Montezuma's Ferrari: And Other Adventures (Last Open Road) [Hardcover]

Burt S. Levy (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Levy's adventures in the publishing world have been unusual, to say the least. His first novel, The Last Open Road, was self-published and so successful that St. Martin's Press subsequently picked it up. But for his second novel, a sequel, Levy is taking the self-publishing route again, financing the book partly by way of 32 in-text automobile advertisements. Telling the story of an exhilarating and funny road trip set against the backdrop of the 1950s racing scene is Buddy Palumbo, a good-hearted 19-year-old from Passaic, N.J. Eager to immerse himself in the racing lifestyle, much to the chagrin of his disapproving family, Palumbo--along with his buddies, scrap dealer and financier Big Ed Baumstein and daredevil driver Cal Carrington--weaves his way through the 1952 racing season. With Palumbo handling the pit crew, the team competes in races as glamorous as the 2000-mile Carrera Panamericana in Mexico and as second-rate as those held on abandoned air force landing strips. Back at home, Palumbo struggles with his personal life, complicated by a huge, dysfunctional extended family, a demanding but fiercely devoted fianc e and one problem after another at the gas station where he works. In Palumbo, Levy has created a salt-of-the-earth character whose simple approach to life and folk wisdom make him an unassuming yet engaging hero. Levy, himself a semi-pro racer in the 1970s and 1980s, also provides vivid and authentic descriptions of racing, often tossing in real-life characters and events that will delight fans of the sport. Moreover, Levy is a marvelous storyteller, as adept at explaining the intricacies of a Jaguar's engine as he is at recounting the bewildering family dynamics at a Thanksgiving dinner. The writer's second dark horse just may take the race again. (Nov.) FYI: Montezuma's Ferrari has been selected as Book of the Month by Classic & Sports Car, the first time a work of fiction has been chosen by the magazine.

Copyright 1999 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 395 pages
• Publisher: Think Fast Ink Llc; 1st edition (October 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0964210711
• ISBN-13: 978-0964210714
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.3 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #405,730 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars More of the same...thank goodness, December 5, 1999

By 

John D'angelo (Westchester County, NY) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Montezuma's Ferrari: And Other Adventures (Last Open Road) (Hardcover)

If you read "The Last Open Road" and enjoyed it, you'll enjoy "Montezuma's Ferrari" as well. There's more adventures involving an increasingly worldly and less awkward Buddy. Although this book would stand alone, it has more meaning after first reading Open Road. They are both books that make you laugh out loud in the wrong places...like airplanes and public transportation. Unfortunately, if you're like me, the book is so entertaining it ends all too quickly. And the ending is a little abrupt. So If you're reading Burt, let us please have some more.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars For all lovers of "The Last Open Road", June 21, 2000

By 

John A. Lefcourte (Reno, NV USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Montezuma's Ferrari: And Other Adventures (Last Open Road) (Hardcover)

The sequel to "The Last Open Road" it is a must read for readers who loved it. As a stand alone book it isn't quite as good and might not be appreciated as much if read by itself. "The Last Open Road" is multi-dimensional, it is a great car tale and also a coming of age story of a young man who wants to be a sportscar mechanic and is pursuing a girlfriend at the same time. All three threads are intertwined. The book is wonderfully evocative of time and place, you can smell and feel the summer nights which he describes. In "Montezuma's Ferrari" the protagonist is a successful mechanic and married so the focus is mostly on the car tales and the descriptions are not as engrossing but the book is still wonderful.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Sports Car Racin' Fans Rejoice-Here's more BS (Levy that is), October 26, 1999

By 

Dom Miliano (Denville, NJ USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Montezuma's Ferrari: And Other Adventures (Last Open Road) (Hardcover)

This book picks up where "Last Open Road" leaves off - literally, so it's probably a good idea to read them in order. The trip to Mexico is a great tale and it's worth reading the book just for that. There isn't quite as much energy or pure joy in this book as the first, but it's still a hoot. I suspect that we will see a volume 3 of the tales of Buddy, Big Ed, and the rest of the crowd - natch - and I'll probably buy it and enjoy it too - no lie!

September '02 Update! BS Levy is at it again. The third edition is out - I picked up a copy yesterday (Labor Day) at Lime Rock Park and will read it this weekend. It's called "The Fabulous Trashwagon" and I can't wait!