Mario Puzo had some good ideas in this book, and I remember parts of it because they were very entertaining. But I have to agree with what some other readers have said. That it was slow and had too many unnecessary chapters. The characters are not really likeable but they're not meant to be. As someone wrote "It is a story of love, lust, loyalty, and betrayal. It reeks of cynicism and violence. It is about a world without integrity where everyone has a price. And it is written with such pace and More...

Weak and long-winded. I understand that ever Puzo's book will be compared to Godfather and judged by its standard, but this book is weak even without that comaprisson.

The premise of the book is that Don Clericuzio wants to retire from mafia business and "go legit" and how he does that. In book's opening he announces this intention to the family, wishing that his children, and nephew will start legitimate businesses and their children reap the benefits.

So far so good but then the story splits in More...

I didn't know what to expect when I started this book but I was pleasantly surprised. Just going by the reviews here on Goodreads it seems that people either really like this book or are really disappointed by it. I think the reason the responses are so polarized is that people are basing this book on the Godfather book and movie which is really unfair. Believe it or not, I have never read The Godfather nor have I seen the movie. That may or may not have played a factor in my appreciation of thi More...

Mario Puzon romaani on suomennettu nimellä Viimeinen kummisetä. Kirja noudattelee aika pitkälti samanlaista asetelmaa: on Amerikkaan muuttanut siirtolainen, joka rakentaa rikollisen imperiumin ja joka haluaa vetäytyä eläkkeelle ja tehdä rikollisesta liiketoiminnasta laillista.

Vanhalla kummisedällä on neljä poikaa, joille hän on jakanut tehtävät kykyjen mukaan. Eniten on esillä Pippi de Lena, joka on läntisen Amerikan pomo ja ykköstappaja, muut veljekset toimivat idässä rakennus- ja ravintolabisn More...

Mario Puzo's masterpiece remains The Godfather, but this is still a fun read. The mafia is more contemporary, so it isn't as intense as the heyday, and there's also a lot about the movie industry, about which Puzo undoubtedly learned a lot when the Godfather movies were being made. This is one to read at the pool.

Like most of the others who have reviewed this book, I thought it was much too long. My favorite review so far was simply "too many chapters." But Puzo's problem in this book extends beyond excessive chapters, or length; it's that he tried to write two different stories in one, with too many characters and too little tension. The story about the Clericuzio family is actually quite interesting and well crafted, but Puzo drags out the set-up for 300 pages, finally puts together some genuine plot m More...

Puzzo pinta un mundo de fantasía. Uno sabe que es de fantasía. Pero uno no puede dejar de soñar. La mujer bella (perfecta) el hombre varonil, el dinero a montones. Ah, los suspiros van y vienen, y la boca se hace agua. Buenísimo

"The Last Don" is Mario Puzo at his best, rich with timeless, meticulously constructed characters and twists and brutal turns that made his landmark novel "The Godfather" the masterwork that it is today. His creation of a more modernized Michael Corleone, Cross Domenica, walks the pages of this novel with all of the confident swagger of Sonny Corleone and the righteous indignation of Michael. The glaring difference here is that the Don of this novel, in comparison with Don Corleone, is not nearl More...

really not sure why this wasn't made into a movie as well.

classic puzo, one of his best books. if you have any interest in the mafia, the godfather, the sopranos, etc, grab this book.

El Ultimo Don. So, it took me a good three and a half months to read this novel, but I did read it in Spanish and on the micro (or waiting for the micro!) in Santiago, Chile at the oddest of odd hours during a long, long day and, often, crammmed and contorted between people and trying not to fall over. That said, I really enjoyed this book, and am currently trying as I type to decide if the fact that I could be so involved in it under such adverse conditions signifies that it is a good book or a More...

In this excellent book, Puzo depicts the intricate life of a Mafia Don, a man devoted to his family which strives to prevent his relatives from knowing the "unpleasant, but necessary details that his position brings". Although he is facing his late days on earth, with all the burdens that age brings, he has to make tough decisions to keep his position and expand his empire. One of them is appointing, between two beloved grandsons, who is going to be his successor. A chain of events leads to an u More...

A typical Puzo mafia story. The book sells because of its strong chartacters (the Don, Dante, Pippi De Lena, etc.). And my word, what characters they are!

Puzo's incredible characterisation is once again at the forefront of his books. He makes his characters come to life in a way unmatched by any other author.

The story, in contrast to all the complexities of the players involved, is exceedingly simple. But that is usually the case where Puzo is concerned. It is a testament to his ability to gri More...

After having The Notebook before I started The Last Don, I was hoping for a bit of mafia violence to change things up a bit. But it turns out although this is a really thick book hardly anyone dies. It’s mostly about Hollywood movie deals and Las Vegas casinos.

I had read and adored both The Godfather and The Sicilian for their characters, gripping storylines and the crafty way Mario Puzo reveals developments to you. Thus I thought in having almost all of his books on my shelf meant I had a gre More...

Puzo has written another highly entertaining Mafia-themed novel. This work describes the Clericuzio family, who rival the Corleones (of his best-known novel, The Godfather) in the scale of their far-reaching criminal enterprises, dysfunctionality of their family dynamics, and epic arc of their rise and fall. The plot jumps around quite a bit, but everything is tied up rather nicely in the closing chapters. Lots of sex and violence, but nothing too explicit or gratuitous unless you're highly sens More...

