Live by Night

By: Dennis Lehane

Narrated by: Jim Frangione

From New York Times bestselling author Dennis Lehane comes this epic, unflinching tale of the making and unmaking of a gangster in the Prohibition Era of the Roaring Twenties—now a Warner Bros. movie starring Ben Affleck, Elle Fanning, Zoe Saldana, and Sienna Miller.

Meticulously researched and artfully told, Live by Night is the riveting story of one man’s rise from Boston petty thief to the Gulf Coast’s most successful rum runner, and it proves again that the accolades New York Times bestseller Lehane consistently receives are well deserved. He is indeed, “a master” (Philadelphia Inquirer) whose “true literary forefathers include John Steinbeck as well as Raymond Chandler” (Baltimore Sun). And, “Boy, does he know how to write” (Elmore Leonard).

“A standout writer.”
—Los Angeles Times Book Review

“[Dennis Lehane] deserves to be included among the most interesting and accomplished American novelists of any genre or category.”
—Washington Post Book World

The question I had about this one is GONE!

If you could sum up Live by Night in three words, what would they be?

Wonderful pacing,characterization.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Live by Night?

I can think of 5 or 6, but to have one SO close to the end that was so unexpected, yet fitting was great.

What about Jim Frangione’s performance did you like?

I liked everything about Jim Frangione's performance. What I did not like was a review that complained about his performance. One of my key measures (of over 500 titles) is how much/often I simply don't notice someone is reading/performing and simply get lost in the story. If not for the cruel, stupid review I saw elsewhere, I'd never have noticed him at all. It was a masterful job considering the size and scope of the story and the myriad characters and accents involved. I may go listen to something else he did just to check him out more. As a first listen, I have to give him 4 out of 5 GuidallStars.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

Many more than I expected. Probably 6 or 7 that would all be spoilers, I guess the first one was the near-opening scene of "feet in cement".

Any additional comments?

Dennis was close to having my "Prayer Review" One more like this and he gets it. (Yeah, I'm full of myself today but I have probably earned it.)

Engaging but cliched

An easy listen - not much heavy thinking involved - and the narrator did a terrific job capturing the characters and their varied accents. The book itself was a rather cliched collection of gangster-type characters and adventures, but the story was entertaining and easy to follow. Was glad to have a respite from the sometimes-heavier tone of Lehane's books, but still forgot about this one pretty much immediately after I'd finished it, unlike his other books, which lingered with me for awhile.

get this book

wish there were more books like this one. well written with a great story. movie didnt do it justice. love this period and setting.

This one snuck up on me.

What made the experience of listening to Live by Night the most enjoyable?

While i've liked almost all of Lehane's work, the emphasis is on "like". This book i loved... and it wasn't 'til the mid-point, that i realized just how fine a piece of writing it is. If you enjoy good bad guys and flawed heros, this is your read...

What did you like best about this story?

the careful development of charactors...the historical detail so fine you can smell and taste the neighborhood...and the continuity that wouldn't let me stop turning the page (so to speak)...

Excellent story telling by Lehane

What made the experience of listening to Live by Night the most enjoyable?

I'm not much of a period piece enthusiast but Lehane pulled it off here with a great story and an enjoyable story.