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Carlito's Way
In this classic New York street novel, Carlito Brigante, Puerto Rican hustler and drug dealer, recounts with intoxicating bravado and humor his journey through Spanish Harlem s no-exit world of gangs, drugs, pimping, and the Mob. Carlito s Way , and its sequel After Hours, were adapted for film by Brian de Palma, with Al Pacino as Carlito. Edwin Torres is a Criminal Court judge in New York City.
501 pages, Paperback
First published November 1, 1993
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231 people want to read
About the author
Edwin Torres
48 books42 followersEdwin Torres is a former New York State Supreme Court judge and author, who wrote the 1975 novel Carlito's Way. His book was the basis for the 1993 movie of the same name, starring Al Pacino, and for the 1979 book After Hours, the sequel to Carlito's Way.
In 1958, Torres was admitted to the New York State Bar. In 1959, as an assistant district attorney, Torres participated in the prosecution of Sal "the Capeman" Agron. Shortly thereafter he became a criminal defense attorney.
In 1977, Torres was appointed to the New York State Criminal Court. In 1980 he was selected to the State Supreme Court, where he served as a justice in the Twelfth Judicial District in New York City. The Supreme Court has jurisdiction over felony cases, and Torres presided over a number of high-profile murder cases.
He retired from the bench in 2008 and since then has served on the New York State Athletic Commission.
A film adaptation of Q & A was released in 1990, directed by Sidney Lumet, and it starred Nick Nolte and Armand Assante. "After Hours" was filmed in 1993, but used the title Carlito's Way to avoid being confused with Martin Scorsese's 1985 film After Hours.
In 1958, Torres was admitted to the New York State Bar. In 1959, as an assistant district attorney, Torres participated in the prosecution of Sal "the Capeman" Agron. Shortly thereafter he became a criminal defense attorney.
In 1977, Torres was appointed to the New York State Criminal Court. In 1980 he was selected to the State Supreme Court, where he served as a justice in the Twelfth Judicial District in New York City. The Supreme Court has jurisdiction over felony cases, and Torres presided over a number of high-profile murder cases.
He retired from the bench in 2008 and since then has served on the New York State Athletic Commission.
A film adaptation of Q & A was released in 1990, directed by Sidney Lumet, and it starred Nick Nolte and Armand Assante. "After Hours" was filmed in 1993, but used the title Carlito's Way to avoid being confused with Martin Scorsese's 1985 film After Hours.
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
March 8, 2022
Der Film hat alles richtig gemacht, was das Buch falsch gemacht hat.
November 12, 2013
Hands down, my favourite fiction books of all time!
These two books are underrated classics in my mind.
I came to the books via the film (Carlito's Way) which is also one of my favourite films so these had a lot to live up to for me. However, you get so much deeper into the characters in the book and there are additional escapades not included in the film that are well worth the read.
Edwin's writing and descriptive vocabulary makes you feel like you are right there alongside Carlito Brigante himself. Living life around the edges.
These books get a re-read every year or so and I always fine something new to admire in them.
Truly a great, great read.
Go pick up a copy!
These two books are underrated classics in my mind.
I came to the books via the film (Carlito's Way) which is also one of my favourite films so these had a lot to live up to for me. However, you get so much deeper into the characters in the book and there are additional escapades not included in the film that are well worth the read.
Edwin's writing and descriptive vocabulary makes you feel like you are right there alongside Carlito Brigante himself. Living life around the edges.
These books get a re-read every year or so and I always fine something new to admire in them.
Truly a great, great read.
Go pick up a copy!
September 22, 2022
One of my favorite books or actually two of my favorite books because my edition includes both Carlito’s Way and the sequel After Hours. Carlito Brigante is such a great character and his voice is so captivating. I love listening to a great character tell a story. I couldn’t imagine the film without the voiceover to at least give a glimpse of the reading experience. I’ve read it a couple times over the years. Great companion to the DePalma film. Minor spoiler: the book ending is a letdown compared to the movie. That’s why I’d call these books a companion because you get all the stuff novels do so well with the suspenseful ending of the film.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 17, 2012
This edition actually contains two books: Carlito's Way (on which the film Carlito's Way: Rise to Power was based) and After Hours (on which the film Carlito's Way was based.)
