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Title: Chances by Jackie Collins ISBN: 0-446-35717-0 Publisher: Warner Books Pub. Date: 01 August, 1991 Format: Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $7.99 |
Average Customer Rating: 4.72 (36 reviews)
Rating: 5
Summary: Fabulous intro to Jackie Collins!
Comment: I've wondered for a long time just what the hubbub was surrounding Jackie Collins' books. I finally decided to investigate for myself, and since I enjoy reading fiction that involves the Mafia, I settled upon _Chances_, the first book in the Santangelo family saga. Wow! What a read! Suspense, steamy sex, violence, intrigue... it's all there. I found myself with a giant crush on the tough Gino Santangelo, and I came to admire his headstrong daughter, Lucky. Collins creates quite a memorable cast of characters in this novel. Some reviewers have noted that the story seemed "dated," as this book was published in 1975, but I thought this was an unfair criticism. Afterall, all the great works of literature are "dated." Not that I'm equating this book with great literature, but I thought this made the book even more appealing... giving the reader (who, like me, might have been very young in the 70's) a glimpse into that era. If you're a fan of Mafia-esque novels, and you're looking for a book that will immediately draw you in and carry you away, this is one I would recommend. I could hardly put it down! Now, I'm getting started on the sequel because I just don't want the journey to end!
Rating: 5
Summary: Amazing
Comment: If I could give Chances more than five stars I would! Chances is the first Jackie Collins book that I have ever read and I think that I started with the right one.
Chances takes you from 1913 all the way up to 1979 in a tale that begins with Gino Santagelo the infamous mob boss and his rise to power. Gino came from very humble begings, an abusive father, a mother who abandoned him at the sage of five and a damageing stint in a juvinle detention center yet managed to work his way up to owning two of the most successful hotel & casinos in Las Vegas. But once Gino is force into exile his duaghter the beautiful Lucky Santangelo takes over the family business and makes a name for herself as one of the most powerful women in Las Vegas. And lets not forget the story of Carrie and her son Steven. Carrie was forced into prostitution at a very young age and lived a life filled with drugs and alcohol that took her from various whorehouses to running a very successful one of her own, until the birth of her son Steven that is, when she managed to find a better life for her and her son.
This was a brilliantly written story, however, while the chapters that focused on Gino may have been more exciting, Carrie's story was really superbly written. This book is really a great lead in to the second installment of this series 'LUCKY' which I plan to begin reading right away. I give Chances 6 Stars!
Rating: 4
Summary: No Hollywood wives or husbands here
Comment: How did the Monkees sing it? "Now, I'm a believer!" After plowing through two Hollywood novels by the same author, this long novel was a welcome change. It offers interesting characters with interesting quirks and interesting biographical stories, for the most part.
As I read the book, I looked forward each day to picking the book up to read, and basically that's what a "good" book is all about (wouldn't you agree?), keeping the reader interested, wanting to find out what happens next, like an intriguing "soap opera" (I don't watch them, so maybe Collins is a substitute for that TV storytelling....and she works fine as a substitute....better, I'd say).
The only criticism I would make is about the abrupt and somewhat unbelievable ending of this book. Yes, I know, this is the beginning of a series, but check this out. You are a long-time, experienced gangster (Enzio Bonnatti), already an old man, and you want to "hit" two rivals: Do you send a timid, ineffectual son to kill his own father and sister? No, you send a professional.
Now, the hit fails (everyone but Bonnatti seems to see the failure coming) and one of the intended victims (Lucky) shows up at your home, which is guarded by whom? One overweight, incompetent lout ("Big Victor")? Just one fat thug? (Russo doesn't count, because he's out picking up the wannabe movie producer.) I don't think so. Let's have a team of bad guys here, please. Now, does the lout frisk the intruder? No again. Instead, you, the old mobster who knows he has to be careful all the time meets the intruder in his own bedroom and, well, the rest is "history." Jackie's history.
But the rest of the book works better than this implausible ending. One more minor complaint. Why is it that Ms. Collins always has her men interested in the upper portion of the female anatomy, and not the bottom portion? She seems not to realize that not all men are interested in the female upper anatomy, as much as they are the lower anatomy. No men in this book have these different tendencies. They're all "upper anatomy" men. A shame for those of us like the lower half better, poor sniveling ingrates that we are.
Why is it that I kept imagining most of this book taking place in Los Angeles/Hollywood? I know the blackout was in New York, but I kept seeing L.A. There are some references to Bel Air and other parts of L.A., but most of the action is in New York. Can you tell I'm not a New York person? I can. Diximus.
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Title: Lucky by Jackie Collins ISBN: 0671023489 Publisher: Pocket Pub. Date: 01 February, 1998 List Price(USD): $7.99 |
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Title: Lady Boss by Jackie Collins ISBN: 0671023470 Publisher: Pocket Pub. Date: 01 February, 1998 List Price(USD): $7.99 |
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Title: Vendetta: Luckys Revenge by Jackie Collins ISBN: 0061012351 Publisher: Harper Pub. Date: 01 August, 1997 List Price(USD): $7.50 |
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Title: Dangerous Kiss (Lucky Santangelo Novels (Paperback)) by Jackie Collins ISBN: 0671020951 Publisher: Pocket Pub. Date: 01 July, 2000 List Price(USD): $7.99 |
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Title: LA Connections : Power, Obsession, Murder, Revenge (L.A. Connections) by Jackie Collins ISBN: 0671036645 Publisher: Pocket Pub. Date: 01 June, 1999 List Price(USD): $6.99 |
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