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The Godfather Returns: A Novel Audiobook
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(3.00) - 1,658 listener ratings
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Publisher Description
THE MISSING YEARS FROM THE GREATEST CRIME SAGA OF ALL TIME Thirty-five years ago, Mario Puzo’s great American tale, The Godfather, was published, and popular culture was indelibly changed. Now, in The Godfather Returns, acclaimed novelist Mark Winegardner continues the story–the years not covered in Puzo’s bestselling book or in Francis Ford Coppola’s classic films. It is 1955. Michael Corleone has won a bloody victory in the war among New York’s crime families. Now he wants to consolidate his power, save his marriage, and take his family into legitimate businesses. To do so, he must confront his most dangerous adversary yet, Nick Geraci, a former boxer who worked his way through law school as a Corleone street enforcer, and who is every bit as deadly and cunning as Michael. Their personal cold war will run from 1955 to 1962, exerting immense influence on the lives of America’s most powerful criminals and their loved ones, including Tom Hagen, the Corleone Family’s lawyer and consigliere, who embarks on a political career in Nevada while trying to protect his brother; Francesca Corleone, daughter of Michael’s late brother Sonny, who is suddenly learning her family’s true history and faces a difficult choice; Don Louie Russo, head of the Chicago mob, who plays dumb but has wily ambitions for muscling in on the Corleones’ territory; Peter Clemenza, the stalwart Corleone underboss, who knows more Family secrets than almost anyone; Ambassador M. Corbett Shea, a former Prohibition-era bootlegger and business ally of the Corleones’, who wants to get his son elected to the presidency–and needs some help from his old friends; Johnny Fontane, the world’s greatest saloon singer, who ascends to new heights as a recording artist, cozying up to Washington’s power elite and maintaining a precarious relationship with notorious underworld figures; Kay Adams Corleone, who finally discovers the truth about her husband, Michael–and must decide what it means for their marriage and their children and Fredo Corleone, whose death has never been fully explained until now, and whose betrayal of the Family was part of a larger and more sinister chain of events. Sweeping from New York and Washington to Las Vegas and Cuba, The Godfather Returns is the spellbinding story of America’s criminal underworld at mid-century and its intersection with the political, legal, and entertainment empires. Mark Winegardner brings an original voice and vision to Mario Puzo’s mythic characters while creating several equally unforgettable characters of his own. The Godfather Returns stands on its own as a triumph–in a tale about what we love, yearn for, and sometimes have reason to fear . . . family.
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"I started this one back in January but I didn't pick it up again until last month. I usually do the audiobooks on long drives but when I started listening to this one on my way to my parents house I was so hooked that I listened to it any time I was in my car. The story picks up where the Godfather left off. I've only seen the movie but I didn't have any trouble following the story line. The author follows many of the different characters from the original for about seven years. I really enjoyed hearing about what happens to everyone and how they continue the family business after the loss of Vito Corleone. The author goes into a lot of deatil into everyone's lives, it ties things up just like a sequel should."
— Jenn (4 out of 5 stars)
The Godfather Returns Listener Reviews
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" Not as good as the original. "
— Hoai, 2/20/2014 -
" its nothing when compared to godfather "
— Vel, 2/2/2014 -
" It took me a while to get into this book because it had been so long since I read the original, but after I figured out who everyone was and what their stories, I really came to enjoy the book. Like any great mob book, it was full of twists and turns and deaths and cheats. My main problem with the book, though, was that there were so many twists and turns and secret plots and subplots that I got confused toward the end. I think, though, that this author is trying to lay the groundwork for additional books in the Godfather series. For that reason, I think the book did a great job, and I would definitely be interested in another sequel. "
— Kyle, 1/27/2014 -
" I found this hard to get into at the start, but then it clicked maybe 75 pages in. I really enjoyed the story and the flow of it. It was very complimentary of the original book, the Sicilian, and the movies. "
— Du, 1/23/2014 -
