SPIOLERS UP TO CHAPTER 9


Well early in the book Winegardner dedicates a whole chapter to Hagen and his wife. But you'll have to read it to find out


This book returns to the Nick Gerace character, and the chapter given to Gerace is an interesting one, making the Gerace character much more interesting than in the last book.

He also spends a chapter on Johnny Fontane which, to my surprise, was not as boring as I thought it was going to be. I'll put it this way, if ever anyone had any doubt that the Johnny Fontane character was based on Frank Sinatra, after reading this chapter all doubts will be erased. Winegardner lightly touches on Fontanes life in the sixties which mirrors many of the things that Sinatra went through up until those years of his life.

I also enjoyed the chapter (8 I believe) which introduces a Corleone caporegime named Eddie Paradise (pronounced Paradee-see). An interesting character who could be right out of the streets of any tough neighborhood that is run by gansgters. He runs the Redhook section of Brooklyn along with his right hand man Momo The Roach. Winegardner is cute in that he makes several little inuendos in this chapter covering Eddie Paradise, which mirror some of the real life doings of The Gallo clan who used to run Redhook in real life. While we all know that The Rosatto Brothers from GFII were based on the real life Gallo brothers, Winegardner makes a reference about this Eddie character having a cage from a Zoo in the basement of his club and his wanting to put a pet Lion in that cage. In real life the Gallo brothers had a pet lion in the basement of their club in Redhook.

So far, it looks as though Winegardner did his homework as far as real life mobsters and polticians go and has creatively applied some of those real life happenings to his charaters in the book.

I have to say that I am enjoying this book much more than I expected. And definitely much more than The Godfather Returns. Not a literary genius by any means, but enjoyable.

EDIT : Did I mention about Johnny Fontane being the Grand Marshall of the Columbus Day Parade, accompanied by his oldest daughter? And how Winegardner keeps referencing about her new Black knee high Boots? Ring a bell anyone? ( "These boots are made for walking," recorded in real life by none other than the chairman of the board's daughter--Nancy Sinatra)


Don Cardi