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Boardwalk Empire
- The Birth, High Times, and Corruption of Atlantic City
- Narrated by: Joe Mantegna, Terence Winter (foreword)
- Length: 11 hrs and 39 mins
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Boardwalk Empire
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Summary
Earphones Award Winner (AudioFile Magazine)
From its inception, Atlantic City has always been a town dedicated to the fast buck, and this wide-reaching history offers a riveting account of its past 100 years, from the city's heyday as a Prohibition-era mecca of lawlessness to its rebirth as a legitimate casino resort in the modern era.
A colorful cast of characters, led by Enoch "Nucky" Johnson, populates this stranger-than-fiction account of corrupt politics and the toxic power structure that grew out of guile, finesse, and extortion. Atlantic City's shadowy past through its rise, fall, and rebirth is given new light in this revealing, and often appalling, study of legislative abuse and organized crime.
This audiobook, narrated by Joe Mantegna, is the true story that inspired the upcoming HBO series of the same name. It includes a foreword written and narrated by Terence Winter.
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Editor reviews
The choice of opening music for this recording of Nelson Johnson’s Boardwalk Empire is telling: though the book charts the rise and fall of Atlantic City from its beginnings as a shyster health resort in the late 19th century through the Donald Trump years to the beginning of the new millennium, the Jazz-age ragtime announces the real crux of this sprawling epic — the age of prohibition, gambling, and mob protection. These transgressive themes are woven throughout the city's history as well as (the author tacitly implies) the recent history of the United States. Johnson shows how Atlantic City was one of the cradles of the American mafia as it served as an entry point to those wanting to get around prohibition (including a young Al Capone), and played host to a cast of Damon Runyon-esque characters.
Overseeing it all was the archetypal character of Enoch "Nucky" Johnson: half politician, half underworld boss, his career "personifies the greed, corruption, and high times that were of Atlantic City in its days of glory". His ties with the Republican Party and invites to the White House are a case study in official corruption, and his personality is nailed down here to memorable effect: he was "a master at holding the hand of a widow and whispering gently what a fine man her husband was".
Many will be drawn to this book on the basis of the Scorsese-produced HBO series, though they should be forewarned that Boardwalk Empire can be exhaustive in its cataloging of each step of the myriad legal processes that variously built up and tore down the antiheroes of Atlantic City; the author was professionally involved for several decades in the city's politics, and it shows on more than one occasion. But luckily for the listener, Joe Mantegna's voice immediately and effortlessly invests each word with sly insinuation and more than a hint of malevolence. He's particularly good at hinting at the self-serving and dishonest motivations behind acts of public munificence, as his voice becomes a knowing wink, a secret handshake turned into sound. His narration makes an offer you can't refuse, and at its considerable best the result is along the lines of Citizen Kane as narrated by The Simpsons’ Fat Tony (another Mantegna performance). —DafyddPhillips
Critic reviews
What listeners say about Boardwalk Empire
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Lochlainn
- 13-05-17
A must listen for any aspiring politician
A really interesting and impressively researched history of a modern American town. The breadth and depth of analysis is told in a very accessible way, bringing the listener right through the history of Atlantic City.
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
- Meena
- 08-06-11
Good Book
I really enjoyed listening to this audiobook. Thanks to Audible for having this in store.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story1 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 18-09-24
Joe is a good narrator
My fault as I didn't read the synopsis and thought it was a reading if the TV series .... it isn't!! 😭😭😂😂... It's a history lesson!!!
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Mikey
- 10-08-14
Note: This is NOT a fictional novel!
Any additional comments?
Having read some previous reviews for this audiobook, I saw that some people had bought this thinking it was the original story book for the HBO TV series, and I think they expected a novel that was more of a fictional storybook. Although it is not a fictional story, if you are a fan of the BE series or if you are interested in the roaring 1920s era, I would still recommend that you try this book. In fact, even if you are not particularly interested in this era, I think it is definitely worth giving this book a listen!
I was hooked from the start, the author did his homework and I would definitely recommend this to my friends; of all ages and interests.
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4 people found this helpful
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Overall2 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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Story2 out of 5 stars
- Jenna in Spain
- 26-12-13
Disappointing
I was expecting a fast paced novel on which the TV series of the same name was based. Instead, this book is a narrative and not all that edifying really. I returned it.
Brian
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1 person found this helpful