Carlito's Way is straight first person from the horse's mouth. If you have seen Carlito's Way, you may have been charmed by Al Pacino's portrayal of the deadly yet affable Carlito Brigante. The character in the book is no different in that regard. Being completely first person, though, the book has a difficult time telling the full story. Carlito is quite knowledgeable about those with whom he works, yet sometimes it feels as if the whirlwind way he tells the story leaves the reader behind. Carlito's Way tells a large story in a very short time and is basically a novella.
The material in After Hours is fare probably more familiar to readers, as it is more likely they have seen the more popular Carlito's Way. (The Internet Movie Database trivia section for that movie has a good explanation as to why the movie was named after the first book and not After Hours.) As the book opens, you think you have lost the wit and charm that made Carlito's Way so appealing because you have a third person narrator. Soon, though, Carlito reemerges. It's an unusual way to tell the story, switching back and forth between an omniscient third person narrator and Carlito, but it works. It helps After Hours retain the charm of Carlito's Way while adding the ability to tell the full story.
There are some differences between book and movie, especially in After Hours. There are many more layers to the relationship between David Kleinfeld and Carlito, and there is another full narrative involving David Kleinfeld's father. All the main characters from the movie appear, though some with altered roles and the like: Pachanga, Gail, Benny Blanco from the Bronx, Saso, Lalin, Norwalk, Steffie, etc.
I should mention, too, that this book is out of print and difficult to find. I found it in an online bookstore and had it shipped from the United Kingdom for just over twenty bucks. Well worth the money if you are a fan of the movies.
Carlito's Way is straight first person from the horse's mouth. If you have seen Carlito's Way, you may have been charmed by Al Pacino's portrayal of the deadly yet affable Carlito Brigante. The character in the book is no different in that regard. Being completely first person, though, the book has a difficult time telling the full story. Carlito is quite knowledgeable about those with whom he works, yet sometimes it feels as if the whirlwind way he tells the story leaves the reader behind. Carlito's Way tells a large story in a very short time and is basically a novella.
The material in After Hours is fare probably more familiar to readers, as it is more likely they have seen the more popular Carlito's Way. (The Internet Movie Database trivia section for that movie has a good explanation as to why the movie was named after the first book and not After Hours.) As the book opens, you think you have lost the wit and charm that made Carlito's Way so appealing because you have a third person narrator. Soon, though, Carlito reemerges. It's an unusual way to tell the story, switching back and forth between an omniscient third person narrator and Carlito, but it works. It helps After Hours retain the charm of Carlito's Way while adding the ability to tell the full story.
There are some differences between book and movie, especially in After Hours. There are many more layers to the relationship between David Kleinfeld and Carlito, and there is another full narrative involving David Kleinfeld's father. All the main characters from the movie appear, though some with altered roles and the like: Pachanga, Gail, Benny Blanco from the Bronx, Saso, Lalin, Norwalk, Steffie, etc.
I should mention, too, that this book is out of print and difficult to find. I found it in an online bookstore and had it shipped from the United Kingdom for just over twenty bucks. Well worth the money if you are a fan of the movies.
March 5, 2008
Surprisingly excellent books. As much as I want to like the genre of hardboiled crime novels, I've always found them sort of cheesy and never been able to really get into them. These books are definitely exceptions though. They have fantastic imagery of the criminal subculture in 1970s NYC. Interestingly, the author of these books is a New York Supreme Court Justice.
October 18, 2013
So good.
I read this for the first time after seeing the movie when it first came out. I must have reread it a dozen times since. It has a special place reserved beside my toilet for when I want to pull it out and jump into Carlito's world for a few minutes. All these years later, it's still as fresh, funny, and awesome as it was the first time around.
Wish the Judge had written more books.
I read this for the first time after seeing the movie when it first came out. I must have reread it a dozen times since. It has a special place reserved beside my toilet for when I want to pull it out and jump into Carlito's world for a few minutes. All these years later, it's still as fresh, funny, and awesome as it was the first time around.
Wish the Judge had written more books.
November 6, 2016
A good read. The American language explored.
Puerto Rico boy. Cubans in New York. Written in 1975 and 1979 by a judge.
How did the legal system run?
Puerto Rico boy. Cubans in New York. Written in 1975 and 1979 by a judge.
How did the legal system run?
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews