Ed Falco

Madon'!, that was awesome. This book is not your garden variety franchise tie-in. This thing is the genuine article. The story was taken from an actual screenplay set down by Mario Puzo, so we know it has some authenticity. But Falco took it a step further and made one hell of a novel.

This is one of the best 5 books I've read this year, capisc'?

The Godfather is one of my favorite movies and novels of all time. The Godfather Part II is just behind it. This book, this genius of a captivating show more story, fits right in there. It's a prequel to The Godfather and sets it up wonderfully.

Luca Brasi does not sleep with the fishes in this book. He fucks the fishes.

Seriously though, this was awesome backstory to the film or original novel, The Godfather. This is brilliant. A prequel that tells us how Santino (Sonny) Corleone got his bones. It tells us what the family is up to during some of the years between the flashback scenes of Godfather II and the beginning of Godfather. We get a great backstory on Luca Brasi, telling how he came to be part of the Corleone organization. And the best part of this prequel just might be that there is no Jar Jar Binks!

Lots of other great characters too, including some crazy Irish. But I don't want to give away any surprises that are packed in the cannoli. It's certainly not a spoiler that we'd get some background story on Luca and Sonny, not to anyone that's seen or read the original. But the stuff that happens. Madre 'Dio!. Go read this. show less

Based on a Puzo screen play, this novel certainly captures the atmosphere of the movies while providing some background that people may have found missing (eg, why is Sonny the way he is, why is Brasi the way he is). It also shows more explicitly the racial tensions between the Irish and Italians as they are played out against each other by people in power.

Reviewers have rightfully stressed the seamless writing, the well crafted world building, and the book's quick cinematic pace. On the one hand, the book reads like a well crafted indy film. Edward Falco creates unorthodox characters that are painfully real in their motivations and logic, which is part of the book's appeal.

On the other hand, I found the unorthodox and real characters to be too "real" at certain points. I could easily picture Lindsay's response to her brother's deployment and show more her demand that their family relocate to New York City, but just as I could readily imagine Lindsay, I found her to be flighty and annoying.

While I might not have enjoyed Saint John of the Five Boroughs as much as many of the other reviewers, it was just not my thing. Other readers will surely appreciate the clearsightedness with which Edward Falco creates his characters.

Publisher: Unbridled Books; 1st edition (October 20, 2009), 424 pages.
Review copy provided by the publisher and Unbridled Book Tours. show less

Handling & Tema : 5/5
Karaktärerna: 5/5
Miljöbeskrivning: 4/5
Språk och berättarkonst 4/5 : 5/5 i helhets betyg

Älskar man Gudfadern och vill fördjupa sig mer i litteraturens och filmens med okända familj är familjen Corleone en perfekt bok.
Jag har läst alla Mario Puzos böcker och älskar varje bok . Denna bok är inte skriven av honom utan är baserad på ett film manus.
Jag kan inte sätta fingret på vad det är men den är inte lika bra som Puzos böcker .

Fast Ed Falco försöker show more hålla sig till samma stil och gör inga förändringar så håller den inte samma klass.
Men gillar man maffia böcker så borde man ändå vara nöjd . show less