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pbraue13's review against another edition
3.0
This is my first Puzo novel and I must say I enjoyed it for the most part. I can see why Puzo became a successful writer, he's a natural born storyteller. This novel seems almost semi-autobiographical in that the main focus is a character who is a writer and in that way it is both interesting and super self-indulgent to the point where the novel tended to drag. If you want characters who change, this is not the novel for you, but that's the point as these characters are stuck where they are, in a prison of their own making. I can't wait to read The Godfather now haha! 3.5/5 stars!
cemoses's review against another edition
4.0
I found this novel varied in quality from the excellent to very boring.
It is about a man who is an orphan who starts out poor who wants to be a great writer. He ends up being a successful writer who spends time in Hollywood. The main character is somewhat interesting-he is a tough, streetwise guy who has a high literary aspirations. He sees himself as being very straight but many readers may not agree with his view of himself.
The book starts out with an incident in Las Vegas casino where I have no idea what happened since I don't gamble but the narrator becomes friends with a man named Cully.
Then it proceeds to tell the narrators struggles as a beginning writer, living in the housing projects and working for the civil service. This part I found interesting in part because I know many civil servants and people who live in housing projects.
The narrator gets fired from the civil service then works for a famous writer named Osano. This part of the book is boring. We don't know much about Osano except that he wants to win the Nobel prize in literature and lives like a pig. While we don't know what makes Osano a leading figure in US literature but we do know about his numerous personal failings. This part of the book is bad.
The best part of the book is the ending where the narrator goes to Hollywood and to me the book ended with a punch. Some of the books stories of Hollywood life were excellent.
There are some parts of the book that describe the workings of Las Vegas which I also thought was outstanding.
It is about a man who is an orphan who starts out poor who wants to be a great writer. He ends up being a successful writer who spends time in Hollywood. The main character is somewhat interesting-he is a tough, streetwise guy who has a high literary aspirations. He sees himself as being very straight but many readers may not agree with his view of himself.
The book starts out with an incident in Las Vegas casino where I have no idea what happened since I don't gamble but the narrator becomes friends with a man named Cully.
Then it proceeds to tell the narrators struggles as a beginning writer, living in the housing projects and working for the civil service. This part I found interesting in part because I know many civil servants and people who live in housing projects.
The narrator gets fired from the civil service then works for a famous writer named Osano. This part of the book is boring. We don't know much about Osano except that he wants to win the Nobel prize in literature and lives like a pig. While we don't know what makes Osano a leading figure in US literature but we do know about his numerous personal failings. This part of the book is bad.
The best part of the book is the ending where the narrator goes to Hollywood and to me the book ended with a punch. Some of the books stories of Hollywood life were excellent.
There are some parts of the book that describe the workings of Las Vegas which I also thought was outstanding.
branev's review against another edition
3.0
Just one thing - do not believe to the reviewer that is inevitably quoted on the back-page of this book saying that this book is better than the Godfather. It clearly is not, as you expect other type of books when reading Puzo. Still worth the try.
carlg88's review against another edition
4.0
this book truly took me to another world and I was completely swept up into the world of gambling and literary critique occupied by the main character. another excellent piece by a fantastic author. highly recommend it
jonnys's review against another edition
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.5
jglynn's review against another edition
funny
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
4.5
valerief's review against another edition
4.0
Mario Puzo writes brilliantly although his prose is occasionally cliche-laden. This, however is one of my faves of his, up there with The Godfather. I enjoyed how he tied together two people who met randomly and are connected for tragic reasons. The back and forth between third person and first person from Merlyn's perspective was quite interesting. I would have liked to hear a bit more about Diane, shame she was such a bit character.
iniye's review against another edition
5.0
This might just be the best book I've ever read. Christ! I love it so much. It took some time to set in, but I was instantly hooked.
I had no idea what it was going to be about (I didn't read the description because there was none in the back page).
This may have been published in 1978, but it felt like it was published two or three years ago. It is a timeless work of art. And it didn't have any trace of mafia in it.
I loved that Osano character so much, it felt like it was Puzo himself in that character taking digs at Tolstoy and the rest.
“Falling in love is great. Being in love is a disaster.”
“Listen, being in love means making another person the central thing in your life. When that no longer exists, it’s not love anymore.”
“How come the father never gets the kids? What kind of bullshit is that? Do you know men never recover from that bullshit? The wife gets tired of being married, so men lose their kids. And men stand still for it because they got their balls chopped off.”
This is a book I can definitely reread.
I had no idea what it was going to be about (I didn't read the description because there was none in the back page).
This may have been published in 1978, but it felt like it was published two or three years ago. It is a timeless work of art. And it didn't have any trace of mafia in it.
I loved that Osano character so much, it felt like it was Puzo himself in that character taking digs at Tolstoy and the rest.
“Falling in love is great. Being in love is a disaster.”
“Listen, being in love means making another person the central thing in your life. When that no longer exists, it’s not love anymore.”