" Absolutely horrible. Got better than half way, but couldn't finish it. "
— Brian, 1/17/2014 -
" This book occurs between the 1st and 2nd movies. I really like it because the reader gets to see a new view of Michael and how he runs his family. It also gives readers other new perspectives on the Corleone family that we never got to hear about before, "
— Norine, 1/12/2014 -
" Not bad, but there's no comparison with the amazing book of Mario Puzo. "
— Ana, 12/19/2013 -
" there can be only one original...all the "to be continued" suck... "
— Jaroslav, 11/30/2013 -
" Mark goes into depth about a lot of things that were questioned in Puzo's novels. He did a really good job. "
— Tamela, 11/25/2013 -
" better than the original...(book, that is...) "
— Corey, 9/29/2013 -
" I haven't read the original Godfather by Mario Puzzo so i cannot compare between them but this one comparing to the film trilogy certainly pales. I wasn't satisfied "
— Nikos79, 9/24/2013 -
" Good book, couple steps behind Puzo, obviously and more obviously not written by a true Italian. "
— Vincent, 7/19/2013 -
" Good. Done in the same style as Puzo. "
— James, 12/25/2012 -
" Mario Puzo wrote an amazing book but in my opinion, Mark Winegardner could not do justice to his work. I got lost in between a lot of time as the expression was not as clear or proper how Mr. Puzo did. The end was however amazing. I liked it, but love the first part more. "
— Maulik, 12/21/2012 -
" I was not satisfied with this book. "
— Michelle, 11/23/2012 -
" "i enjoyed this novel. at times there was a bit too much exposition\ "
— Rob, 11/5/2012 -
" Not nearly as enjoyable as the original book. The characters are piss-weak in comparison. "
— Emma, 6/26/2012 -
" Weak attempt to fill in some of the time gaps in the original story. "
— John, 3/7/2012 -
" I am a bit biased. This book would have probably been like a 2.5. However, being a Godfather sucker, it was refreshing. "
— Mike, 3/7/2012 -
" A posthumous Puzo book. What a piece of shit. Poor guy's probably rolling in his grave. "
— Chaz, 10/31/2011 -
" Just stopped half way, its a load of crap! no story line at all, don't think i want to waste my time. Mario Puzo would roll on his grave if he read this. "
— Shani, 7/27/2011 -
" So far it's pretty good. A little..uhm...descriptive, in many ways than one. "
— Elizabeth, 5/21/2011 -
" Not a terrible read however NEVER comes close to the original way too much time spent on secondary characters no one really cares about (Sonny's mom etc...) "
— John, 4/13/2011 -
" A graphic detailed look inside the Corleone family and the extended family. The plot twists through love and war and death "
— Scott, 2/28/2011 -
" Not quite as sharp as 'The Godfather Returns', but still a great story and continuation of Puzo's The Godfather universe.<br/><br/>Written in Danish. "
— Lars, 1/2/2011 -
" Though you can't replace Puzo, this was a good furthering of the story. I do hope it ends here though. "
— Bobby, 12/28/2010 -
" just finished this book. I am a fan of Mario Puzo, however, Mark Winegardner should choose another author to emulate. The book is very drawn out. It was a fun read, but if you are a fan of Mafia books I don't suggest you read The Godfather's Revenge "
— Lenny, 2/5/2010 -
" one of the main characters dies - still can't believe it. "
— Marti, 10/9/2009 -
" Certainly not a Mario Puzo. At times I had to read sentences over & over and they still didn't make sense. If you can overlook these few instances, it's a pretty good story. "
— Linda, 8/13/2009 -
" Not as bad as many of the others. Passable story. Buy it used and you won't be disappointed. "
— Sabur76, 5/16/2009 -
" Let's see, we have a fictional president in 1963 who's brother, the attorney general, is cracking down on the mafia. Gee, I wonder how that's going to end. "
— James, 1/21/2009
About Mark Winegardner
Mark Winegardner is a celebrated novelist who was handpicked by Mario Puzo’s estate to write The Godfather Returns, an instant New York Times bestseller. His previous books, including the novels Crooked River Burning and The Veracruz Blues, have been chosen as among the best of the year by the New York Times Book Review, Chicago Sun-Times, Los Angeles Times, the New York Public Library, and USA Today. He is a professor (and former director) at the creative writing program at Florida State University in Tallahassee, Florida.
About Scott Brick
Scott Brick, an acclaimed voice artist, screenwriter, and actor, has performed on film, television, and radio. He attended UCLA and spent ten years in a traveling Shakespeare company. Passionate about the spoken word, he has narrated a wide variety of audiobooks. winning won more than fifty AudioFile Earphones Awards and several of the prestigious Audie Awards. He was named a Golden Voice by AudioFile magazine and the Voice of Choice for 2016 by Booklist magazine.