The Godfather

TL;DR: a good read, if not entirely to my taste.(SPOILERS AHEAD - READER, BEWARE!) I love stories about the Mafia. From the families depicted on Law and Order to true crime documentaries, I love it all. Being a film buff as well, I wanted to see the Coppola classic The Godfather, but I felt like I should read the source material first. What Puzo excels at is realism. The majority of his characters feel very human, with all of the virtues and faults you'd expect in a novel with such a large cast. His descriptions of sex are passionate and deliciously reverent, and the moments where he allows himself to be less prosy are splendidly vibrant. He also makes characters with different (or non-existent) moral codes compelling. For example, I was very invested in and entertained by Sonny Corleone, though he's not a person I'd like in real life, and his death was one of my least favorite pieces of the story.Some of the weaknesses in the novel, I feel, are the somewhat clumsy integration of Puzo's sociopolitical and moral philosophy into the narrative, and an occasionally meandering plot. The first of those happens most often through large monologues of either Don Corleone and his son Michael. Puzo attempts to elevate seemingly business-focused and down-to-earth conversations into meditations on the justice of the Family's ethical code, the injustice of Western models of governance, the nature of Sicilian people and the characteristics of ideal men and women. The second lies in the fact that there are many threads of story going at any one time, but they don't all have a satisfying conclusion; the central arc comes to a close, but the situation of several important characters isn't addressed in the end, so there's very little payoff for many pages of storytelling and emotional investment.The biggest issues I had, as a modern reader with very liberal beliefs, were not necessarily of Puzo's style. I understand that the book was written in 1969 and set in the 1940s and 1950s, so I didn't expect it to be the most progressive text. Nevertheless, I want to put forward the following.CONTENT WARNINGS: graphic violence, sexual assault, racism, sexism, domestic violenceI expected some of these, but good lord. The violence is not graphic in the same way as the violence of authors like James Patterson, but it is still explicit and can be shocking to those unaccustomed to crime novels. Descriptions of the decapitated horse head and of the physical responses of someone being garroted are the most graphic, but glossing over those portions of text won't reduce your experience of the plot so no worries, fellow squeamish folk! (Sidenote: I found the killing of the horse exceptionally sad. Puzo goes out of his way to describe in an earlier scene how beautiful and dignified the horse is, and the destruction of such a marvelous living thing broke my heart. So if you're a softy like me, be prepared.) One other thing to beware of: the killer Luca Brasi is described throughout most of the book as unusually violent (to such an extent that other Family members are actively terrified of him), and his capacity for violence is stated as being ultimately confirmed by a story that few in the Family know and that none of those will tell Michael Corleone. The story is later revealed to be him forcing a midwife at gunpoint to murder his newborn child by placing it in a furnace. It is obviously deeply upsetting, and it's not treated with the horror that it should be.There is no actual incident of sexual assault in the book, but one of the first arcs we're introduced to is a man seeking Don Corleone's help in revenging himself on two men who attempted to rape his daughter and beat her severely when she resisted. Sexual violence is mentioned in other contexts, largely as a danger faced by economically disadvantaged women. Racism in The Godfather is mostly directed at non-Italians and black people, and an Italian character is at least once referred to by the slur d*go (evolved from deliberate mispronunciation of the common Spanish/Italian name Diego). Black people are referred to as "savages" and characterized as violent drug addicts or abused promiscuous women/sex workers.I expected a lot of that, but the sexism of the book was way more than I was prepared for. Female characters, even those through whose eyes we view portions of the story, are largely appendages to the male characters and are depicted exclusively in the context of their romantic/sexual relationships with men of the Corleone Family. The possessive, patronizing way that the men treat women in the text is "justified" through lengthy asides about how the man in question just loves the woman so much or how it's the Sicilian way or how it's for the women's own protection. This also includes the text's treatment of domestic violence. When Connie Corleone tells her parents about her husband's violent physical abuse, they tell her that she has to work it out herself because the relationship between a husband and wife is no one else's business. Her abuse is normalized and only included in the text because of the effect it produces in her brother and has on her husband. No one checks in with the female characters when they experience trauma, and they are explicitly acknowledged as not being equal partners to their husbands or other male family members (which the story justifies by ascribing it to the inability of the men to divulge the details of Cosa Nostra to their spouses and the desire to keep women and children in the "protected" position of noncombatants). Sex workers and other female characters who retain control over their sexual agency are largely dismissed and judged as being of little value, all while the male characters indulge themselves in the custom of those sex workers or have mountains of one-off sexual relationships themselves.The most egregious example of sexism in the story for me, though, was when Michael Corleone marries a young woman (Apollonia) while hiding in Sicily. First, she is explicitly acknowledged in the text as being a teenager but possessing the body and attractiveness of an adult (which is just disgusting), so Michael has no business getting into a relationship with her. Second, he decides that he wants to marry this girl after he is "struck by the thunderbolt", which is basically lusting so hard after someone that you turn into a possessive weirdo. From the moment he talks with her father, it is heavily implied that this marriage is going to happen because of Michael's powerful family connections and personal wealth; there's no room made for the possibility that Apollonia may not want to marry this older stranger. She does seem to really fall for him, but that is just convenient, not necessary for the sealing of this contract. (Sidenote: I understand the historical context of marriage, but this storyline was creepy in a narrative that also talks about the beautiful connection between Michael and his other romantic interest. That coupling was not countenanced by his family at first, but the story lauds Michael's decision to choose loyalty to his heart rather than his family's traditions. So clearly not every marriage is a simple financial arrangement. Apollonia being a teenager only makes this whole thing worse.) Third, she says exactly 1 word of dialogue, which is a demure expression of thanks for a gift from Michael. Fourth, about 85% of the descriptions of her in the text concern her physicality and the things Michael finds sexy about her, instead of giving her any kind of personality. Finally, it's obvious that her role in the story is to be sexually enticing, to embody the "perfect" Sicilian young woman, and to give Michael's character arc another shove with her violent death. I really felt for her, and her descriptions made her sound like a really pleasant person who absolutely deserved a better life than the one she got.Despite all of that problematic content, I enjoyed the story overall, and I felt that it was a very different perspective on the intent and behavior of criminals than I'd experienced before. The careful, calculated relationships between most of the characters were fascinating to explore, and the brilliance of Don Corleone is riveting. I enjoyed the plot twists, too, mostly because I couldn't see them coming. Some of the Don's lines are deliciously memorable, and his characterization is endlessly engrossing, mostly due to the rigid moral code he possesses and the way he asserts his power in all of his relationships. I am more eager than ever to see the films!