This was the first Puzo I've read, though I've seen at least one of The Godfather movies based on his writing. In the one the Clericuzio family begins in the 1960s to attempt a departure from its underground activities and to retain its power in legitimate business. It provided an interesting inside look at the Las Vegas hotel and gambling scene and the movie-making structure of Hollywood. I learned of this novel through a tribute to the author's birthday (15 October 1920) on Garrison Keillor's More...

I read this book immediately after The Godfather, I shouldn't have done that. Not only is this review skewered by my constant comparison to the Godfather, I couldn't help but trudge through this book with high expectations. None has been met.
The book dragged from the get-go, there were a few interesting parts, but those was far and in-between. Not only did I not enjoy it as much as I thought it would. It was highly predictable and suffice to say, annoying.
None of the characters were fleshed out More...

Written by the creater of the Gofather Trilogy the one and only Mario Puzo. The Last Don is a gory story of the hatred and gang war between the two most powerful mafia in the united states, the cunning cold-minded and srong-body Clericuzio againts their sworne enemies, the vicious and sadistic Santadio.How Don Domenico Clericuzio, the head of the Clericuzio family, ended the war, turned his family into the most powerful mafia in the country and then divide the power among his sons. I'll get into More...

I admit that I did not finish this book. I'm not sure how much of this I even read, but I read enough to completely give it up and move on to another book. This was not one of the few books that I just didn't have time to read so I let it go and forgot where I was so I gave up. I stopped this book in the middle of a day at the beach and moved to another book because I had so little interest in this. It just didn't grab my attention. It is the only Mario Puzo book that I have read an have not lov More...

Really good book. Truly a fast paced and adventure filled read. not exactly a page turner but definitely a wanna-read. The book starts of with a disoriented set of POV's only to form an amazingly well defined and painstakingly conceived climax. The slight twists and turns also promise an active and appealing read...
An almost perfect novel, that is a close to zero loop holes... Definitely Mario Puzo.

Although Godfather has been lauded as Puzo's best work, I think The Last Don is even better than The Godfather. Although the theme is the old mafia feuds for the top position and of course the entertaining cult literature but what distinguishes the book from all of Puzo's works is the story. The story is quite different and worthy of mentioning. And like all Puzo books it ends with style! Literally!

BETTER THAN THE GODFATHER IN EVERY ASPECT!

This is Mario Puzo at his finest! The characters are beautifully well drawn, the pace is carefully controlled and the climax breath taking!

If only Coppola could turn this into a movie instead of that silly cheap TV cash in, we'd have Mafia GOLD on our hands! Cross De Lena, about the coolest character this side of Michael Corleone! Cooler in fact!

I read this book a while ago but thought i'd give it a review. While I did enjoy it, I felt like it dragged on a bit. It wasnt a book that i didn't want to put down, in fact I read it as a way to lull myself to sleep. I'd suggest another Puzo novel instead of this one, however if you're looking for a genuinely ok read before bed, go with this one. You'll lull yourself to sleep.

This was a hard book to get into because of the prodigious amount of backstory that makes up the first half. The second half, although entertaining, doesn't make up for the first. If Puzo had gotten right to the actual story instead of boring the hell out of me with all that backstory on characters I had yet to make an emotional investment in, I might've rated this book higher than three stars. That said, three stars in my opinion is being generous, especially in comparison to his other works.

A fine piece of work. I consider "The Last Don" Mario Puzo's final book.
The other two (Omerta, and The Family) that came after it were clouded in some controversy as to
how much was actually written by the author before his passing; So I'm going with this one. The book chronicles the Clericuzio family. From the jump, you realize that they are more ruthless, aggressive, and slimier than the Corleone's ever were. The Cericuzio story takes the reader through the equally ruthless worlds of Hollywood More...

More Puzo. It's all pretty similar, and pretty well written. This one was a little more focused than others I've read by him. Uh, kind of. He's still not shy about character development. He'll include twenty or thirty page backstories without batting an eyelash. But I'm ok with it. As long as the backstories are as interesting as they always seem to be.

Puzo sets up great drama though this book had some real pacing problems. At some point, it felt like the book would go on for almost a hundred pages without really going anywhere. The racism was also hard to read but I've noticed that pattern with his characters from The Godfather though this time it felt more brutal. Also, there is a character from Fool's Die in here.
All in all, not a bad story. He's done better and I will read more but this wasn't a waste of time.

Y a Mario Puzo no se le quita la costumbra...yo creo que se hace vicio. Bien estructurada, con todos los elementos que una buena novela de gangsters debe tener: Familia, herederos, envidias, mujeres hermosas, casinos y por supuesto, asesinatos al mejor estilo de la mafia. El personaje de Pipi es seductor. Buena pero sin superar a El Padrino.

Loved it. Puzo's ability to craft such an entertaining Mafioso story is clearly shown here. The story of two opposite cousins both born privileged into a mafia family controlled by one of the most powerful Don's since Vito Corleone himself, is a page-turner that will have you on the edge of your seat up to the final amazing, climax.

Actual rating: 3.5

Contemporary mafia, so obviously, it's a little less intense. The family had to be more careful and more creative with their crimes (I think the whole confirmation/communion thing was interesting) as they try to make their way into the 'legit' world.

I did enjoy it (let's face it, I will always enjoy Mafia stories) but I found some parts to be dragging. Sometimes a chapter feels like it would go on forever. Certain things got repetitive too. The emphasis on sex was too much (heh More...