Line #21 Literature/TheLastDon


1	[[quoteright:200:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/the_last_don.jpg]]
2	[[caption-width-right:200:''"What is past is past. Never go back. Not for excuses, not for justification, not for happiness. You are what you are, the world is what it is."'']]
3	->''"Power isn't everything. It's the only thing."''
4
5	''The Last Don'' is a 1997 novel by Italian-American author Mario Puzo, author of ''Literature/TheGodfather'' and its film adaptations, as well as ''Literature/TheSicilian''. Despite this, and despite the fact that it prominently features TheMafia, UsefulNotes/LasVegas and HorribleHollywood, ''The Godfather'' and ''The Last Don'' are very different novels.
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7	The story follows aging Sicilian-American Mafia [[TheDon Don Domenico Clericuzio]] and his family, and their quest to stay in power at all costs.
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9	''The Last Don'' received a TV miniseries based on it the year it was written, which itself received a sequel, ''The Last Don II'', in 1998.
10	----
11	!!The ''The Last Don'' provides examples of the following tropes:
12	* AdaptationDistillation: Much of the novel's detailed subplots are dropped in the miniseries.
13	* AffablyEvil: Don Domenico. Also Pippi De Lena.
14	* AffectionateNickname:
15	** Joseph "Pippi" De Lena.
16	** Croccifixio "Cross" De Lena.
17	** Rose Marie Clericuzio is sometimes called "Ro".
18	** Athena Aquitane was called "Thena" in her youth.
19	** Lucille "Ceil" Ballazzo.
20	* AlliterativeName: '''A'''thena '''A'''quitane, '''B'''obby '''B'''antz, '''S'''teve '''S'''tallings and '''F'''alene '''F'''ante, although with the actors, their last names might just be stage names.
21	* AnyoneCanDie: Particularly in the ''The Last Don II''.
22	* BigBrotherInstinct: All the Clericuzio brothers dote on Rose Marie.
23	* BreakTheCutie: Poor [[InnocenceLost Rose Marie]]...
24	** Her cousin Pippi and her brothers [[spoiler:murder her new husband right in front of her on her wedding night as vengeance for the murder of their brother Silvio. Right after Pippi promises to make peace between the families. She also realizes that they were considering offing her too, in order to LeaveNoWitnesses. Her father, of course, ordered the whole thing, including giving them permission to kill her if necessary.]] Rose Marie's mind completely breaks after this and she frequently has violent fits, a contrast to her usually sweet and gentle nature.
25	** Then Cross [[spoiler:murders her son Dante, and Don Clericuzio allows the body to never be found]].
26	** To ass to that, in ''The Last Don II'' she finally finds friendship and the prospect of a new start with [[HotPriest Father Luca]], but he is sent away and [[spoiler:dies in a rebellion in Ireland.]]
27	* CallingTheOldManOut: After the Santadio war, Rose Marie frequently does this to her father.
28	* TheChessmaster: Don Clericuzio. Especially considering the revelation that [[spoiler: he had known that Dante needed to be killed to allow the family to transition away from crime and manipulated events so that Cross would have to kill Dante, allowing Don Clericuzio not to have to kill his own grandson.]]
29	* {{Confessional}}: Where Rose Marie meets Father Luca.
30	* StarCrossedLovers: Rose Marie Clericuzio and Jimmy Santadio are the most decent members of their respective families and are very much in love, unfortunately, these are mafia families that are in an open war between themselves. However, they both believe that their love -and a pregnancy- can end the war and unite both families, so they decide to marry in a great ceremony... and everything ends tragically for both of them.
31	* DemotedToExtra: Athena, Vincent and Petie in the sequel.
32	* DomesticAbuse: Boz Skannet to his wife Athena Aquitane.
33	* EvenBadMenLoveTheirMamas: Dante Clericuzio is a sadistic bastard who enjoys torture, rape and murder, but he really loves his mother Rose Marie, and it is his love for her that leads him to [[spoiler: murder Pippi and try to take over the empire of the Clericuzio.]]
34	* FamilyExtermination: What the [[spoiler:Clericuzios]] do to the [[spoiler:Santadios]].
35	* FeudingFamilies: The Clericuzios and the Santadios, eventually breaking out into a bloody MobWar.
36	* FreakOut: What happens to Rose Marie after [[spoiler:her family murders her husband on their wedding night.]]
37	* HollywoodAutism: Bethany Aquitane.
38	* HorribleHollywood: A large section of the novel is dedicated to this.
39	* InTheBlood: Don Clericuzio ultimately accepts that Dante was doomed from the start because of his [[spoiler:Santadio]] and Clericuzio blood.
40	* KissingCousins:
41	** Pippi and Rose Marie were this in their youth, though it was never serious.
42	** Dante and Cross also flirt with their cousins at family gatherings.
43	* LaughingMad: Rose Marie sometimes does this when having an episode.
44	* ManipulativeBastard: Don Clericuzio, especially according to Rose Marie.
45	* NomDeMom: Dante Clericuzio goes by his mother's name.
46	* PsychopathicManchild: Dante.
47	* TheLastTitle: The title.
48	* TheOtherDarrin: Creator/DarylHannah is replaced by Mo Kelso in the sequel, whilst Alison Pill replaces Chloe Clifford.
49	* TimeshiftedActor: Young Rose Marie is played by Emily Hampshire while her older self is played by Creator/KirstieAlley.
50	* VillainWithGoodPublicity: Jim Losey is a California detective who is considered by journalists to be a fearless defender of law and order, almost a "super detective", and there are plans to make a movie based on some of his cases. But he is actually a corrupt policeman who works for the Clericuzio, as well as being horribly racist.
51	* WhiteSheep: Claudia De Lena, though she is more accepting of her status as a Clericuzio by the end.
52	* WritersSuck: The opinion of everyone in Hollywood towards writers, except for the writers, of course.
53	* YouKilledMyFather: [[spoiler:Dante's]] motivation for killing [[spoiler:Pippi.]]
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Context Literature / TheLastDon