Rothstein

By: David Pietrusza

Narrated by: Grover Gardner

The model for The Great Gatsby's Meyer Wolfsheim and Nathan Detroit from Guys and Dolls, Arnold Rothstein was an underworld genius, racketeer, rumrunner, and mastermind who, as F. Scott Fitzgerald observed, played "with the faith of 15 million people with the single-mindedness of a burglar blowing a safe." Jazz Age Broadway, with its thugs, speakeasies, showgirls, political movers and shakers, and sports heroes comes to life in this vibrant biography of the man who reigned supreme when the fast buck ruled and violence stalked the streets of Gotham.©2003 David Pietrusza (P)2003 Blackstone Audiobooks

Critic reviews

"Writing a biography of the notoriously secretive Arnold Rothstein, a rum-and-drug-running, bookmaking loan shark who became one of the richest men in the world, is a gamble that, for the most part, pays off for Pietrusza." (Publishers Weekly)

Time well spent

Comprehensive period account for those interested in early 20th century American history. Narration was more than adequate but for some mispronunciation of Yiddish names, terms and idioms. The narrative timeline was sometimes disjointed (major disadvantage in audiobook). Held my interest throughout.

Spectacular, simply spectacular

Pietrusza is a fabulous writer and is great at keeping you interested. Moments of jocularity catch you off guard, and are always fun. I'd comment on Grover Gardner's narration, but why waste your time? We all know what a consummate professional he is and how much he adds to an audiobook. Too bad he couldn't narrate EVERY book on Audible!

100% 5 stars. Excellent

I like this reader, interesting topics.

The repeated chapter was a little obnoxious. I feel like an editor would have caught the repeat.

A must read!!!

Perfectly written!!! Strongly recommend it, or anyone interested in this historical figure. Very well organized and read to perfection. 

Excellent

This was an excellent listen. A lot of info I had never heard before. So if you read or listen to a lot of mafia genre books, which all basically tell the same story over and over, this isn't like that.