Review
More than a year before Random House published
The Godfather
Returns in hardcover I started hearing mumblings about it in the trade press, but I didn't give it much thought, assuming it to be yet
another attempt to extend the franchise of a dead author (Mario Puzo died in
1999 at the age of 79). However, the 'buzz' kept building with the
indications being that Winegardner was not only living up to Puzo's book and
screenplays but (some reviewers even dared to imply that) he might have improved
on them!
Winegardner has some advantages that Puzo did not. Firstly, most, if not
all, of the real life characters that Puzo hinted at are now dead, which means
that whereas Puzo could only hint at similarities between Johnny Fontane and
Frank Sinatra, Winegardner can name names. Also, now that the Kennedy
legend is less...
Beyond the Book
Mark Winegardner won an international search by publisher, Random House, to write
The Godfather Returns.
However, he's no wet behind the ears first novelist - he's been writing for at
least 20 years and is known for his 'propulsive narration'. These
are the six books that he has published to date, in addition he has edited three
more:
-
Elvis Presley Boulevard (1996 - Winegardner narrates his travels across
the US, and reminisces about his childhood travels)
-
Prophet of the Sandlots (1990 - a biography of baseball scout, Tony
Lucadello)
-
The Veracruz Blues (1996 - his first novel, set in Mexico in 1946, about
baseball)
-
Crooked...
