Last night I reread part of the novel for about the fiftieth time and I noticed something I had never noticed before. There are tow times when the subject of Tom's going to California comes up (Page 40/41 of the paperpack). Vito tells Tom initially to go to Ca. tomorrow then several paragraphs later tells him to go tonight. Anyone else notice and know the reason why?

my guess would be Puzo's fascination with vegas and california had a lot to do with it...

and he wanted to show mafia encroachment into Hollywood and the entertainment industry - though this was in reality much more of a Chicago "Outfit" show than the New York families

I always had the impression that Tom left for California immediately after the wedding party broke up.

But given the last minute arrangements ("tonight"), the difficulty of procuring a flight during wartime, and the length of the flight time-wise, he certainly didn't arrive until the following morning ("tomorrow"), and I believe that the book spells out that fact.

Bottom line, though, is that I think it's another example of Puzo's sloppy writing, of which there are many.

(Stavka, I think you misunderstood the question...)

Here's another one in the same scene:
In describing the wedding, Puzo says Vito looks so handsome in his tux that he could be the bridegroom. But at the hospital, visiting Genco, Dr. Kennedy notices Vito "...in his ill-fitting tuxedo..." Perhaps Vito lost a lot of weight by hearing out all the favor-seekers instead of eating his lasagna.
"

- yep didn't understand the question - maybe just anohter example that "The Don was 'slipp'n'"? - I know my dad makes mistakes like that all the time....

probably just sloppy writing

Before he wrote The GF, Puzo had written a couple of critically acclaimed novels which were big flops at the bookstore.

He supposedly was deep in debt (gambling) at the time and wrote The GF strictly for the money.

He also sold his rights to a film version for a paltry amount - $50,000 I believe - because he wanted the cash right away.

His famous comment about writing the GF was that "I wrote beneath my gifts".

Sometimes I get the feeling that I'm reading a book which never went through a final editing process to tighten it up a bit and eliminate some of the more obvious errors and sloppiness.

If it had, MP might've gotten around to naming that elusive 6th family ( ), letting us know if Vito's tuxedo fit or not, telling us if Michael's war wounds were serious or not, and getting Johnny's Academy Award presentation off TV, since the Academy Awards weren't broadcast until years later.

He also sold his rights to a film version for a paltry amount - $50,000 I believe - because he wanted the cash right away.


ya but i bet he had some lawyers who managed to get a few of the crumbs in addition to the 50g. once his brain child, became one of the finest films in american history that is.

im not surprised that puzo was an out of luck novelist who wrote godfather on the toilet.

Puzo isn't the only author to have apparent lapses while writing.

In Robinson Crusoe Daniel Defoe had written that once on the island, Crusoe stripped off all of his clothes and swam to the shipwrecked vessel for supplies. There he stuffed his pockets with biscuits.

I think this could be an example of 'unique' writing by puzo, and not a lapse. Dr. Kennedy or anyone else for that matter might have a different opinion than that of the 'narrator'. The good doctor thought the Don to look a bit tired that day, thats his opinion.

...if it were "Goodfellas" instead of GF, Dr. Kennedy would have insisted on examining Vito and given him 10 mg of Valium.

In the famous deleted hospital scene where Genco lay dying, the Corleone men had obviously just left the wedding.
To me, Tom not being there implies that he had already left for California.

Well, it's a little confusing. According to the novel the wedding was held on saturday and Genco died at 3:00 am, technically on Sunday. Tom didn't leave the house until late Sunday night after the Don made him Consigliere. So, he could have gone to the hospital, but Vito told him he wouldn't have time.