I thought it stunk. I really wanted to like this book despite what everyone was saying about it on the boards here.

It took me six months to read this. I usually read books the same length and longer in three weeks or so. Six months! This book gave me little or no reason to pick it up and read at any given time.

The reasons this book was horrid were numerous.

First, Winegardner created too many new characters that we couldn’t care less about. In the Godfather novel and movies, we’re shown the Corleone enemies; the Barzini’s, the Roths, the Lucchesi’s (sp?) only when they’re interacting with the Corleones. We don’t see them hatch their plans off by themselves. We only see the Corleone clan react to their plans and slowly figure out who is behind it. Here, Winegardner abandons this formula and spends too much time following these meaningless characters around as they hatch their plans against the Corleones.

Secondly, Winegardner gave the real characters nothing to do and most importantly, bastardized them. Mike can fly a plane and make passionate love to Kay? Fredo is gay? Hagen whacks a guy?

Thirdly, Winegardner botched the details on so many different occasions, it’s too much to even go into. That is probably the most unforgivable sin, IMO. You already have a bunch of source material (1 book, 3 movies) to go from. Windegardner seemed to ignore these details to make them up himself or change them altogether.

Fourth, the writing was bland. Winegardner couldn’t even say Mike crossed the road without twisting it around and making it more confusing that it needed to be. Puzo’s language was colorful, but always simple enough to understand in one reading. Winegardner’s writing style confused the hell out of me and made me want to stop at the end of the chapter because it was too confusing and boring to keep reading.

Finally, I still feel like I’ve learned little to nothing about what happened in the gaps between the original book and between the 3 movies. Clemenza died of a heart attack? Fine, even though I still believe it was something else. Where was Frankie Five-Angels? Don Tommasino? The Rosato Brothers? Too often Winegardner skipped over interesting details from the movies and book only to dive into something he made up himself that felt totally different than what we’ve come to expect from characters and plot.

Also, where’s the patented Godfather ending? There’s a structure to these things and there was nothing in the book. So Geraci gets away and Francie kills Billy. BFD!!! Where’s Michael in all of this and why doesn’t the ending resemble the endings to all three movies? Where’s the juxtaposition?

There were some good parts of the book. I liked the back-story behind Tessio’s death and the part about Mike’s war history. There were also some chunks here and there that were good. But overall, this book was a steaming turd. Hopefully it will fade into oblivion and no one will remember it even existed. Now if all die-hard Godfather fans who read the book could do the same...

Now, THAT'S the most succinct (and true) summation of the book yet.

Now, THAT'S the most succinct (and true) summation of the book yet. [/b][/quote]... hmmm... does that mean that anyone who likes GFR is a fly?

EXACTLY!!!!! I completely agree! This book was marketed completely wrong! You made some great points all around, DBC, even though I don't completely agree with you - I enjoyed the book for the most part - but it certainly DID NOT fill in the gaps between the original book and the movies - this was my biggest criticism. While reading the book, it definitely left me scratching my head wondering when those gaps would be filled - AND THEY NEVER WERE!

Another thing that bothered me about this book is it's stinking title:

THE GODFATHER RETURNS??????????? Does this make sense seeing that this book is a sequel/prequel rolled up in one? Does that mean part III which occurs after TGR is THE GODFATHER RETURNS AGAIN?

Anyone following my point on this one?

We just all have to face it, Mark Winegardner is NOT Mario Puzo - end of story!

Mark made so many new people just so he could kill them off at the end I think.

ABSO-EFFIN'-LUTELY!!!!

I too had to read and reread passages just to figure out what the hell this guy was talking about. For example, the flashback to Mike's initiation ceremony, Fredo's detention in Detroit or Windsor, Sonny's twins at college (oh, this was the worst), Geraci in the airplane, Johnny delivering the money to Mike (WHAT OUTBURST??? WHEN IS A STAREDOWN AN OUTBURST?????)

I mean there is absolutely no FLOW to this narrative whatsoever; but I guess I'm glued to it with a freeway-accident-gawker's interest. It seems like this guy was more influenced by Tarentino (who, at least, scrambles narrative and sequence in such a way that you're still along for the ride) than Puzo.

I took the novel out of the library today and I already hate it.