Watched all of The Godfather movies, then watched “the offer”on Netflix on the “making of” the god father which was a great series in itself. Now I’m reading the book! The back story on Netflix is pretty cool especially the part when sonny beats up Connie,s husband! But the book is way better than all of the movies! Cant put it down!!!!

There is a reason this book was on the bestseller list for 67 weeks snd sold over 21 million copies. In you ever watched the Godfather, Mario Puzo’s source novel is a must read just for the Johnnie Fontane westward expansion subplot intertwined with movie minor characters Lucy Mancini, and Nino Valenti while introducing Dr Jules Segal. Ever wonder why Lucca Brasi was so feared? Want to know the backstory for Albert Neri - the guy hovering around Michael? Want more details about Michael’s exile, his wife Apollonia, his return to America, and his retribution against Fabrizzio? The movie’s images effortlessly appear in your mind as you read Puzo’s familiar dialogue. This is a must read for even a casual Godfather fan let alone someone who quotes it daily!

This will forever be a classic! It has been my favorite for 20+ years every since I first watched the movie and read the book.There are so many life lessons.

I've read the book before the movie was made, it kind of close the gaps of certain characters that are amazing but hardly touch in the movie who was excellent but Luca Brasi is not well portrait prompt delivery

What a great read! Very entertaining and gripping. Truly one of the great American novels of the 20th century. I decided to read this after rewatching the first film recently. I wish I had read it sooner!

