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27 of 34 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Mark Winegardner does it again- A Satisfying "Interquel", November 11, 2006
As a longtime Godfather fan, I looked forward to Mark Winegardner's first sequel novel, "The Godfather Returns", since its announcement in 2002 to its publication in 2004. I read it in one sitting the first day it came out and loved it.
My feeling from news and reviews though, was that the general public and publishing industry viewed it as something of a disappointment (see the majority of its amazon reviews)
I never understood why that was the case. In "Returns", Mr Winegardner had done an excellent job of expanding the story and filling in the missing years of the Corleone Saga, which is exactly what he had been hired to do!
Because of this, I never thought another sequel would be written and was presently surprised when I read of this book's existence on the actual day of its release. (I keep up with upcoming major book publications and I hadn't read ANY articles about this book!)
That being said, "The Godfather's Revenge" is even better than "Returns". What I loved about it was that, like "Returns", it manages to both stay true to the spirit of AND expand upon the original novel, right down to its structure (A series of "books" make up this novel like the first two) Also, like the first two, it tells an expanded back story of one of the main characters (Vito Corleone in the original, Michael Corleone in Returns, Tom Hagen in this one)
This one is also better than the first sequel because its story centers on a really awesome plot point, one that true Godfather fans have always loved to speculate on but the films never addressed. That is - What involvement did the Corleones have in the assasination of JFK? (Here represented by a fictionalized version- "JAMES SHEA") I won't give it away, but students of history will clearly see the historical parallels in this fictionalized story just like in the original Godfather works.
What Mr. Winegardner also does exceptionally well is in expanding the roles of women into the saga, which reflects its now early 1960's setting. Theresa Hagen, Connie Corleone, and a new character introduced in "Returns", Sonny's daughter Francesca, are all integral to the story and are presented as vividly and three dimensionally as the men.
Also, if you read closely you will see that Mr. Winegardner slyly slips some subtle modern parallels into the framework of the novel. In my opinion, some of the descriptions of Michael's arch enemy Nick Geraci are clearly designed to remind the reader of Osama Bin Laden. In fact, one paragraph can even be seen as a stinging commentary on the life, career and presidency of George W Bush!
Overall, a must for Godfather fans. After reading this, I am looking forward to the next sequel, which should cover the end of this novel (1964) to the beginning of Godfather part 3 (1979) I can not wait to see where Mr. Winegardner will take the story next.
My title suggestion for the next sequel?
"THE GODFATHER'S LEGACY".
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Great fun, surprisingly satifying sequel #2, April 3, 2007
I've always been skeptical of sequels written to enormously popular books by authors other than the original, but Mark Winegardner's most recent "Godfather" sequel is absorbing and satisfying. Although he is a better, more polished writer than Mario Puzo, he lacks Puzo's blunt, breathless, headlong plunge into a hydra-headed tangle of story lines. By me, that's fine, because Winegardner keeps everyone connected and moving forward in a believable or even unbelievable-but-true page-turner.
Winegardner does justice to ongoing Puzo characters such as Michael and Connie Corleone and their children, and does a really satisfying job fleshing out people we know only fleetingly, such as Sonny's four children, and Tom Hagan's wife Theresa and family. In addition, he painstakingly details the other "crime families," while introducing new characters who dovetail nicely with ongoing or new plot lines. For example, Mike's elusive nemesis Nick "Ace" Geraci, his father Fausto "The Driver," and Nick's wife Charlotte and their daughters--just to name a few--take up where they left off in Winegardner's first sequal. Johnny Fontane, Jack Woltz, their wives, and many more make convincing reappearances in the current chapters of their lives.
If other sequels-by-other-authors were as well-written and engrossing as Winegardner's, we readers would be lucky indeed. I hope he has a third volume at least in the planning stages!
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
No Disappointment, March 8, 2007
This is a good book. Remember, Puzo is unfortunately not with us any more and did not give us any more Godfather books when he had the chance. Also, there will always be feelings or beliefs that Puzo would never do certain things that Winegardner did--but who really knows what Puzo would have done, all we know is what Puzo gave us. I give credit to Winegardner for having the courage to do some things he did in this book. All I know is that I was entertained and enjoyed the book. I think Winegardner did a better job than almost anyone else would have, and I know there's no way I could ever think of this stuff.
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