Admittedly, I just saw this new forum! Nice work. But, excuse me: what!? Who in their right mind would want to bring up an already perfect movie trilogy and successfully adapted book, and even attempt a rewrite/sequel/whatever you wanna call it.

JG, you met this guy; how much of a Godfather fan did he seem? I don't think anybody, no matter how big a fan they are, should even try and write this book (or make another film, for that matter).

This probably will suck, and in all honesty, I sincerely hope it does. I hope it bombs disastrously and ruins his writing career. Why can't people write something original these days?

Hollywooditis is leaking into literature. God help us all.

Mick

PS> I could be wrong of course, but whether this is half decent or a classic in years to come, I still feel it's a pretty shitty reason for getting a book published.

Dont worry about it becoming a classic. This, if made into a film, will make GF3 look better than Taxi Driver,Raging Bull, Chinatown, and any other great film you can think of.

Hey Capo -

I didn't meet him in person, but talked on the phone with him. In any event, glaring errors and liberties aside, he seemed to know quite a bit (tho not like, say, a Turnbull )

In any event, the author didn't just go out and write the book. Puzo's publisher (Random House) had a "contest" to determine who would write the sequel to the novel. The idea was fine with Puzo before he died, and, his estate was behind it as well. So you can't blame the author for writing it. Only if he didn't write it well.

I'm only a third of the way thru it, and haven't been fact-checking like some others here. But apparently there are a bunch of continuity errors or just plan "falsehoods" (if that's possible in fiction).

I think people should give it a chance. Any GF fan should at least consider this as at least interesting and up for discussion.

I just cannot understand why someone would wish disaster on another person that they do not even know. As I said in the other topic under this forum, Read it first and then you are free to destroy it, love it, bash it, or say whatever you want. But to just arbitrarily wish failure and disater on this guy without reading his book just don't make sense to me at all. Hey, Ta Salute to the guy for pulling this thing off! If he makes money for it, God Bless him. When I finish reading it, then I'll say what I want about it, but until then I have nothing bad or good to say. Give it a read first!


Don Cardi

not that i wish this guy any harm. but in all honesty i think alot of people will agree, there was no reason to make a godfather returns novel. the godfather on it's own, with the three movies is enough of the story. yeah i will buy the book, after all i like reading about the corleones. but if i don't like it, i will post it on here. lol. i'll try to be as nice as i can be about my happiness if that is the case.

Let's not paraphrase, Don C. I didn't say I wished disaster on him. I said I hoped the book woul bomb disastrously--and in the process ruin his writing career for as long as he writes stuff like this. And I'd say the same to each and every filmmaker out there who make sequels and remakes (would that be the whole of Hollywood?).

There are too many budding novelists, filmmakers, or whatever, in the world these days who are busting their chops just to break through. Here comes along a guy who just expands on storylines and characters already penned out for him (and, I hear, he even goes a bit into destroying them).

I wish him all the best career- and health-wise, but as long as he writes stuff already created for him, sorry, but I hope it bombs. That may sound cruel to a freedom-loving American. Not to me, mate.

I'll definitely read it though, and I hope he proves me wrong. A false hope, perhaps?

Mick

Anyone who tries to expand on a masterpiece isn't going to please everyone. Look at Star Wars... the man who created the whole effing thing, George Lucas, is getting blasted for the new trilogy. People would blast Puzo and FFC if they did another movie as well, simply because it's not up to their standards... look at GF III for crying out loud.

Winegardner, I hear, is a pretty good writer, and I don't think he's ruined his career writing GFR either. IMO, he was handed a turd in the first place and did his best to turn it into meatloaf. Not many writers can do that.

And don't blast someone for trying to put their stamp on things. Why else would there be reason to write the book if you're just going to do things that people tell you to do?

I'm about 200 pages in and it's gotten pretty good. Not nearly as bad as some people say it is.

I think that's the whole problem with this book. He tries to be too original. He's changing the persona of all the characters, and changing GF history. If he would have just made a nice little story, keeping all the charaters in line, the book would have been fine.