Quickly drawn into Sutton's world ... even as it was reconstructed and relayed to the reader.

Although I thought Sutton had a number of fairly significant flaws, I couldn't put it down, and I was genuinely moved and surprised at several points without ever having felt manipulated. For that, I think it's worth a good four stars. I give it five because it's about a historical character but doesn't pretend to be historical - you know from the outset that it's a work of fiction, so you can dream along with the author and, for that matter, the characters. And such well-written dreams they are.

Willie Sutton, the famous bank robber, is now old and dying. He's been released from jail on Christmas Eve and his lawyer has committed him to spend Christmas Day giving an exclusive interview. The old man, the Reporter, and the Photographer set off on a roundabout route that tells the story of Willie's life in chronological order. The three men have vastly different agendas for the trip, though, and they see and hear everything differently - and Willie's story plays mostly in his head and doesn't always match the few things he tells his companions or the bulky files that the Reporter keeps referring to. What really happened? How many narratives of a man's life exist side by side? Who gets to decide which of them are real?

One criticism: For most of the book, I wondered why Moehringer bothered with the Reporter and the Photographer - it frequently seemed an awkward framing/plot device and got a bit tedious. It serves a purpose thematically and has its own purpose at the end, although I'm not sure it completely pays its way. Perhaps it's just that Willie is so much more interesting than anyone else in his own stories, and Moehringer seems to feel the same way.

I loved the way it was written. When I first saw "no quotation marks" I thought OH NOOOOOOO... but it worked. What a novel way to novel. lol.

I don't know if I was surprised, disappointed or what by the end. I mean it WAS based on fact, but the author had a way of making you like this guy - and maybe... well, I'm not giving anything away.

I'm glad I read it. I admit - I DID look for photos of the feet of the Statue of Liberty. I was "today years old" when I discovered that there are chains by her feet!

Happy to have read this! Now I may just need some more information about Willy the Actor!

I thought it dragged on. I had trouble getting into the book but kept reading because I thought it would pick up but it never did. I was almost done but decided not to finish it.

My Review: Historical fiction is one of my favorite genres when it’s done well— and Mr. Moehringer nailed it. Willie Sutton was one of America’s most notorious bank robbers in the 1920’s and this book brings his soul back to life in a creative, captivating way. More than anything else, I admire the way Mr. Moehringer portrayed Sutton as utterly human- robbing banks for love rather than greed; standing up to (and being beaten down by) a corrupt and broken government system; wrestling with the big questions and inner turmoil that inherently plagues the human psyche…

I will say that when I opened this book, I was expecting something a little different. I first got wind of the novel whilst browsing the nerdier sections of the NPR website- I happened to spot an interview with the author. In that particular interview, Willie Sutton was described as a “Robin Hood figure” and I assumed that meant the book would convey a strong “steal from the rich and give to the poor” kind of theme.

Well, you know what they say about assuming… The plot was far more Romeo and Juliet than Robin Hood. Not that I’m complaining- I appreciate any narrative that offers a critique of our broken capitalist system and, to be quite honest, the love story was uniquely and wonderfully written.

All in all, this book was very well done and I would recommend it to anyone who has discovered a love for the time-travel function on their e-reader.

The storyline is compelling. Flipping around in time utilizing the tour of NYC as an anchor worked. I enjoyed the book.

I loved Moehringer's first book "The Tender Bar" so when I knew I was going to read Sutton at some point. J.R didn't let me down, he still had the characters that come to life with his descriptions of them and the way they talk. This is my favorite part about reading J.R's work.

Willie Sutton is many things, Irishman from the Bronx, Bank Robber, Lover of Books, Man of Disguise the "Actor", even a Hero to some but the one thing he's not is a RAT. Sutton being Irish and from the Bronx back during the depressions never had an easy life. He got beat up by his own brothers but knew enough not to snitch. He had a hard time finding work but that was life for most, ya win some you lose some. But even an Irish kid from the Bronx fell in love and it changed his world. Bess was a rich beautiful girl with a father who refused her to be with a guy like Sutton and this started his life of crime.

It's Christmas, Sutton is released from prison, now and old man with not long to live, and he's placed with a news reporter and a photographer. He starts his story from the beginning and tells it chronologically as it should be told in order to hit all the key parts. The reporter only wants the ending of the story but Sutton makes him travel around New York City hitting different key spots that shaped the man they now see.