Who is Lou Sciortino?

by Ottavio Cappellani, Howard Curtis

Lou Sciortino, grandson of the most feared boss of the LA mafia, has prozac in his pocket and the godfather in his blood. He knows he can't escape the family but settles for laundering their money in peace - or so he thinks. When a bomb explodes in his office he's sent to Sicily 'for some sunshine'.

Genres: Fiction

256 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2004

Reviews

[Pvw · Rating 1 out of 5]

Ottavio Cappellani seems to me like a rich Italian fils-à-papa who spends his time going to clubs, playing the guitar in a rockband and hanging out with flattering friends on some terrace. And one day, he got the idea: "Hey, maybe I could also write a novel?" Being Sicilian, he doesn't take any chances and chooses the topic that is most likely to sell. Mafia.

The style is awfully ugly, the plot is so nonexistently chaotic that I won't even try to summarize it. And like all very poor writers, the book consists more of dialogue than descriptions. Someone should really go out and tell those authors that you also have something called 'a play', and that it would probably fit their meagre talents better. Furthermore, Capellani cannot repress the urge to show that he knows some English words and tries to use one at least every two sentences.

Ploughing through this book is really a masochistic enterprise, so I wouldn't advise it to anyone unless you really, really want to suffer!

[Marie DiCocco · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm not sure where I picked this book up, but I'm sure the appeal was that it was written by an Italian. The copy I have was an uncorrected proof so I don't know what changes might have been made in a final copy, but I had to force myself to finish reading it. Maybe it was the translation, but I had a hard time keeping track of characters and even what country the characters were in at any point in time. The parts that took place in Sicily didn't even feel like Sicily. When I read books that take place in Italy, I expect them to transport me to a country that I've lived in and spent a lot of time in. This one just left me cold.

[Rogue Reader · Rating 3 out of 5]

Can't get enough of these Italian crime fiction thrillers in translation. Who is Lou Sciortino? moves back and forth across the Atlantic, there's just no escaping the family. Dirty money, wacked guys, no respect and crazy, impossible dreams that somehow come through only to descend again into the family business. Comic, yes. Awful, yes.

[Eetu Karppanen · Rating 1 out of 5]

Kirppislöytönä ajattelin jotain Sopranos -henkistä mafiamaailmaa ja Hesarin arvostelukin antoi lupauksen paremmasta. Sain kuitenkin epämääräisen ja juoneltaan todella heikon teoksen.

[Elena · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good boy

[Joey Chocolate · Rating 4 out of 5]

It reads like a Martin Scorsese film, complete with what song is playing in the background to help visualise the scene; and the character who was reminiscent of Joe Pesci was absolutely hilarious, and his berating of one character had me laughing aloud.

[Michael · Rating 2 out of 5]

Since so few contemporary novels are translated into English I have to wonder why this one was chosen. My only guess is that the publisher sought to capitalize on the Sopranos popularity.

The title "Who is Lou Sciortino?" is apt because by the end of the book the reader doesn't have a clear idea. Like many of the characters he is a two dimensional stereotype of a young mafia hood.

Some one for some reason wants to take him and his grandpa, Don Lou, down. But who and why? You will never know.

There were a few memorable characters and the dialog was fun at times but there was nothing too special here.

[Jane Wynne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very confusing with lots of characters, but I stuck with it thinking it would all come together. I was just as confused by the end. The humour was good but Who is Lou Sciortino? I have no idea.

[Katja]

I translated this book into Slovenian in 2006 and it was a great pleasure. Good insight into a part of Italian society.

[Kin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Divertente. Ma ci dice anche che ogni “mafia” si basa su ignoranza e senso di appartenenza (la famigghia) e che gli “snob” (come dice Zu Sal) non vogliono proprio capire e vanno astutati!