purpose for his aimless existence. Only teenage Antonia, with plans to break free of the dismal Italian-American backwater where her forebears were trapped, is aspirational.
Set in Southern Brooklyn, USA, in the 1990s, City of Margins resonates with memories of Italy, even though not one of the characters has visited the country of their heritage. Family legends have been passed down the generations, but the language has been lost. Perhaps the first immigrants abandoned Italian during their struggle to survive in the new world, or possibly their children found it easier to blend into society without carrying the stigma of foreign speech. Ava expresses regret that her parents, who spoke Italian with their own parents, did not teach her a single word. ‘She wonders what it means to be from a place but not to know the place at all. This makes her sad.’
Cooking is one of the few things to have survived this general abandonment of Italian culture. It is a significant motif in City of Margins, appearing as a sexual advance, a maternal attempt to hold fragmented families together or a way to create an illusion of closeness where none exists. The women obsess about food and drink, while the men graze on crisps between violent clashes or episodes of fantasy. Behind the ‘chicken parm’ Mikey’s mother broods over, the Folgers coffee in every household, pignoli pastries and ubiquitous bubbling gravy, there lurks a hidden meaning. The human longing to nurture and be nurtured has been brutally overcome by an urge to grab and run.
Adherence to the Roman Catholic Church is another survival from the ancestral life in Sicily or Calabria. Very few of the characters even bother to pay lip service to religion, but for some, it still has deep significance. The influence of the local church appears to be social rather than spiritual. Several of the characters remember each other from their days at the school attached to it, and the building itself is familiar and reassuring. The priest and nuns represent the knowledge of good and evil. Everyone has been taught right from wrong, but in the struggle for everyday survival, Hell is an occupational hazard for the citizens of the City of Margins.
I was totally absorbed by this book from its jaw-dropping first chapter to the unpredictable finale.
scottish_kat's review against another edition
dark
fast-paced
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
This book didn't work for me.
It took me a while to figure out why - all the characters sound exactly the same and they are all so very eloquent.
The story is supposed to take place in a working class Brooklyn neighbourhood in the 90's but not one character uses nicknames or slang or shortened words or shortened sentences or any other verbal tic that every single person on the planet has. I should be able to look at an exchange of dialogue and know who is speaking without being told and in this book, that is impossible.
It took me a while to figure out why - all the characters sound exactly the same and they are all so very eloquent.
The story is supposed to take place in a working class Brooklyn neighbourhood in the 90's but not one character uses nicknames or slang or shortened words or shortened sentences or any other verbal tic that every single person on the planet has. I should be able to look at an exchange of dialogue and know who is speaking without being told and in this book, that is impossible.
mxtiffanyleigh's review against another edition
5.0
Another crackerjack neo-noir from William Boyle, who hasn't published a less-than-stellar effort yet. Elmore Leonard meets the Safdie's GOOD TIME during the Blockbuster Video era. As always, Mr. Boyle gets the rhythm and details right of mid 90's sagging, Italian, lower/middle class Brooklyn, and his serendipitous plotting, heel turns, and inevitable, fateful collisions of fully-realized characters never feels inorganic.
Like Elmore Leonard, his economy of prose contains multitudes and his ear for dialogue is note-perfect. Like Ken Bruen, he's a deep-dive fan of music, movies, and the popular culture that baked into the book is never forced when referencing something that shades in his characters, their lots in life, and the story's verisimilitude.
If this is your first of William Boyle's books then seek out Gravesend, The Lonely Witness, and A Friend Is a Gift You Give Yourself for more rewarding crime fiction.
Like Elmore Leonard, his economy of prose contains multitudes and his ear for dialogue is note-perfect. Like Ken Bruen, he's a deep-dive fan of music, movies, and the popular culture that baked into the book is never forced when referencing something that shades in his characters, their lots in life, and the story's verisimilitude.
If this is your first of William Boyle's books then seek out Gravesend, The Lonely Witness, and A Friend Is a Gift You Give Yourself for more rewarding crime fiction.
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