Chicago

A Novel

By: David Mamet

Narrated by: Jim Frangione

A big-shouldered, big-trouble thriller set in mobbed-up 1920s Chicago - a city where some people knew too much and where everyone should have known better - by the Oscar-nominated screenwriter of The Untouchables and Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright of Glengarry Glen Ross.

Mike Hodge - veteran of the Great War, big shot of the Chicago Tribune, medium fry - probably shouldn't have fallen in love with Annie Walsh. Then again, maybe the man who killed Annie Walsh should have known better than to trifle with Mike Hodge.

In Chicago, David Mamet has created a bracing, kaleidoscopic tale that roars through the Windy City's underground on its way to a thunderclap of a conclusion. Here is not only his first novel in more than two decades but the book he has been building to for his whole career. Mixing some of his most brilliant fictional creations with actual figures of the era; suffused with trademark "Mamet Speak", richness of voice, pace, and brio; and exploring - as no other writer can - questions of honor, deceit, revenge, and devotion, Chicago is that rarest of literary creations: a book that combines spectacular elegance of craft with a kinetic wallop as fierce as the February wind gusting off Lake Michigan.

©2018 David Mamet (P)2018 HarperCollins Publishers

David Mamet tries too hard

Wow. I am disappointed by David Mamet’s attempt to write hardboiled fiction in the vein of Dashiell Hammett or Elmore Leonard.

At times the attempts to be literary are clunky and inelegant. I actually found myself rewriting some of the prose in my head while I was listening to this novel.

What this was not a horrible book, it was certainly far from the best book that I’ve listened to in Audible.

Good in parts, ultimately disappointing

I started asking myself, in reference to some ethnic tropes that pepper this story, how one differentiates between tired stereotypes, and the ironic subversion of those same stereotypes. I was more than willing to give the benefit of the doubt to the author. But in the end, I could not come to a satisfactory conclusion one way or the other. Similarly, I started to feel, particularly with the dialogue, that the story would be more suited as a play or script, where the author has well-deserved recognition. There are parts that truly do sparkle, and engross the listener, but ultimately they are too few and far between.

More Parlow!

Maybe a chuckle or two but I did not think I'd be laughing out loud. The buddy-banter is hilarious and now we heard Mike's side it makes me want more of Parlow.

Could have used a more dynamic reading, more divergent voices, but that's pretty subjective. I listen to a lot of audio and found the performance bland as compared.

Dialoge awkward

I don't know if it's the reader or the fact that Mamet is known more for scripts than for novels, but the dialogue when read aloud seems stilted. The words themselves within the quotes are fine, it's more the overuse of said that got to me after a while.

I will probably have to read or listen to this again at some point to really review the story plot aspect.

Excellent Dialogue and Settings, Not Much Action

Would you try another book from David Mamet and/or Jim Frangione?

Yes

What was the most interesting aspect of this story? The least interesting?

Chicago settings during that time period

Which character – as performed by Jim Frangione – was your favorite?

Mike, the main character

Did Chicago inspire you to do anything?

No

Any additional comments?

Mr. Mamet creates great characters but for a story set in the Capone era, I expected more action. This is a character driven book with excellent dialogue not enough insight in gangland Chicago. The Title and cover photo do not represent what happens in the book.

Decent idea, good representation of early Chicago, eh story

As a Chicagoan, hearing familiar street names and locales was interesting. The overall idea of the story was OK, but it just dragged on in places. OK but forgettable story.

Just brilliant

I don’t think there’s a line in the book you can anticipate, everything’s the unexpected. Informative, a perfect evocation of the period and wonderful characters. I couldn’t stop listening.

Pretty good, not great.

I enjoyed the scene-building and the cultural interplay. I think Jim Frangione did a great job of making it feel authentic. However, the story felt disjointed and the ending was unsatisfying.

I probably would have enjoyed this more as a TV series.

Start somewhere in the middle

I purchased this b/c I like Mamet-talk, but I must warn the potential listener. That Great Mamet-Talk shows up in the middle and more or less casually slow walks to the denouement.
If you choose wisely in your desired “middle-spot” then you will rewarded.

It will make a great movie.

It is hard to listen to be said, he said, he replied. I would have better enjoyed reading. I will most enjoy the play or movie.