Live by Night

Because of the settings of author Dennis Lehane's other books, I anticipated that this story about prohibition era gangsters would center around Boston. The story did start there but then quickly moved south when the main character, Joe Coughlin, is sent to Tampa, Florida to take over the liquor business there.
Most of the other books I have read about prohibition era gangsters took place in cities, so it was really interesting to see how the usual gangster problems intermixed with issues of race, such as dealing with the KKK, and with the vibrant population of Cuban nationalists.
I really enjoyed following Joe Coughlin's story to see how his morals were shaped by the positions he found himself in and how these morals were shaped by the show more philanthropic leanings of a woman he meets named Graciela and how these morals clashed with the stricter religious leanings of Tampa's police chief.
I would highly recommend this book to anyone who is interested in historical fiction of the prohibition era as well as anyone who is interested in considering how you arrive a definition of right and wrong.
As a side note, I read this in the summer, but as a native of upstate New York, I can imagine that if I had read Lehane's descriptions of the pre-air conditioning humidity in Tampa during a long, cold winter, this book would have been even more appreciated. show less

I think Dennis Lehane must have sold his soul to the devil or something. This guy seems incapable of writing a bad book. He just goes from strength to strength.

I'd always enjoyed Lehane's books, starting with the Kenzie & Gennaro series. Then he really hit his stride with Mystic River. But for me, I found his high point to be The Given Day, which was unusual, because it was historical fiction. I don't like historical fiction. And yet, it was one of my favourite reads of the year.

Then, along he comes again, with the follow-up to The Given Day, Live By Night. This one takes the historical fiction of The Given Day, and mixes it up with the criminal element of almost any of Lehane's other books.

And man, does it rock.

Lehane has an unerring show more ear for dialogue, and a wonderful insight into the human condition. And he can tell a story better than most.

If you haven't read Lehane, you need to start. show less

Dennis Lehane follows up his blockbuster historical novel, The Given Day, with Live by Night, which is a narrative of Joseph Coughlin's life of crime from 1926-1935. Joseph, as you may recall, is Boston Police Department Deputy Superintentent Thomas Coughlin's son in The Given Day. Joseph, a small time hood, is involved in a bank heist, in which three policemen get killed in the ensuing car chase. While Joseph escapes, he is later recognized and captured (and beaten to a pulp) by policemen, following Thomas' orders.

While in prison, he meets and impresses mob boss Maso Pescatore. When Joseph is released, Maso sends him to Tampa to revive an ailing illegal bootlegging business, which he does quite nicely.

But it's not the story that makes show more Live by Night worth reading, for the story is uncompelling, at least to this reader. It is the characters and their limits. Joseph would rather be deemed a gangster than an outlaw, the distinction being one commits murder and one doesn't. The Tampa police chief, Irv Figgis, is OK with illegal rum running as long as it's on the outskirts of town. Thomas Coughlin, after living a life of graft, is faced with becoming a lackey of Maso in order to protect his son in prison. What are his limits? Local businessmen, pillars of the community, hidden underneath white cloaks, commit outrageous acts of violence. The bigotry in a region inhabited by whites, Cubans, Spanish and Blacks is blatant. The treatment of women is appalling, especially women of color. Many will try to counter these inhumane acts with acts of humanity. Does one offset the other? It is Lehane's description of people and the times that make Live by Night another must read.

It is a father's love for a child (Thomas and Joseph, Irv and his daughter Loretta, Jospeh and his son Tomas) and the extent and nature of that love that makes Live by Night worth reading. Some of us grew up with undemonstrative or even mean parents, especially fathers, yet knew how much we were loved. Some may know what happens to a parent when a child is hooked on drugs. Some may know the sheer joy in a father's eye upon the mere sight of his child. Lehane explores this as well.

If you're in the mood for a good story, Live by Night will entertain you. If you are in the mood to understand what makes people tick, Live by Night will give you material to think about. show less

