Just finished the book. It's a whole lot better than Winegardner's books thats for sure. I would hope Falco will now be the one to attempt a book on the end of the Corleone Saga (Vincent as head of the family)


****Spolier alert****

One criticism though: I was always under the impression that when Vito was shot by a group of Mad Dog Irishmen it was more than just a shoulder injury. I would have expected that he would have had to be in the hospital. Also Puzo speaks of Sonny taking charge while Vito was down and starting his own regime "like a young napoleon" I didnt see any of that in the novel so for that Im a bit dissappointed

I would be more interested in a novel which covers the years between 1959 and 1979. I've now read the first 100 pages and it's pretty decent so far.

So would I. I'd like to see how Connie took care of Michael in the post-Kay era. I'd also like to see just how much contact Michael had with his children during that time period. And, probably most of all, I'd like to see what happened to the Rosato brothers.

As they were apparantly around in 1933 I think they pretty much retired after the Hyman Roth debacle.

That would be an interesting time. I actually had been thinking up a story like that. That time would be an amazing story though im not sure how you could steer clear of the presidential assassination stuff

If possible, I'd like to get a list going of who's finished the book. That way we can control the use of the spoiler tags.

Just create a new topic with a spoiler alert so people who haven't finished or read the book know they should avoid it.

My copy has arrived, but I may not read it until the summer when I'm on my next vacation.

Ordered The Family Corleone on my Nook the other day. Was in the middle of reading another book, Trunk Music by Michael Connelly (I am hooked on his Harry Bosch series of novels) and finished it yesterday. So I started reading The Family Corleone and so far I am enjoying it.

Funny thing is that as I read, in my minds eye I see Scott Caan as young Santino. LOL.

Niiiice!!

I got mine a couple days ago but haven't started it yet...


If you only read while on vacation, you should be done with it in no time! lol

The resemblance to his father there is eerie!

I don't know if I can picture him as Santino though based on the types of characters he's played on Entourage and Hawaii 5-0.

Can we interpret that picture as a hint for a new movie?

Maybe if they remake the original (God forbid), or set a possible film in the late '30s or early '40s. But as far as adapting "The Family Corleone," Sonny is only 17 years old in the book, Scott Caan is almost 36. He's actually older now than his father was when he played Sonny (James Caan was 31 while filming in 1971).

And your point being? With today's technology in hollywood....

Seriously though, I was not suggesting using Scott Caan if a movie was to be made. I merely was pointing out that in my mind's eye I just pictured a young Scott Caan as Sonny while reading.

A CGI Sonny? God help us all .

I like him, but I think the kid tries too hard emulate his father. It's a deliberate affectation, like Liza trying to be Judy.

Don't lie to us! That's an infamia.

Now that I don't waste any of my vacation free time playing "Mafia Wars", I have time for other things.

I'll save my full analysis until I'm finished, but while away I got thru a little over half the book -- which is quite an accomplishment for me, and a testament to the author. While not perfect (what is?), so far so good!

Just wondering, but did you order your copy?

I had stopped at about page 100 because I wanted to continue reading on my new smart phone. Now that it's here I'm going to continue reading it as it's much more suitable as an ereader than a computer screen.

Yeah, I got the hardcover from Amazon.com.

While I like the idea of being able to read it on a device (Kindle edition is here) anywhere/anytime, I still do prefer holding a book.

I read it over the Memorial Day weekend, but I was hoping someone else would post an opinion first. Well, I guess I'll start. I'll try not to give too much away, but if you're leery of spoilers you might want to stop reading this post right now.

The book was much better than either of Winegardner's. At least Falco has a grasp of Italian American New York. Winegardner is a blue eyed Ohioan, and that's how he chose to portray the protagonist in his books. Big mistake.

I enjoyed the storyline of the Irish and the Italians struggling for control of the West Side. I now believe it was indeed based on a Puzo script. I admit I had my doubts. That said, the book still wasn't up to par with anything Puzo ever wrote (and truth be told, I think Puzo was a great storyteller, but not a great writer). The dialogue was also kinda cheesy, but it could just be that a lot of the 1930s patois seems dated today. So what do I know?

I could have lived without knowing how Luca became so slow witted. I also didn't need to know that he didn't like to bathe.

But my biggest problem with the book was the portrayal of the Rosato brothers as contemporaries of Vito's. Now I could be wrong, but I always felt that the Rosatos were younger "upstarts," and definitely younger than Pentangeli. And if you know that they were based on the Gallo brothers, then you should know that the Gallos were little kids in 1933-1934.

I was sympathetic towards Cork and his sister. They both deserved a better fate. And I did enjoy the Bronx setting. So the Corleones lived on Hughes Avenue? We were almost neighbors! I grew up on 187th and Hoffman and still own a property there, so I admit this was a nice surprise .

Nice try, Ed. But in the words of Maxwell Smart, you missed it by that much.

I also felt sorry for Cork and his sister.

Overall, I enjoyed the book, I felt the first half was a bit slow, but it picked up after that.

I also have a little trouble with the Rosato brothers already being around in 1933. Bear in mind that the actors who portrayed them were merely 40.

Also, I would like to repeat Carmela's question about Giuseppe Mariposa: from all the Italian names, why choose one that hails from Spain?

Exactly .

I'm only halfway thru, but have been finding it odd that Luca Brasi has been so verbose and articulate here -- yet in the movie, he was a bumbling idiot. He hardly appeared in the first film, but is practically the star of the novel so far. Which is fine, I guess.

But I do like how some backstories have been included.

I wanted to wait until I finished to comment, tho... But I did miss the "celebration" beginning that occurs at the beginning of each film... and Vito just doesn't "sound" like himself so far, and has been minimal in the story somehow, so far...

But I do like the writing style -- Falco paints a nice picture. Not nearly like Steinbeck or anything, but pretty okay. But some missed spelling edits made me cringe a little.

The glossary is cool, tho -- but don't find it necessary to italicize so much.

Anyway, I'm gonna wait 'til I'm finished...

Does anyone know if Ed is signing copies of the book I want an autographed one

The Luca Brasi in Puzo's novel does not resemblance the Luca Brasi in the film either. In Puzo's novel Luca is "squat", while in the film he's muscular and large. He also talks a lot more in Puzo's novel if I remember correctly.

So far (and I'm only in chapter 10) I think Vito and Sonny behave like we know them. They behave much more like themselves than in the Winegardner novel that's for sure.

There's an explanation given later in the book as to how Luca's speech became slow and dim-witted.


Agreed on the italics. They're not really necessary. There seems to be a lot more Italian slang in this book than in any of Puzo's. I guess that's why Falco felt the need for the glossary.