|
First of all, let's give the proper praise to Mark Winegardner for even attempting a project such as THE GODFATHER'S REVENGE and its predecessor, THE GODFATHER RETURNS. It is easy to forget that there initially was but one novel, THE GODFATHER by Mario Puzo, which begat the film adaptation of the same name, as well as two sequels that dealt with events occurring several years subsequent to the book and to each other. The result is a pair of chronological gaps that Winegardner has tried mightily to fill, with varying degrees of success.
THE GODFATHER'S REVENGE takes place in the early 1960s, at a point roughly midway between the events chronicled in the films Godfather, Part II and the under-appreciated Godfather, Part III. The Michael Corleone we meet here is a deeply unhappy and disturbed man. He is haunted by strange visions of Fredo, his simple, lovable brother who he had assassinated for a minor betrayal. Also disturbing Corleone is a living ghost --- Nick Geraci, a formerly loyal Corleone soldier who Corleone ordered sacrificed in a power play. Geraci escaped and, from an improbable hiding place, plots revenge and a power grab. Soon any setback occurring to a Corleone-connected business is attributed to Geraci, even as he seems to have a guardian angel protecting --- and watching --- his every move.
Perhaps the greatest threat to Corleone's empire, however, comes from the federal government. President James Shea, a charismatic Irishman who Corleone backed in his quest for office, seemingly has turned against Corleone; indeed, Shea's brother Danny, appointed Attorney General by the President in a brazen and reckless exercise of nepotism, has begun a very public and effective crusade against organized crime. Winegardner draws heavily upon the historical cauldron of the early 1960s while using that period as a thinly disguised backdrop for the events that both influenced and were influenced by organized crime in the times and places in which the book is set.
THE GODFATHER'S REVENGE, like THE GODFATHER RETURNS, will not make everyone happy; that is a given in a project of such magnitude. There are indeed flaws here: the narrative is choppy (considering the wealth of characters and situations here, how could it be avoided?) and at times Winegardner seems to narratively back and fill, as if he has suddenly remembered a point that needed to be mentioned or clarified.
Readers wholly unfamiliar with the Godfather mythos might experience some rough sledding during certain parts of the book. But those of us whose familiarity has become a minor obsession will enjoy this Herculean attempt to fill in the blanks that have preceded it and make THE GODFATHER'S REVENGE the necessity that it is.
--- Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub
 Click here now to buy this book from Amazon.com.
© Copyright 1996-2009, Bookreporter.com. All rights reserved.
Back to top.
|
