This was my first Jackie Collins...and it's not going to be my last!
I loved it...so trashy and raunchy and scandalous! But the motivation is there, with both the men and women so, although there are several one-dimensional people in the book, the people who matter are fleshed out. The four main characters are Gino, Carrie, Lucky and Steven, I felt that Steven was the weakest and least interesting of the four even though his upbringing was eventful.
Lucky is a brilliant character...a feminist icon! She gets frustrated at being surrounded by men, including her father, who don't believe she can run a business, and she claps back every time she's judged for being a single woman who enjoys casual sex. She is smart, determined, strong, beautiful and proud, and I found her relationship with her father to be very compelling. It's no wonder Ms Collins went back to her for several "Lucky Santangelo" sequels.
I liked the varying perceptions of certain characters...for example Enzio is seen as a friend, godfather, mentor but to others he's a ruthless and cruel drug pusher and pimp. The way the book follows the two halves/ four quarters of the story means the way we view certain people can flip quickly. There are many interesting relationships in this book, such as Gino and his women, sibling love and rivalry between Lucky and Dario, and also parental relationships and how people can screw up their children by trying to protect them.
Such a compelling world and I can't wait to get started on the sequel!