Amistad [Import] [Paperback]

David Pesci (Author)

Product Details

• Paperback: 304 pages
• Publisher: Allison & Busby (October 26, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0749003871
• ISBN-13: 978-0749003876
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (17 customer reviews)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Don't waste your money on this fictionalized account., May 18, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Amistad - A Novel (Paperback)

I recently finished an entire semester studying the Amistad mutiny, and Pesci's book was required reading. I read it both before the class began, and later in the semester; it didn't improve with time. Those portions of the story that Pesci did not fictionalize were interesting, but he writes in passive voice, which I found incredibly boring as well as frustrating. His descriptions of characters go on for paragraphs, and often serve no purpose other than to fill space; his adjectives are stale and overused. His stereotypical characters speak in modern slang that at times borders on the ridiculous. It is terribly distracting to have the captives look at one another and say, "We are in a world of sh--!" I agree with Pesci that it is difficult to write period dialogue, but he really should have made the effort. I suggest that anyone truly interested in this event investigate the many factual, well-written books available, including those written for children.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Pleasantly Pleased, November 26, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Amistad - A Novel (Paperback)

I received this book as a gift and almost exchanged it for something else because I usually don't read historical novels. However, I decided to check-out the first few pages. They grabbed me and I quickly became completely fascinated with the story. Pesci does an excellent job of weaving in the numerous facts and personalities that inhabit this incredible incident. The writing is smooth (although the paperback copy I got had a few typos) and he moves easily from the action thriller that makes up the book's first part to the courtroom drama that ensues. Highly recommended, even if (like me) you are not generally one for history. I hope he writes something new soon.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A history lesson that reads like a thriller, April 19, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Amistad (Hardcover)

I'm usually not big on history, but this was a gift so I decided to read until I got bored. I never did. In fact, it was one of those books that, as I got closer to the end, I didn't want it to end. It was a great story, well-written, and well-paced. Pesci made the transition from a thriller in the first few chapters to the legal drama that this incident became. He also put a human face on the participants, especially Sengbe Pieh and Roger Baldwin. Pehaps best of all, he interwined the exhaustive details and nuances of the Amistad event in such a way that it didn't feel like I was getting a history lesson. An excellent novel.