Customer Reviews

God Doesn't Shoot Craps: A Divine Comedy

5 star:		(54)
4 star:		(17)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Richard Armstrong spins a fast-paced, delightful yarn of the ultimate gambling "system" interestingly based on a real theory proposed by Juan Parrondo of The University Of Madrid. Mixed together with casinos, con games, the Mafia, and an assortment of bizzare characters this novel
is one that any gambler (or one considering gambling) simply cannot miss.

I wasn't sure what to expect with a title like that, yet billed as a "divine comedy." There's symbolism a-plenty, with the main character named Dante, and other characters with names like Pentangeli, Peccati, and Mortale. The novel is even divided into books named Inferno, Purgatory, and Paradise.
Then I encountered the cursing, a bit of sex, and other parts that made it clear that this is no "Christian fiction" work.
I alternated between enjoying the story and scratching my head over the allegorical aspects, searching to make sure I wasn't missing some deep theological or philosophical meaning.
The information about craps was interesting, the scientific material thought-provoking, and I must admit, it held my attention to the end. But I still don't know how to classify it.

Richard Armstrong's book is so good. Not only is it "laugh out loud" funny, the characters are well defined and I really cared what happened to Danny as he progressed through the book. I also learned a whole lot about craps--all I knew before was that it was complicated and I still believe that but did learn much more than I knew before. Thanks, Richard, for a really great book and I hope you are working on another. The ending was fantastic

Richard Armstrong's first book is God Doesn't Shoot Craps. This book is laugh outloud funny at times, compilcated at times, slow at times but it is worth a read. The story is about Danny Pellegrino a mail con man. He discovers a game of craps system and it works, well, sometimes. Follow his funny misadventures with gambling, the Feds, and the mob. Different.

I love this book. I could not put it down until the end!
Will recommend to friends and probably read again... and again.

There is both good and bad to this book; but I'm happy to say that by the end, the good outweighed the bad and left me glad that I read it. The book has a well-crafted, detailed, and complex storyline, and is populated by entertaining if occasionally cartoonish characters. Fortunately, Armstrong's main character, Danny Pellegrino, is fully-developed and very engaging, and my interest in him more than made up for the foibles in some of the lesser players, and in fact kept me turning pages in the addictive manner of a craps shooter sticking around for one more come out roll even when the table seemed to be going cold.

As another reviewer mentioned, Armstrong very clearly knows his subjects, to the point where you would be very hard pressed to believe he hasn't either walked in Danny's shoes or known someone very closely who did. The level of detail he puts into his environment - be it "direct marketing," gambling, private aviation, small-time mobsters, etc. - is extremely immersive. Armstrong's love of detail is a two-edged sword, though, and where the book falters is in writing style. Armstrong makes the novice mistake through most of the book of "telling" rather than "showing" - piling on pages and pages of descriptive narration about even the most minor character, rather than letting his characters interact through action and dialogue to reveal what we as readers need to know. In effect, he tells the reader what to think, rather than letting us reach our own conclusions through observation; and I always feel like that sort of spoonfeeding is indicative of an author's lack of trust in his own ability to craft something in a way that the reader will naturally go where the author wants. So, at first, I concluded that Armstrong was a guy with a really great idea for a story whose skills as a novelist were not the equal of his imagination - but as he turned over more and more cards, he revealed his hand to be stronger than I first assessed. In the last few chapters - when Pellegrino meets the architect of the book's central gambling system - the mood, tone and style of the book change dramatically for the better. Unlike the narration-heavy first two thirds of the book, the last section is mostly dialogue - almost in the Socratic sense - revealing a philosophical ambition that I never saw coming during the early chapters. These final chapters are thought-provoking and genuinely moving in a spiritual way that made me take another look at the title with a sudden understanding that this book was not REALLY about what I thought it was about.

Without spoiling the ending, I'll say that the payoff when Danny learns the truth regarding the mysterious system is a deliciously fun twist that -- when I took the time to think about why I didn't see it coming -- made a certain statement on its own about human nature. While the resolution of the action portion of the plot (the mobsters chasing Pellegrino) is more contrived and less satisfying, the aforementioned spiritual aspect of the book seemed to speak directly to me and made a lasting impression that was far more than what I expected to get from this read. So, I really feel comfortable recommending this book, especially to someone who is not as picky as I am about style. It certainly delivers in terms of content, from the very detailed window it opens on the world of Danny Pellegrino's passions - gambling, flying, mail fraud - to the entertaining characters and plot line, right through to a surprisingly meaningful message.

An easy read and a amusing story, that well could be true. The characters are vivid and you probably will recognize several of them. Personally, I think the book would make a interesting movie, or certainly a TV show worth watching

"I absolutely LOVED your book. First, you pulled off a near impossible stunt here - you actually got me to read an entire fiction book from front to back in 2 days! I haven't read a complete fiction book in years (I am a non-fiction junkie)... but you certainly sucked me in with your book.

A fabulous read for anyone looking to escape with a great story - and learn a thing or two about the marketing business along the way.

Highly recommended read.

I passed up going out on a Saturday night to stay home and read GOD DOESN'T SHOOT CRAPS by Richard Armstrong. I was hooked from the first page. It's relentlessly readable, the definition of a page-turner.

Mr. Armstrong writes with an unhurried grace and a gleefully outrageous charm that sneaks up on the reader and holds him willingly captive. He possesses a virtuoso knowledge and the rare ability to make every character and situation believable and beguiling. Most impressive is the degree to which he deftly weaves the sordid with the sublime, the comic with the criminal.

It's hard to believe this is his first novel. He achieves effects that seem to elude the talents of more prolific authors. I found myself laughing out loud at some sections and driven to profound thought by others. Mr. Armstrong tackles the deep, eternal mysteries of life, wraps them in a cross-country tale of greed and gangsters, and infuses every page with his personal warmth, cheerfulness and wit.

You get the singular feeling he really ENJOYS these characters and the situations they find themselves in. And that infectious delight spreads to the reader, making the narrative spring to life in a most pleasing and winning way.

Ambitious, literate, supremely hilarious and with the ultimate unexpected ending, it's a story that stays with you and provokes you long after the book ends. Buy it, read it, love it -- today.

God Doesn't Shoot Craps was an excellent read. Entertaining, thought provoking and insightful. 5 BIG stars to Richard. Great work - can't wait to see the movie!