The Greenfather: A Novel

(Paperback)

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Simon, New Yorks top organic grocery store owner has a secret: his dad is the head of one of New Yorks biggest mob families. When his dad dies, Simon agrees to head the Family, provided that instead of murder, numbers and other rackets, the mob uses its muscle to enforce green regulations and promote healthy eating habits. At first the mobs hit men and extortionists resent being pressed into green service, but they soon become Simons biggest supporters. Seemingly overnight, the city becomes literally cleaned up. Simon, who had planned on succeeding his dad temporarily, now finds he likes his new position as the head of the Family. However, the green world doesnt accept him because hes running a crime family, and the crime world doesnt trust him because hes run afoul of the Feds. Simon takes his wife, Marla, to his ancestral homeland in Italy, for a much-needed sabbatical and gets even further into trouble.
Loosely based on Mario Puzo's runaway hit The Godfather, THE GREENFATHER showcases Marshalls comic dialogue, honed year after year in late night television, in the grand tradition of classic mob comedy, like Analyze This and Analyze That. Packed with larger than life goons, right-hand men, Feds and green fanatics, THE GREENFATHER satirizes the environmental movement, crime, families, and crime families.
THE GREENFATHER is sharp, hilarious, and takes no prisoners, except the ones who are supposed to go there. It goes well with a light salad of radicchio and cherry plum tomatoes.

Reviews

Emmy-nominated TV writer Marshalls debut novel is a hilarious satire, delightfully poking fun at the Godfather movies, organized crime, organic food, health food stores, vegans and societys goofy fascinations with gangsters and granola. . . . Even Don Corleone would laugh at this clever, funny story. Publishers Weekly

The name of the game is entertainment here, and Marshall wields petty bickering, wordplay, and exaggeration like razor-sharp weapons, slicing and dicing the reader. Manhattan Book Review

Original, entertainingly laugh out loud funny, and a simply fascinating read from cover to cover, "The Greenfather" is truly exceptional and highly recommended. Midwest Book Review

Terribly clever . . . a lightning-fast read. Washington Independent Review of Books

When it comes to getting people to recycle, should we simply make them an offer they can't refuse Tarrytown Daily Voice

At The Final Edition Radio Hour we know John as one of our most uncompromising political satirists, but The Greenfather has him in far more genial mode as he explores the delicious comic premise of a mob capo with a social conscience. Every chapter is crammed with fall-on-the-floor funny dialogue as he pursues this premise to its absurdthough logicalconclusion. The Greenfather is a gloriously silly work in the grand tradition of mob comedy that goes all the way back to Billy Wilders Some Like It Hot. Tony Hendra, Co-Editor-in-Chief, National Lampoon; Co-Producer, The Final Edition Radio Hour

The amazing John Marshall hilariously captures `family dynamics with something I thought impossiblea brilliant new twist. Lizz Winstead, Co-Creator, The Daily Show; Co-Founder, Lady Parts Justice

Ive been a long time fan of John Marshall and his brilliant, comedic mind. His debut novel, The Greenfather, is an absolute gem! I just finished it and cant wait to read it again and again! Adam Wade, 20-Time Moth Champion

Author Bio

John Marshall is an Emmy-nominated writer who has written for The Chris Rock Show, Politically Incorrect, Tough Crowd with Colin Quinn, and The Electric Company, to name a few. He is a regular contributor to The Huffington Post, MAD Magazine, and Bazooka Joe Comics. As a stand-up comedian, he is a regular at Laughing Liberally in New York. He has studied improv with Upright Citizens Brigade in New York and Second City in L.A. He has executive produced the Writers Guild Awards show four times. Raised in Sleepy Hollow, New York, Marshall grew up a mile from Washington Irvings grave. His first story, written at age four, was called What to Do If You See a Big Scary Dog. It had five words: Fall, senseless, to the ground. In high school, Marshall studied writing with Mary Cheever, and at the University of Pennsylvania, he studied playwriting with Romulus Linney. He wrote for Jay Lenos Tonight Show and for Colin Quinns Weekend Update on SNL. Upcoming include Death & Faxes, an animated series about the Grim Reaper and a comic update of Washington Irvings story about the Headless Horseman called The Legend of North Tarrytown. THE GREENFATHER is his first novel. Marshall lives in New York City.