Cuando recibí este libro como regalo, temí que no fuera a entenderlo bien ya que no había leído nada del autor antes y sólo tenía el antecedente de haber mirado las películas de la saga El Padrino, pero al comenzar la lectura me enganché de inmediato y lo terminé en pocos días. El autor nos muestra de una forma muy interesante y dinámica el funcionamiento del crimen organizado en una sociedad tan conservadora en apariencia como la de Estados Unidos, donde hasta el funcionario más intachable tiene su precio y todo es posible con tal de lograr los propósitos de aquellos que están en el poder.La trama está enfocada desde varios puntos de vista, pero siempre dentro de los límites de la familia Clericuzio y aquellos que los rodean. Entre los personajes principales tenemos al Don, un hombre poderoso que en su juventud tomó muchas decisiones terribles en nombre de la protección de los suyos, que no se arrepiente de sus pecados y que a la vez es un jefe comprensivo y evita por todos los medios los enfrentamientos innecesarios y el derramamiento de sangre fuera de lo que él considera inevitable. Es notable el contraste entre las acciones del Don y su marcada religiosidad, ya que podemos ver en la política de la familia una gran tendencia al machismo y la discriminación de todo lo que no representara la típica imagen del "buen norteamericano". Eso me pareció un guiño de lo más irónico, a decir verdad, ya que algunas afirmaciones por parte de ciertos personajes en contra de los que no fueran de la religión católica, o de los que no tuvieran el mismo color de piel llegaban a un límite que no pensé que todavía existiera en la época en la que está ambientada la historia (la década de los 90).Lo que tiene de diferente el libro es que relaciona y compara a dos mundos tan distantes como el de la mafia y el de Hollywood. Es probable que en muchos sentidos el dueño de un estudio cinematográfico y toda la pirámide de empleados que se necesitan para filmar una película se parezcan bastante a la estructura de una agrupación del crimen organizado, según lo que vemos en las páginas de la novela. El ritmo de la narración fue muy dinámico, aunque tuve que acostumbrarme a los saltos en el tiempo cada vez que se introducía a un personaje importante. Los personajes poseen una profundidad que nos permite identificarnos con ellos, o si no nos caen bien, por lo menos entender sus razones y cómo fue que llegaron a ser lo que son. En la historia se encuentran partes llenas de acción y romance. No hay tiempo para un respiro, ya que apenas se resuelve un inconveniente aparece otro más, lo cual ayuda a mantener el interés del lector.¿Lo recomiendo?: Sí, es un libro que tiene todos los ingredientes para ser interesante: crímenes, chismes hollywoodenses, amor, reflexiones sobre la sociedad de hoy en día, trampas políticas, etc.
The Godfather is a classic novel written by Mario Puzo which set the benchmark for all other books which deal with the Mafia. But one must not get caught up with the scenarios from The Godfather as it may distract you from appreciating the story and you just might fall into comparing the two novels.This is an extraordinarily readable novel. The Last Don brings together three different stories: Hollywood, Las Vegas, and the Mafia. To this Puzo has added romance and lots of mob assassinations but has wisely topped it all with a happy ending.The don is the Don Clericuzio, the twistedly wise and ruthless head of the most powerful Mafia family in America. The Last Don is the story of the Clericuzio family and the Don’s long range plan to join the legitimate world and exit the Mafia, with the family wealth intact. This plan is fraught with peril and requires much bloodshed, setting the stage for the story. Don Corleone might have your legs broken, but with Don Clericuzio, forget it, you’re dead!The vivid details of the Hollywood, it’s greedy and treacherous producers and film studios, the law games of the lawyers, the casual sex of the bankable stars and it’s use to bring down them, and the fight for the rights by the writers, along with many other things, keeps a writer involved in the book. The flashy life of the Vegas and the gambling industry, the proceedings of the hotels and the laundering of black money keeps a reader imagining.But the working of the Mafia family and it’s Don and his long range plan to melt away in the legitimate world is what Puzo must be praised for. The violence, cunning tactics and methods of the Mafia, the twists and surprises from the characters and the brutal justice of the Don is what keeps a reader turning pages.
What do You think about The Last Don (1997)?
Thick and yet cleanly sharp plot.This is the first time I read anything related to Mafia and this is a full course meal in a snack size package.Some reviews hinted me that it’s partly an autobiography of the author in the movie business and I felt it true all through the book, it exposes lot of those details one would not be aware with just some research for a book, they had to have lived it in some way to write it this way.The book is set up in a great pace and the pages some times slow it down and pull your pulse low just to pump it up again and this will keep us curios to keep on and I finished this one really quickly even while being busy all day, great screenplay. But when it slows down, the details are rich and have facts stacked like easter eggs.I really enjoyed reading this book. But still think it could be much cleaner and also have more Mafia than Hollywood.
—Alok Pepakayala
Another Puzo classic. Very good read. Although, one must not get caught up with the scenarios from The Godfather book as it may distract you from appreciating the story and you just might fall into comparing the two novels. that was what happened to me at the start. But, as I went along with the book, I started to appreciate its own plot and development, independent from The Godfather. however, there are just some chapters that are too lengthy and parts that are too boring but rest assured, these parts are avenged by the whole book.The convergence of Hollywood and Las Vegas may or may not have helped the whole story. I can't decide. On one hand, at some point in the book I remember wishing for the Hollywood part to be over. It sometimes got a little redundant (secret sex, hidden desires, and financial deals). I also feel that the author should have included a little more deaths and violence in it. On the other hand, I loved how the two worlds collided in the whole story. Just like Hollywood and Las Vegas, the worlds of two blood cousins Cross and Dante smashed into each other as the Family's past forced them to make tough decisions. Personally, I feel that the book is full of surprises from the characters. Some of the parts may be "predictable" (after reading Puzo's The Godfather), the characters would surely catch you off guard. I personally had two to three moments where I randomly cursed after a character twist happened. Honestly, this kept me going and since I have read Puzo's Godfather and The Sicilian, I know character twists are in store.Overall, this book is a must-read for all who appreciate the Mafia. Another classic by Mario Puzo--a true Mafioso.
—Weegee
After having The Notebook before I started The Last Don, I was hoping for a bit of mafia violence to change things up a bit. But it turns out although this is a really thick book hardly anyone dies. It’s mostly about Hollywood movie deals and Las Vegas casinos. I had read and adored both The Godfather and The Sicilian for their characters, gripping storylines and the crafty way Mario Puzo reveals developments to you. Thus I thought in having almost all of his books on my shelf meant I had a great store of good reads, but perhaps not?
—Emma
