I am in my second read of the book. So far (detailing some sections and skimming other sections - I usually do 3 to 5 reads), the most intriguing concept to me is the Cuba connection - that seems to be a nice blend of fact and fiction.
What I am seeing in terms of reviews is a divergence in perception. I 'googled' the book title and read some reviews - looks like Winegardner is about to get nominated for President. Not much is being said (of what I read) about Fredo's lifestyle (FYI - the same issue will come up soon in the Alexander the Great movie. However, there 'are' historical documents that suggest that Alexander 'went around the world' as he conquered it).
This will be a red state/blue state situation. Padrino-philes (like us) will view this book like New Coke (e.g. Godfather-Classic, New Godfather, diet-Godfather, vanilla-Godfather - i.e. - brace yourselves for the upcoming GF variations). Our 'love' for the novel and or the movies increases our disappointment with anything that does not reinforce or enhance the relationship. We want GFR to give us more to love, not tamper with the object of our affection.
On the other hand, there seems to be a fair number of book critics who do like GFR. Perhaps because they are literary professionals and want to support their colleague.
In any case, this will be settled at the cash register by the public at large. I am borrowing a copy for now - can't force myself to invest in this yet. I apologize to everyone for being so critical of a book that I am easing my way through. This may be a decent book, but it does not feel like the book and movie with which I fell in love - hence I am having difficulty embracing it.
One thing we should watch out for - the phrase 'best seller'. I do not know how many copies constitute a best seller, but let's say the figure is 1 million. Assuming that the US population is 250 million, then 1 million copies is .004 percent of the country. The point being that if 1 million people buy GFR, that does not make it a good book, but rather that .996 percent cannot be fooled that easily.