Boston, 1926. Joe, knapp 20 Jahre alt, will nur eines: nach seinen Regeln leben. Er will sich von niemandem sagen lassen, was er wie und warum zu tun hat. Und so entscheidet er, sein Leben in der Nacht zu leben. Denn nur dort zählen die Regeln, die sich ein echter Mann selbst auferlegt. Sein Weg führt ihn nach zwei Jahren Zuchthaus nach Florida, wo er im Dienste von Gangsterboss Maso Pescatore den Rumschmuggel neu organisiert und dies derart erfolgreich, dass er schon nach kurzer Zeit der mächtigste Mann in Florida und an der Golfküste ist. Doch sein Erfolg bleibt nicht unbemerkt und ebenso wenig seine Neigung, Gewalt wo immer möglich zu vermeiden. Denn Joe lebt nach seinen Regeln und dazu zählt seine für einen Gangster show more ungewöhnliche Menschenliebe. Dies gefällt nicht allen...
Joe ist ein ungewöhnlicher Protagonist für ein solches Buch. Obwohl er die Regeln 'des Tages' in jeder Hinsicht ablehnt, versucht er ein nach seinen Ansprüchen ehrenwertes (im Sinne von moralisch) Leben in der Nacht zu führen. Dies gelingt ihm erstaunlich gut und mit großer Wahrscheinlichkeit ist er im Vergleich zu vielen sogenannten 'rechtschaffenen Bürgern' der Gesellschaft der deutlich Anständigere. Ständig hinterfragt er sein Tun wobei er feststellt, dass er seinen Prinzipien immer wieder untreu werden muss.
Nur neun Jahre umfasst der Zeitraum, in dem Joes Leben beschrieben wird. Doch es ist eine derart ereignisreiche Periode, dass sie bei den meisten anderen Menschen für ein ganzes Leben ausgereicht hätte. Lehane schildert nicht nur die Ereignisse direkt um und mit Joe, sondern breitet ein immenses Panorama der damaligen Zeit der Prohibition vor den Lesenden aus, ganz in der Tradition des 'film noir'. Sowohl das Boston wie auch das Florida der 30er und 40er Jahre des letzten Jahrhunderts hat man beim Lesen deutlich vor Augen und es fiel mir überaus schwer, den Roman vor dem Ende beiseite zu legen, so gepackt war ich von diesem Buch.
Lediglich der letzte Teil hat mein Lesevergnügen etwas geschmälert. Wie Joe hier als Wohltäter aufgebaut und einem seine 'Blauäugigkeit' demonstriert wird (was angesichts seiner bisherigen Erfahrungen völlig unglaubwürdig wirkt), empfand ich einfach als etwas zu viel des Guten. Schade, sonst wäre das Ganze schlicht perfekt. show less

My review is going to be biased; I love Dennis Lehane's writing. I cannot get enough of his novels. The Given Day was the first book of his I read, and it's probably one of my all time favorites. I didn't enjoy this one quite as much as The Given Day, but it was still a great read. This novel takes place during the Prohibition Era, and it is Joe Coughlin's story of progression from small time crime in Boston to running rum routes through much of the Eastern seaboard. This is absolutely an action packed novel, and a quick read. At the same time, this was not a superficial crime drama. Lehane explores moral issues in a way that continues to make you question your own morals. And his characters--very few of the characters in this novel are show more pure good or pure evil. I found myself having conflicted feelings about many of the characters, including Joe. One minute I was rooting for him to win, and the next minute, I was hoping he would be locked up for life. Ultimately, I love that Dennis Lehane is never afraid to end a novel the way the novel should end...without making everyone live happily ever after. I really enjoyed reading this and would definitely recommend it. show less

Dennis Lehane is an excellent writer. Many of you would be familiar with the movies made from his books (Shutter Island, Gone Bay Gone, Mystic River, The Drop). This book is a continuation of the story he had in "The Given Day". The two books are historical fiction and differ from Lehane's usual mystery books. Although "The Given Day" is a more robust book, this book is a good read. Between the 2 you get a great sense of the historical roots of organized crime that came out the the failed implementation of Prohibition. With the failure of prohibition it is surprising that we have tried to replicate this failure through our 40+ year war on drugs. I was bit disappointed with the ending but overall this a good read especially if you like show more crime books. It was also interesting to see a crime book from the 20's that took place outside the major big cities. The focus here is in Tampa, Florida. If you have never read Dennis Lehane, I would start with "The Given Day". show less

Live by Night is the story of Joe Coughlin, Prohibition-era gangster who sees himself as an outlaw, as an essentially good man who lives by the rules of the night rather than those of the day. He faithful, loving and forgiving. He'd rather broker agreements with his competitors than kill them. But he's also a gangster - a wildly successful gangster - which sometimes requires him to be ruthless and base. Joe may be soft, but he's not a coward.

Over the course of a decade we follow Joe as he progresses from small time crook to Consigliere, struggles with family relationships and women, builds his empire and reigns with generosity, and tests his belief in God and karma. It's a nuanced story of a complex man - one who struggles to do the show more right thing in a lawless profession.

In Live by Night, Dennis Lehane brings Boston, Tampa, Cuba, the Great Depression, and the American immigrant experience to life through this fast-paced and engrossing story. show less