Not so! Not so!
I
DID read the book. If you don't believe me, you can look up some of my earlier posts in which I wrote things like "... it's been a while since I read the book, so can someone tell me..." or "I can't remember if that was in the book, but..."
But it has been a LOOOOONG time since I read it -- maybe 16 or 17 years

-- so I've forgotten, well, almost all of it

. I do remember, though, that I didn't like it

. I thought it was a pulpy, Sidney Sheldon-ish, event-driven, Italo-soap opera. It makes FFC's accomplishment of crafting a film masterpiece from it even more remarkable. He added all the missing elements: character development, atmosphere, deft plotting, pacing, etc.
So in the book Michael didn't invite his own parents to his wedding? (I don't remember that part, as you've gathered

.) In the movie, that would be
unimaginable! And so out of character

.
... and this committee owes an apology, an apology! 