The Godfather Returns
by Mark Winegardner
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Book Summary Information
Author: Mark WinegardnerEdition: Mass Market Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2005-08-30
ISBN: 0345478983
Number of pages: 560
Publisher: Ballantine Books
Book Reviews of The Godfather Returns
Book Review: A good book to be so off it's mark
Summary: 2 Stars
I, like many fans of Mario Puzo's original Godfather have developed a bond of sorts with the fictional Corleone family. With a deep interest in organized crime from a historical standpoint, the one thing I loved about Puzo's work was the close but not direct links of his characters to historical figures. In Don Vito Corleone there was a sprinkling of Charles "Lucky" Luciano (minus his bachelor lifestyle) and an almost fabled dose of "the code" which melded him into a really strong and iconic Godfather. The five families from New York were also replaced with fictional names and the similarities between one Johnny Fontane and Frank Sinatra were at the most arguably close but not definite.
So why am I saying these things that you readers and movie watchers have probably figured out from experiencing The Godfather? Well, it seems the author lost sight of all this when he wrote The Godfather Returns. According to this book, the five families confusingly goes from real historical presences like Salvatore Maranzano and Charles Luciano into the real commission, then flashes into the fictional Corleone, Barzini, Stracci and Tataglia families. With Lucky Luciano present in this book, we are told that Don Vito's rise to power came from having Sal Tessio gun down the very real Maranzano in a restaurant and thus ascending Vito Corleone as Capo de tutti capi... why??? If not only for the confusion of this writing, the necessity of mixing in the real five families is unknown.
The other negative aspect within this book is the violation of the characters that Puzo created. We are treated to a major Corleone family member having homosexual flings, high ranked Consigliere's doing low level hits! And worst of all our cold and calculating Michael Corleone crying at weddings, boozing it up and eventually giving up the seat to an outsider. I was utterly amazed at how atrocious this book became after even 50 pages in, and it was very hard to even consider it being relative to The Godfather series.
<u>Some Positive Notes</u>
With all of the things I have noted, I will say that the book was very easy to read and the author is very talented. The first few pages were a bit sporadic and boring but from the middle onwards, it became interesting and developed when Winegardener brings in his own cast of characters. The way how the lives of Santino's twin daughters, Winegardener's Nick Geraci and his description of Michael's term as a soldier, I must say that he can definitely write a good tale.
In conclusion I would not recommend this book to anyone who enjoyed The Godfather. I would recommend the author in a different installment outside of this series but this is definitely non-canon. Do not be fooled by the big "The Godfather" on the cover, or the strategically placed "Mario Puzo" beneath it. This tale belongs with the 3rd Godfather movie or any weakly made reference to the Corleone crime family. If you want more juice on the daily lives of Michael and familia, then reread Puzo's original or watch the movies again.
Thanks for reading.
Summary of The Godfather Returns
THE MISSING YEARS FROM THE GREATEST CRIME SAGA OF ALL TIMEThirty-five years ago, Mario Puzo?s great American tale, The Godfather, was published, and popular culture was indelibly changed. Now, in The Godfather Returns, acclaimed novelist Mark Winegardner continues the story?the years not covered in Puzo?s bestselling book or in Francis Ford Coppola?s classic films.
It is 1955. Michael Corleone has won a bloody victory in the war among New York?s crime families. Now he wants to consolidate his power, save his marriage, and take his family into legitimate businesses. To do so, he must confront his most dangerous adversary yet, Nick Geraci, a former boxer who worked his way through law school as a Corleone street enforcer, and who is every bit as deadly and cunning as Michael. Their personal cold war will run from 1955 to 1962, exerting immense influence on the lives of America?s most powerful criminals and their loved ones, including
Tom Hagen, the Corleone Family?s lawyer and consigliere, who embarks on a political career in Nevada while trying to protect his brother;
Francesca Corleone, daughter of Michael?s late brother Sonny, who is suddenly learning her family?s true history and faces a difficult choice;
Don Louie Russo, head of the Chicago mob, who plays dumb but has wily ambitions for muscling in on the Corleones? territory;
Peter Clemenza, the stalwart Corleone underboss, who knows more Family secrets than almost anyone;
Ambassador M. Corbett Shea, a former Prohibition-era bootlegger and business ally of the Corleones?, who wants to get his son elected to the presidency?and needs some help from his old friends;
Johnny Fontane, the world?s greatest saloon singer, who ascends to new heights as a recording artist, cozying up to Washington?s power elite and maintaining a precarious relationship with notorious underworld figures;
Kay Adams Corleone, who finally discovers the truth about her husband, Michael?and must decide what it means for their marriage and their children and
Fredo Corleone, whose death has never been fully explained until now, and whose betrayal of the Family was part of a larger and more sinister chain of events.
Sweeping from New York and Washington to Las Vegas and Cuba, The Godfather Returns is the spellbinding story of America?s criminal underworld at mid-century and its intersection with the political, legal, and entertainment empires. Mark Winegardner brings an original voice and vision to Mario Puzo?s mythic characters while creating several equally unforgettable characters of his own. The Godfather Returns stands on its own as a triumph?in a tale about what we love, yearn for, and sometimes have reason to fear . . . family.
From the Hardcover edition.
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