I'm reading Puzo's "The Fortunate Pilgrim" right now and it just reminds me of how good a writer Puzo was. TFP is filled with excellent imagery, descriptions and it still easy to read, unlike TGR. Winegardner was not the right guy for the job. Now I'm wondering what could have been had a different writer had been chosen for the job.

something told me not to go out and buy this book..so when the library called to tell me that this book was available I eagerly curled up on my couch ready to get back to the characters I knew so well!! Wrong!! I fell asleep in 15 minutes..then I started from the middle of the book thinking it was more interesting there..then I stopped reading it altogether and went back to it the next day...then I returned it back to the library...it was just awful...

The beginning is probably the best part... the scenes involving Tessio's murder are the best. After that it's a long steep decline.

amen to that D.B.C.H

I brought the book the first week it came out Nov 04 and i have just finished it.The start was o.k introducing the Charecters,then the book just drags on with a poor finish

On Many levels this book bites the big one.
I won't dignify to critique this disaster.

I have to do a book talk on it for tomorrow.

That was a very accurate, very true summarization of the book. With permission, I may refer to it as an accurate book summarization if questioned about GFR in the future.

I did my book talk on it today and ending it with "I really didn't like the book, there was alot I thought Maro Puzo wouldn't have liked. Well, I wish the book never was writen."

Well I got a B on it so maybe it was worth it.

Go ahead. The more people you warn not to read this book the better.

Have just read your critique, D.B.C.H., and I have to say I'm with you on every point.

When I first got Puzo's Godfather novel, I stayed in bed for three days reading it and wouldn't even answer the phone or the door. When I got MW's Godfather novel, it took me four months of vague perusal to reach the end. And it was only my desperate hunger for anything GF related that made me finish it.
I can't bear the fact that the films are finished, that Hagen's dead, that Mike's story is over... but I would happily endure that abyss rather than see somebody walk in and, as you so perfectly put it, bastardize a cast of characters that millions of us know so intimately and love so much.

In England, MW's book was released as "The Godfather - The Lost Years" which strikes me as a much more appropriate title for what MW was trying to do. But still, I don't feel that he in any way enlightened us about the lost years, about events we needed to know about in the fifties or stories we wanted to hear from the twenties. Kay's abortion revelation was not MW's to make. Francesca, Kathy and Billy - why? Why write any of that? And for me the most disturbing problem is that the delicate tragedy Puzo and Coppola created for Fredo (his inadequacy, his percieved unjust treatment, his fatal mistake) was according to GFR really to do with his feelings about his sexuality, and some out-of-the-blue cemetary scheme that MW obviously dreamt up.
There's a saying in writing that you're supposed to be able to 'kill your darlings' - that is, all your favourite phrases, sequences, ideas, events - you should be able to get rid of them if they're not entirely necessary to the art. And it just feels to me, reading GFR, that MW had a lot of darlings, and he didn't get rid of any of them, and the result is indulgence.
The only way I can reconcile myself to having read this book is by thinking "that would have been an interesting way for things to have turned out. Good job they didn't" and promptly telling myself that none of this has happened

it took you three days and nights to read a book?

I had to read three english lit texts, a french novel and italian poetry every week for two years at uni. When I read somethin non-school based, I like to take my time!

I just sold mine to a book dealer for $2.00 and it was well worth getting rid of it.

I agree with the majority of posts here. Winegardeners' book is a complete departure from the characters and personalities created by Puzo. Reading it was something done out of sheer desparation for new Corleone material. However; I didn't disregard the book until I got to section where a young Sonny witnessed his father kill Fanuchi. How perposterous[sic]. That Nick Geraci was b/s too. He couldn't stand up to Michael.

Just to let you know in case you didn't know. Sonny seeing Vito kill Fanuchi was in The Godfather book. So, it wasnt Marks Idea. It was Puzos

Just to let you know in case you didn't know. Sonny seeing Vito kill Fanuchi was in The Godfather book. So, it wasnt Marks Idea. It was Puzos [/b][/quote]My bad.
I don't recall that being in the book. I guess I'll have to scan through my old paperback to bring myself back up to speed. I still think the GFR blows though!

Sounds like one of your most important business deals.

See that is where you are making your biggest mistake.
In the years to come, that book will be worth big bucks.
Godfather collectors will search the world over for them, why? Because no one will keep it and few will survive.

I'll make sure i keep mine then

I'll keep mine just in case I feel the need to revist this god awful book to remind my self how bad things can get.

Are they even going to bother putting it out in paperback?

They might but I doubt it'll be in a large quantity. But they might just cut their losses and say fuggedaboutit.