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Summary: Lead me to purchase another Demille book!!!!
Review: Well once again I have read another Demille book and purchased another. The reading is quick and the plots are good. They keep you guessing right until the end.
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Summary: Gold Coast - Witty, sarcastic and completely enjoyable
Review: Everything in John Sutter's life is going downhill - right in the middle of his midlife crisis. This is a whimsical, laugh out loud tale of life on the Gold Coast. While Sutter and his wife Susan are facing their own domestic difficulties, their neighborhood is invaded by the mob. Mob leader Frank Bellarosa has just taken up residence next door. Sutter's sarcastic attitude, introspective insights and witty remarks makes this an enjoyable read. This is one of my favorite Demille novels. Those who love this work should be sure and check out Word of Honor and the Plum Island series.
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Summary: Classic DeMille. Lose y ourself in this book!
Review: For the first 50 pages or so, I was prepared to give DeMille a little slack. It was just a bit slow. But he soon captured me completely and kept me reading right up until the end. I've read many DeMille books and this will probably rank as my favorite, with the (possible) exception of The Lion's Game. Not only is DeMille a great story teller - he's a great writer. There IS a difference. The way he portrays the blue-blood lawyer and the Brooklyn Mafia boss are amusing, realistic, and so intriguing that you'll be glad you read this book. Trust me. I'm an Italian.
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Summary: A great but hateful ending to a wordy story
Review: AAARRGHHH! I just finished this book, and it's driving me nuts. I HATED the ending. I was hoping for a happy ending to this one...I want DeMille to rewrite it. Just for me. Seriously, though, that shows how involved I became with the characters, even though I didn't much care for John, Susan OR Frank. I must say, though, the first 360 pages were almost boring. If I wasn't using this book to pass the minutes on the treadmill, I would have set it aside almost from the beginning. Once I got into the murder trial action, it sailed right along and from there on out I could barely put it down. If you stick with this book through the dull parts you will be rewarded.
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Summary: A wild ride, but beware of the narrator
Review: Overall, the book was great. I laughed out loud in certain parts, as there is an inherent humor in having these Long Island North Shore WASPs adjust to dealing with new next-door-neighbors, who just happen to be Mafiosos. Plus John and Susan's fantasy-sexcapades are hilarious. But the narrator becomes hateful after awhile, and the action drags on, leading to a predictable ending.... But it's still a good read.
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Summary: Long and winding novel -- a sleeper
Review: I was suprised to see how well this book has been rated by others. I could barely keep my eyes open throughout. I LOVE most of Demille's books especially Charm School and Plum Island. However, in The Gold Coast, Demille spends the first 150 pages going on and on about the lifestyle of the Gold Coast, while only occasionally stopping for a sex scence.......The book never seems to lead to anything worthwhile. I found it impossible to like the characters, and in fact I grew to dislike John and Susan. The plot seemed to have potential, but I kept waiting for it to get exciting. I kept telling myself to read another 50 pages and maybe it will get better, but it never did. I will certainly give Demille another chance, but I hope the next book I choose is nothing like this.
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Summary: Best fiction about the modern mob ever written
Review: This book is summed up best by those reviews which dub it "The Great Gatsby meets The Godfather". It is, first and foremost, a detailed and well-researched tale of two disparate worlds which collide when Mafia Don Frank Bellarosa moves next door to WASP Wall Street lawyer John Sutter on the ultra-upper class North Shore of Long Island - the "Gold Coast". As a lawyer, I can tell you that DeMille, who apparently is not a lawyer, gets the legal stuff right - moreso than most lawyer-turned-authors writing these days. And he gets the mob stuff just as accurately. But best of all, it's written with an incredible sense of humor. For example, Sutter's wife's kinky lovemaking antics wiil make you laugh out loud. And if that's not enough, there's a HUGE surprise ending. Hats off to Mr. DeMille for writing an absolutely perfect novel.
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Summary: childish
Review: I was disappointed with this story,as it was silly and childish. The ending left me cold, and the characters were one dimensional.I had enjoyed "The General's Daughter" immensely, but this book as well as "Plum Island" did not live up to expectations.
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Summary: Intelligent and culturally telling
Review: I had avoided reading this book for a long time. I am into thrillers, mystery novels and action--you see. But, oh my. I listened to DeMille's Plum Island and liked the witty dialog, but read this on my planner. I was ammazed at the storyline, the secenery, the cultures, the sexual tension, the violence and many other things. John and Frank were great characters and Susan was hauntingly delicious.Wonderful book. It drags a little in the beginning and the --forget about it.
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Summary: A Genius
Review: Honest to God, campers, if you don't like this book, what a miserable human being you must be. This is the kind of rich, nuanced work that many great authors can write just once in a lifetime -- how DeMille knocks them out every 18 months is beyond me. This is like Bonfire of the Vanities for grownups -- real wit instead of verbal jumping jacks, real insight instead of sociological blather. This book touches all the bases of what a great work of fiction should be: atmospheric, resonant, funny, tragic, poignant, lots of action-without-consequences, yet not so much of it that the reader suspends his willing disbelief. The protagonist, John Sutter, has a midlife crisis, but he has it with balls and panache instead of loads of whiny reflection. You can't go wrong with any of DeMille's books, but this one is simply great.
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