The Godfather Returns

There is this one guy named Mike Winegardner, who wrote a couple of books based on the Holy Bible for wiseguys (The Godfather by the late great Mario Puzo)--aptly titled The Godfather Returns and The Godfather's Revenge. I know some of you might already heard of it since these books are advertised at the back inside cover of the new editions of Don Puzo's monumental classic.

Anyway, ( came to know of their existence when I purchased two (2) The Godfather books in paperback as gifts for my father and my own (and one and only) godfather for christmas last year. Both of them have already read the novel when it first came out 'round more than thirty (30) years back, and both of them have seen all the silverscreen renditions bearing the same title, but for one reason or another, both of them are not in possession of the book before i gave them copies of the same for the holidays. Them books are relatively cheap and I was sure they'd appreciate the gesture.

I saw these Mike Whatshisfacegardner books and immediately as I picked up the first one (The Godfather Returns) one thing came into my mind like a jolt: The title surely lacks imagination. Think Batman. Even Superman. Sheez. At its back cover, it read: It is 1955. Michael Corleone has won a bloody victory in the war among New York's crime families. Now he wants to onsolidate his power, save his marriage, and take his family into legitimate businesses... With just seeing the mention of the name Michael Corleone, I found myself taking it to the cashier and paying for it.

When I came home, I started to read my own copy of The Godfather and after a couple of days, I finished it and decided to read Returns. I actually read the latter with a pen in my hand--encircling shit like corny words and writing notes on its margins. I wasn't reading it for fun ab initio, and at page nineteen (19)-the end of Chapter 1-I wrote, and I copy it here, to wit: The first chapter has some inconsistensies, the most glaring of which was Nick Geraci's "first" beat-em-up job...directed against Amerigo Bonasera's daughter's assailants. That (event) took place well after the Second Great War, as old man Bonasera only came to Don Corleone at Connie's wedding. Later, however, the author mentions something to the effect that Geraci started to learn the rackets before the war and later, during the same under (Caporegime) Tessio. Weird. It also pains me to read that the author skips time without warning, thus confusing the logic of the reader. He even mentioned (the drug) Viagra, despite the title of Book 1 being "Spring 1955." . . .not to mention that he (the author) refers to Don Corleone as plain Vito.

And on the beginning of Chapter 3, Winegardner (the author) wrote: Near the oily banks of the Detroit River, two lumpy men in silk short-sleeve shirts--one aquamarine, the other Day-Glo orange--emerged from the guest cottege...etc., etc..

Upon reading that, I scribbled again: Only women and queers can distinguish colors with such precision. Aquamarine and light-green is the same to the straight-laced heterosexual masculine. What the hell is Day-Go orange, anyway? Now these parts really wonder about the sexual orientation of the author :)

I put down my pen after writing this, and started to casually read the book. Like one would read a John Grisham. "For entertainment purposes only". I grew tired of playing Mythbusters with Winegardner, so I went along with his take on the mighty, yet dysfunctional, Corleones.

To be continued. . .