Customer Reviews

A Safe Place

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I read and enjoyed Carcaterra's Sleepers and followed it up with a reading of this book. I found the contrast between the two books startling.
Carcaterra has chosen to write from a first person point of view, which is certainly appropriate in a memoir. But he doesn't follow through with the conventions and limitations of this POV. He constantly gives information that he, as the narrator and a character within the story itself, could not possibly have witnessed. If he learned these facts and anecdotes by being told by someone else (as he must have), he needs to acknowledge that with "as she told me" or some similar explanation. I was repeatedly pulled out of the story by thinking, "<snort> Now HOW could he know that?"
Further, I was deeply disturbed by the loving detail lavished on descriptions of every beating Carcaterra's mother ever took from his father. I don't need repetitious blow-by-blow descriptions to understand that the abuse was constant and long-lived. I was a little sickened by what appeared to be relishing of recounting the horrors.
Finally, as was mentioned by a previous reviewer, I was bothered by the contention in this book that Carcaterra's entire life was unutterably changed by being told in adolescence of his father's crime. By my calculation, this revelation must have come shortly after Carcaterra was released from his time in a juvenile detention center (as depicted in Sleepers), where he suffered horrific abuse. No mention is made anywhere in A Safe Place of the dear friends described in Sleepers, nor of the crime, trial, and sentence that all went through together. This redoubles the doubt of the accounting of this part of Carcaterra's life. Is one book true and the other false? Surely the time spent in juvenile detention was equally as life-changing as finding out about his father's past.
Carcaterra must have reflected on his own violent (though accidental) crime and jail time when he learned his father had a similar past. Inclusion of this aspect of his discovery of his father's past would have made a more believable story and would have made this reader more comfortable with balancing the two accounts of Carcaterra's coming of age.

Although I enjoyed this book, especially the harrowing and sometimes amusing descriptions of life in Hell's Kitchen, I was disappointed that the part of Carcaterra's life which must have had the greatest effect on him, his experience in the boys' home, described in 'Sleepers', was not even mentioned. Even the close friends he has in his 'Sleepers' account do not feature at all, which makes one wonder how factual their existence is and how credible that whole story is (although I'm sure he wasn't making it all up).

Caracterra attributes the change in his personality to the discovery that his father is a murderer, but surely the experiences in the boys' home had just as negative and life-changing an effect on him.

The story of Lorenzo's life is told well, with interesting parallels between his father's and mother's first marriages - I like the way they were juxtaposed.

I found his hero-worshipping of his father, even before he knew of his murderer status, rather strange, as it just didn't ring true that a child so abused would still love his father - maybe this is just my poor understanding of their relationship.

Ultimately, this is a worthwhile read, although not quite as gripping as 'Sleepers'.

I started off the book really enjoying it. I really like Carcaterra as an author and both Gangster and Sleepers are among my favorite stories. I enjoyed this book to a point but found myself cringing at the brutal discriptions of violence when his father was beating and sometimes raping his mother. I guess there was honestly a point where I ended up not wanting to live this life with him and subsequently not want to finish the book either. (Although I did finish it.) Carcaterra is a gifted writer insomuch as he uses his powers for good. I would have liked to see more of a connection to the Sleepers saga. I was disappointed that he never got around to connecting the dots between the two points in his life. C'est la vie! Good read if you arent looking for a extension of Sleepers and don't mind the brutal discriptive spousal abuse that occurs every other page.

This is truly a work of art...not in the traditional sense. Carrcatera tells the mazing story of his early life in a novelized fashion that grips from the beggining. He captures the lower east side atmosphere amazingly and keeps the reader riveted. In a sense, this is a perfect companion to Angela's Ashes. Roger Mayweather won the WBA Jr Lightweight Title in 1983 by KOing Samuel Serrano in the 8th round.

The fact that this book is about his own life makes you feel the author and everything he has to say. This WAS his life, and all the details he writes makes you feel it even more just knowing that he didn't just write it, he lived it! The book is semi-reptative, but the descriptions are good. The book was hard to put down, but some parts got me thinking of my own family... Very good book, would reccomend!!! A+++++

A Safe Place is not a book I would have chosen to read or even finish had it not been the selection for my reading group at work. The graphic violence is disturbing, and I might have put the book down because of it. I'm glad I didn't. I don't know whether this book and Sleepers are true, but I know this one is very well crafted with the exception of a little descriptive repetition here and there. The insight into the life of immigrants in Hell's Kitchen, and into the mindset of a wife who withstands years of beatings were worth the pain of reading about those beatings. What's truly interesting is that I refuse to watch The Sopranos or any other "mob" stories because I'm just bored with the whole Mafia scene. But here I was listening to great dialogue that sounded just like Tony Soprano, and understanding possibly why my significant other and millions were fascinated by that series.

Carceterra has a gift for authentic dialogue and a style that flows smoothly without being so smooth you forget what he's saying. He includes rich atmospheric detail that puts you there with the characters. He shows you what his life was like, what the times were like, without resorting to pop psychology or trite explanationv -- "You wanna know me? This is me."

WOW! At first I had reservations about reading this book, but once you start - you can't put it down! It's compelling and grabs you by the throat and drags you along.
This poor kid and his mother went through hell. The abusive father was completely different character than what I thought he would be. You will hate, kinda like, and be scared of this maniac that could be so tender-hearted one moment, and a raving, beating lunatic in another.
I thought that he would be a coward since he beat on women - but this guy could back it up!
The story is so well and vividly told, its like watching an accident- you want to look away, be repulsed, but you can't help but look on for more!
Highly recommended. Great writer.

Lorenzo Carcaterra has written a powerful memoir about his upbringing in the Hell's Kitchen section of New York and his difficult relationship with his monstrous father. It is an astonishing performance from start to finish. Whether he is writing about his mother's Italian birthplace or the neighborhood where he grew up, he presents very specific and detailed settings. He is no less meticulous with characterization. He details his mother with great sympathy and the frequent depictions of her abuse are difficult to read. However, he really shines when it comes to writing about his father. Carcaterra straddles a difficult line describing this complex relationship--he shows us how a young boy might have looked up to him as a strong male in a very macho culture without diluting or obscuring what a horrible human being he was. He dramatizes the gradual shift in their relationship believably. At the very beginning of the book, he makes us aware that his father murdered his first wife, and the son's inevitable uncovering of the truth behind that event is a source of suspense for much of the book. It is a further tribute to the author's skill at full-bodied characterization that I felt some pity for the old man at the end of his life, even while understanding that he had reaped exactly what he had sown.

This was my first book by Lorenzo Carcaterra.He is a great writer and i could not turn the pages fast enough!This is a true account of him and his Italian/American upbringing in Hells Kitchen.A very violent and dysfunctional family,and that's putting it mildly...He seemed to have a "love & hate" relationship with his father,who was a low life criminal and a bully to just about anyone who dared defy him.A sad tale indeed but never the less gripping.I am looking forward to read his Novel "Gangster" next.Highly recommended!

I thought this book was a very enlightining book for people who think that they live in a perfect world. It really gives you a sence of reality.I love it.