“How come the father never gets the kids? What kind of bullshit is that? Do you know men never recover from that bullshit? The wife gets tired of being married, so men lose their kids. And men stand still for it because they got their balls chopped off.”
This is a book I can definitely reread.
pamelajobrownlee's review
3.0
It speaks well of Puzo's skill that I did not struggle to read and finish this book. It flowed beautifully, and was well-written.
That said, this seemed to be no more to me than a self-absorbed writer struggling with his love of gambling and his conflicting feelings about women: conflicting in that he wanted to think of himself as modern and in support of the women's movement, but really wanted women to be agreeable, docile, beautiful, young and devoted to him, with no interest in having sex with other men (women are, apparently, OK).
This is supported by the three main (and "perfect")women in the book: the wife, the lover, and the bimbo. The wife and the bimbo don't have any real character development. The wife is notable for keeping the home fires burning, being supportive in all things, remaining beautiful and good in bed, raising the kids, and encouraging her husband to go off on his own adventures (even being a little annoyed if he's around home too much). The bimbo is beautiful, available for sex with pretty anyone recommended to her (Hey, would you sleep with my friend? He's a good guy. Sure!), maintains an air of innocence while looking like a slut, and can eat a tremendous amount of food without gaining weight. This is actually a spectator sport for the men in the book. Finally, the lover, who actually gets to have a personality. She is intelligent, beautiful (shock!), very in love with her married lover (he with the perfect wife), and a feminist who would like her man to leave his wife. She is also bisexual, mostly in that she occasionally likes to have sex with her female roomie (and really enjoys sucking on large breasts, and is dominant in that relationship), but is nevertheless completely feminine in her relationship with her male lover. While he supports her freedom to have fun, friendly sex with anyone she chooses (as he does), he resents that she sleeps with other men.
Finally, it seems Puzo is using his three main male characters to speak his own feelings to the world: a brilliant but cynical older writer (older Puzo?) whose weakness is that he truly needs and loves women (while obviously resenting and objectifying them); a brilliant, more level-headed younger writer (younger Puzo?) who juggles a mistress and a wife, and goes head-to-head with Hollywood, standing up for the integrity of his novel; and an old, very clever casino owner who is apparently all-seeing (fantasy Puzo?). All of them pretty much sound the same way when it comes to women; enough that I was often confused about whose story was being told.
I could really go on and on; the book is just filled with self-serving irony ("How could she not have realized I was kidding when I told her she was a cunt?" or killing off a main female character literally three pages after her feminist speech about how writers conveniently kill off female characters).
Bottom line: Kudos for well -written book (hence, three stars). Also, Puzo is an asshole.
That said, this seemed to be no more to me than a self-absorbed writer struggling with his love of gambling and his conflicting feelings about women: conflicting in that he wanted to think of himself as modern and in support of the women's movement, but really wanted women to be agreeable, docile, beautiful, young and devoted to him, with no interest in having sex with other men (women are, apparently, OK).
This is supported by the three main (and "perfect")women in the book: the wife, the lover, and the bimbo. The wife and the bimbo don't have any real character development. The wife is notable for keeping the home fires burning, being supportive in all things, remaining beautiful and good in bed, raising the kids, and encouraging her husband to go off on his own adventures (even being a little annoyed if he's around home too much). The bimbo is beautiful, available for sex with pretty anyone recommended to her (Hey, would you sleep with my friend? He's a good guy. Sure!), maintains an air of innocence while looking like a slut, and can eat a tremendous amount of food without gaining weight. This is actually a spectator sport for the men in the book. Finally, the lover, who actually gets to have a personality. She is intelligent, beautiful (shock!), very in love with her married lover (he with the perfect wife), and a feminist who would like her man to leave his wife. She is also bisexual, mostly in that she occasionally likes to have sex with her female roomie (and really enjoys sucking on large breasts, and is dominant in that relationship), but is nevertheless completely feminine in her relationship with her male lover. While he supports her freedom to have fun, friendly sex with anyone she chooses (as he does), he resents that she sleeps with other men.
Finally, it seems Puzo is using his three main male characters to speak his own feelings to the world: a brilliant but cynical older writer (older Puzo?) whose weakness is that he truly needs and loves women (while obviously resenting and objectifying them); a brilliant, more level-headed younger writer (younger Puzo?) who juggles a mistress and a wife, and goes head-to-head with Hollywood, standing up for the integrity of his novel; and an old, very clever casino owner who is apparently all-seeing (fantasy Puzo?). All of them pretty much sound the same way when it comes to women; enough that I was often confused about whose story was being told.
I could really go on and on; the book is just filled with self-serving irony ("How could she not have realized I was kidding when I told her she was a cunt?" or killing off a main female character literally three pages after her feminist speech about how writers conveniently kill off female characters).
Bottom line: Kudos for well -written book (hence, three stars). Also, Puzo is an asshole.