Customer Reviews

Johnny Once

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This first novel-- remarkably smooth, engaging and well-structured for a first novel-- evokes a time that no longer exists and tells a story of what it was like growing up in the tightly insular ethnic neighborhoods of New York, and the pains and difficulties of leaving those neighborhoods and the life you led for another, quite incompatible life. It is a brave book, too, because it does not hesitate to reveal some very private places and because it shows how long and unbreakable the cultural umbilical cord can be. It is also-- again remarkable for a first novel- a gripping mystery on several levels at once, with all the loose ends credibly tied together by the time the book ends. And oh yes, it was fun to read, no small thing. The characters are interesting, unique, real and believable and the ethnic food scenes alone are worth the price of admission.

In Johnny Once, Robert Gangi serves up a literary feast of NYC politics, racial tension, ethnic and family loyalty, violence, and sex. The sounds and smells of Brooklyn's old Italian neighborhoods waft throught this potent mix, and memories hang like mist around the well-drawn characters as they struggle to separate chance from fate. Johnny Once is a great read -- at turns comic, wistful, hard-boiled, and heart-breaking.

The protagonist of this novel returns with both longing and trepidation to the Brooklyn of his youth, a place where the neighborhood toughs, despite violent occupations, display tenderness and fierce loyalties. John Rosario has distanced himself from his mobster family, becoming a do-gooder community activist across the river in Manhattan. But at midlife, after a divorce, he finds himself drawn to the old 'hood. Waiting for him there are love, fabulous Italian food, home and hearth, but he must also face the racism and criminality that form part of the fabric of life in Bensonhurst. Johnny Once is deeply felt, but it's also a character-filled romp full of plot twists and intrigue.

Gangi blends vivid descriptions of family conflicts and juicy sex scenes with surprising plot twists to create a book that is impossible to put down. Although the characters engage in brutal exchanges and unlawful activities, they also defy mobster stereotypes and show that even the toughest hoodlums can occasionally act in compassionate ways. All in all, a wonderful, authentic, and colorful story that does justice to the unique life and energy that is Brooklyn.

If you like NYC politics, the Mafia, food, ethnic tensions, love and sex, then this is the book for you. Using a Law and Order-style of bringing in contemporary events to tell a story, the author explores some timeless themes-the difficulty of transcending one's past and the redemptive power of love. He plunges you right in and doesn't let you come up for air until the end. His Mafioso are less angry and violent than The Sopranos but they love their food and there is always that hint of menace.

THIS IS AN EXCITING STORY WHICH COMBINES BIG CITY POLITICS WITH
A PRIVATE BROOKLYN MAFIA CONNECTION OF A LIFE WHICH THE PROTAGONIST THOUGHT HE LEFT BEHIND MANY YEARS AGO.THE INVOVEMENT OF IT'S CHARACTERS CREATES A MYSTERY WHICH HOLDS YOUIR INTEREST
UNTIL ITS FINAL TWIST AT THE END.THE MAFIA CHARACTERS ARE SO VIVID THAT THE READER CAN CLEARLY PICTURE WHAT THEY LOOK LIKE AND WOULD BE WONDERFUL ON THE BIG SCREEN.I HIGHLY RECCOMEND THE READER TO THIS AUTHORS FIRST NOVEL.

Without going on too much about it -- this novel was a complete bore. I'm Italian. From Bensonhurst. Was looking forward to this read. Completely disappointing. Predictable. Corny. The sex scenes in the book were completely ridiculous and laughable. It has some moments, particularly the main characters dialouge and persona; but there's not even close to enough being there to save this from being a big diappointment. How it received these 4-5 star reviews, I have no idea.

If you want NYC action, this is the book for you - fast-paced and exciting. Not a typical "thriller," but rather an astute presentation of characters, life situation's and mysteries. A good read!

If you're looking for an authentic Italian-American experience that both delves into its roots and reaches beyond, then Bob Gangi's first novel, Johnny Once, is where you'll find it. Set in Bensonhurst and Manhattan, the story unfolds around the struggles of John Rosario to live in two sometimes seemingly irreconcilable worlds: the world where he grew up in Brooklyn and where he still has deep roots, with all its fierce family and street loyalties, its pervasive familial embrace and its deep-seated xenophobia, and the world in which he lives today: Manhattan, anonymous, cosmopolitan and, for John, liberating. Mystery, romance, and deep-seated conflict reach both ways across the Brooklyn Bridge to keep a reader engaged and wondering where John Rosario--and we with him--will go. Authentic, honest characters and pungent atmosphere, conflict and insight, soul searching and discovery: you'll find them all here. In a nutchshell: a worthwhile pleasure.

The author portrays an honest flavor of a place and time that can only be remembered now. It's Brooklyn character at it's best. The author's sincerity comes through as he evokes a time, place, and story that ring true. Great characters and engrossing tale.