The story picks up with Lisa and Vinnie trying to leave Alabama, but even that has some problems. When they finally make it back to New York Vinnie is set on working and making money. He also ends up in court a few times trying to get his brother Joe out of trouble. His other two problems are Lisa, and the case he picks up which the D.A. thinks will be a slam dunk because he is new. With the odds against him once again along with family members because they feel he is not doing right by Lisa. You have the makings for a very good book. The description of the characters are a little different than the movie especially Vinnie, but that is okay. Overall the story works and I am good with everything except the ending. Lisa has been with Vinnie for ten years and I wonder how many women would stay around. Overall a good book.

Not a bad start. If you enjoyed the 90s movie and are interested in keeping tabs on Mona Lisa and Vinny check out the start of this continuing series. Most of the appeal will be in knowing the characters and their habits so readers unfamiliar with the movie My Cousin Vinny may not get it so the audience may be small.

MOVIE SEQUEL BOOK STYLE

I’m a movie fan. The fact I write reviews of movies should make that obvious. So when I saw that a sequel to a movie was coming out in the form of a book I was curious. Sequels are running rampant these days and I was surprised that this was in book form rather than on the screen. By the time I finished I could see why.

The book is a follow up to the film MY COUSIN VINNIE, the movie where novice lawyer Vincent Gambini was able to save his cousin from a murder charge through a clash of Brooklynese and the Deep South. The movie was hilarious and a big hit. The book, we’ll have to wait and see.

Vincent and his longtime girlfriend Lisa have returned home and with the success he had down south to go by, Vincent hopes to create a solid career as a lawyer here now. He’s provided an opportunity to do so when an old friend sends a client his way, young Theresa Cototi. Theresa has been accused of killing her boyfriend and claims she is innocent. Vincent’s friend, an ex-judge with a personal connection to Theresa, thinks that Vinnie is up to the task of saving her from execution.

Placed against an up and coming DA who has enough clout to make things difficult for Vinnie and who seems to know his every move before he presents it, Vinnie may have bitten off more than he can chew. At the same time you have to wonder if the defendant is as innocent as she claims or if she is guiltier than Vinnie and the judge are willing to accept. Via the usual oddball assortment of characters and witty one liners, Vinnie and his muse Lisa must sift through the clues and find the truth in order to win.

The movie is very easily written with more dialogue than description, as if it came from a script rather than straight to novel form. There is a lot of fun on display here but the fact is that what works well on screen doesn’t always work well in written form. Jokes that might inspire laughs when listened to are just not quite as funny when read, especially when they’re words coming from characters mouths as opposed to situations they are found in coupled with those words.

That being said it’s not to say that this book doesn’t offer some amusement or that it doesn’t help bring alive those characters we grew to love with the original film, one of those movies that when flipping through TV channels and found almost always makes you stop and watch. We’re still rooted for Vinnie, the constant underdog of the law profession as well as Lisa who loves him with all her heart and hopes they’ll soon wed and begin to take care of that ticking time clock of her body. There are some laughs along the way, an interesting story to follow and in the end a satisfying conclusion. I’m not sure this would transfer to film well but perhaps it will create enough interest for one to happen.

Vinny returns home to begin his practice as a personal injury attorney and once again finds himself caught up in a murder trial. And, once again, he charges in with all the style and finesse of a bull in a China shop. He also manages to pick up a couple of other clients as well.

This book takes place in an alternate reality time-warp, it begins just prior to the movie ending as Vinny and Lisa are leaving Alabama following the murder trial of Vinny's cousin, the movie was made in 1992 while the book is set in 2017. This explains the modern pop culture references (Duck Dynasty, Taylor Swift, Kanye West) sprinkled throughout the story

While the movie worked well as a fish-out-of-water/stranger-in-a-strange-land tale the book returns Vinny and Lisa to their home turf and somehow manages to lose most of the charm the characters originally possessed.

The story devolves into a constant bickering match between Vincent LaGuardia Gambini and Mona Lisa Vito. The courtroom segments follow the general set-up of the movie, rehashing what has already been done.

The humor is lame and falls flat most of the time, particularly an ongoing gag where Vinny keeps mispronouncing and mishearing people's names resulting in awkward and embarrassing moments... for example a detective whose last name is Parikh (pronounced Par-eek) is repeatedly referred to as Detective Pr*ck. To be fair it's the type of schtick that would have probably worked better in a film.

The majority of the book is Vinny and Lisa bickering about their relationship and day to day life. The plot moves extremely slow and the main story - the murder trial - is treated almost as an afterthought until almost the end of the book.

I just didn't care for this book at all. I struggled to finish it. It's long, it's dull, and the characters are just obnoxious. I found it to be a waste of time.

This book is intended for adults, there is rough language, and sexual situations. Even moderatley sensitive readers will likely be offended. (As a sidenote I am not a sensitive reader and was not offended in the least - I just didn't like the book).

***Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me the opportunity to read and review this book

While we frequently see books being made into movies, a rare occurrence is a movie being made into a book, or better yet, a favorite movie being continued into a book. Back to Brooklyn is that rarity and to make matters better, it is exceedingly well done.

As Lisa and Vinny drive off at the end of the movie My Cousin Vinny, it is just the beginning of Gambini's legal career. His long time supporter, Judge Molloy suggests a way for Vinny to get a little experience and make some money doing assigned council work. It is a challenge for Vinny because there is very little time to read the case file (often less than a minute) and with his dyslexia, reading fast is difficult. The first client he has is followed by Vinny's brother Joe, and that gives him a chance to break into the local scene and meet the Assistant District Attorney. Meanwhile the girlfriend of a murdered felon is referred to Vinny for advice, and when she is arrested, he becomes her trial attorney.

Although his career may be looking up, life with Lisa is never easy, and they continue fighting often without Vinny knowing why he is even fighting. But as always, she is proud of Vinny and helps him with his cases, making them a most unusual team.

I confess I loved the book but it was a slow read for me. Every time Vinny or Lisa spoke I had to visualize them (as Joe Pesci and Marisa Tomei) and hear the familiar voices that I have always associated with these characters. That was by no means a negative aspect to reading the book. It simply meant I didn't race through at my usual speed, but instead actually savored the book. I am pleased to report it was worth savoring and I look forward to reading future books in this series.