Prizzi's Honor

Your Wife or Your Life
Review of the Berkeley Books movie tie-in edition paperback (June, 1985) of the Coward, McCann & Geoghegan hardcover original (March, 1982).

"There is no choice, Charley. The existence of the Prizzi family is in your hands."...
"But she is my wife, Padrino." Charley's voice broke.
"She is your wife, we are your life," his father said. "Tell us your answer, Charley."

I just had to do a re-read of Prizzi's Honor when I found its author Richard Condon listed in Christopher Fowler's The Book of Forgotten Authors (2017). How could the author of books such as The Manchurian Candidate (1959) be forgotten? Admittedly it would be difficult to find one of Condon's books in a bricks & mortar bookstore these days, even if the 1959 show more novel was resurrected as recently as its 2004 film adaptation with Denzel Washington. The title itself has become somewhat of a catchphrase for describing a political candidate being a front for someone else. I remember it being used as a description of Donald Trump being manipulated by Vladimir Putin for instance.

In any case, Prizzi's Honor did not fail to entertain even in what must have been my upteenth reading of it. The satirical tale of a mob family protecting its so-called "honor" (which was simply the desire for more wealth and power) was just as hilarious, but also as cold-blooded as ever. The story can of course be read as a parable for all sorts of corrupt business or political families. The Prizzi saga continued with 3 additional books with the improbably entry of former family hitman Charley Partanna into the American political world. No one at GR has even bothered to do a Listopia of the books which, in addition, are Prizzi's Family (#2 1987), Prizzi's Glory (#3 1988) and Prizzi's Money (#4 1994). Perhaps that is another sign of being forgotten.

Trivia and Links
Prizzi's Honor was adapted for the same-titled 1985 film by director John Huston with a screenplay by author Richard Condon with Janet Roach. Anjelica Huston won the Best Supporting Female Actor Oscar for her performance as Maerose Prizzi. You can watch the trailer for the film here, and an extended clip with Anjelica Huston and William Hickey as the head of the Prizzi family, Don Corrado Prizzi here. show less

Mafia story; Irene + Charley 2 hit people - honor of family

PRIZZI'S HONOR is no ordinary story of boy-meets-girl. Charley Partanna is a faithful lieutenant for the Prizzis, New York's most powerful Mafia family. The object of his affections is Irene Walker, a Los Angeles-based tax consultant. But it's her freelancing that pays--she's a hit woman for the Mob. She has also cheated the Prizzis out of an unforgivably large sum of money.
This is very dangerous moonlighting indeed, and eventually it places Charley's oldest loyalties in conflict with his newest one. Which wins?

Not as good or intense as the Manchurian Candidate, this is still a great crime story - perhaps a minor classic.

A great book by Richard Condon,a great author. This Condon's first and best book about the Prizzi's, a powerful mob of gangsters in Brooklyn, NY. The main character and the mob's enforcer is Charley Partanna. Charley attends a wedding and falls in love with a women who also attends. Charley doesn't know she is a freelance shooter who has a contract in New York to hit and old gangster, normally Charley's responsibility.
I give this one four out of five stars.