“The Godfather” is a 1969 novel authored by Mario Puzo. It is the author’s third novel. It is the basis for two Academy Award winning movies. I completely enjoyed the novel. I both read the novel on Kindle and listened to the audiobook. The story is quite clearly written. I particularly enjoyed the audiobook, however there are many characters and I am glad that I read along in order to avoid becoming confused. Therefore I did not use this audiobook much whilst commuting. I sat quietly and read and listened.The story is about a family living in the New York area that is quite successful in various ways. There is a successful legal business interest. There are also illegal activities. The story revolves around the various males of the family and various intrigues about the illegal activities.I agree with another reviewer who spoke about an economy of words. The author keeps on point. This story has many parts to it and spans numerous years. It is not a short novel and would have been a vast sprawling epic if the author did not stick to the story.To my knowledge this is the third novel by the author. When I study an author I often read all of his / her novels in the order of publication, I read the first two by this author. They are both good, but this novel seemed to be much better and is by far my favorite of the three. For a casual enjoyable reading experience, I would just start with this novel.In summary, I completely enjoyed this novel. It is very similar to the Academy Award movie of the same name. I like this novel better than the first two novels by this author. Thank You for taking the time to read this review.

Awesome book !! Loved the movie the book just breaks it down even more !

Mario Puzo’s work on the godfather has got to be the only long book you should ever read in your lifetime. It’s got action, politics, crime, money, and above all, family. That’s right, your heard it first from Vito aka, “The Godfather”, or “don” when he speaks to Johnny Fontane. “A man who doesn’t have time for his family can never be a real man.” The keen eyed reader will notice a character evolution personality arc because of this comment from the don and the reader can tell what fuelled the arc.Despite that, we’ve got 9 books, that’s right 9 books crammed into 500 somethin’ pages and every single flick of each rugged page is a pure hit of dopamine to the pleasure senses.You want to know how it fell off the back of the truck and want to make sure it doesn’t end up back there, this is the book for you.You’re of Italian descent, you loved the movie series and want to dive deeper into that mob world, boy this is the book for you.Do you even want to become a better man, care about the things that are important, and offer your friendship to the people you like and want to help them the best way you can? This is and will always be the book for you. Yeah sure you could get the same results from those psychology books about being a better person or some scam but that’s boring, we want to follow a beautifully written and executed narrative, and this is and will always be the book to purchase for that.I could highly recommend The Godfather by Mario Puzo. Note: The Sicilian is the second in the series. This product in particular is of decent quality, did have some ink errors that ruined lettering every now and again, but nothing too bad. And my hard cover wasn’t sewed on straight, (I think that’s the right way of saying it) but again not too important.

This I thought started slowly. Then as the story unfolds you understand it is the way of the family. Clever plot and frightening killers and leaders.

Fantastic ! This was a quick delivery and we are really happy !

Wow, this was a really grand book. It was philosophically amazing, as well as vast and penetrating in character development.I enjoyed reading about how the Godfather (Don Corleone) runs an empire that’s so powerful and self sustaining. He will help almost anyone who comes to him, no matter how difficult the task. The only thing he asks for in return, is their friendship, where he can call upon their help in the future. Truly I was so fascinated by such a high-level, grand-scale social maneuvering. Yet, I find myself liking the Godfather as a person too, despite everything he did. This is a story that talks about a mafia empire in a sympathetic light, that you can’t even bring yourself to hate the Don, even though he is technically a formidable, unscrupulous crime lord.However, Don Corleone isn’t completely without scruple. He does have some personal moral values; for instance, he disapproves of promiscuity and adultery. He also disapproves of the drug trade and prostitution. Interestingly, he’s okay with gambling. It’s also intriguing and counter-intuitive that he has a pretty good relationship with his wife. Some may even see Don Corleone as a family man…He certainly values family (and friendship) more than the average person does, all of which go against your expectations of a mafia crime lord. I love seeing unconventional characters!Some of the character names really evoke a strong, apt feeling. “Corleone” sounds momentous and sombre, something you have to take seriously, even if you dislike Don Corleone and his family. In addition, the name “Tattaglia,” which is one of the New York rival families, sounds memorable, foreboding, yet somehow flippant and childish at the same time.The characters were all very complex, where no one was totally admirable or despicable. Mario Puzo uses multiple POVs to tell the backstory of each main and secondary character, so there is no lack of depth. I especially like how he uses these POVs and character histories to reveal each person’s beliefs, attitudes, and worldviews. However, I have to admit that some of the backstories (Vito Corleone’s in particular), were so long that I grew impatient and went to read another book instead. The backstories were all engaging and relevant, but they were still a travel back to the past, and I was eager to get back to the present.Also, although I enjoyed the complexity of the story, with its multiple points-of-view, tunnelling deep into every character’s backstory, I sometimes thought that the complexity was too much, and I was losing interest, especially as I’m not equally interested in all of the characters. I used to be a more patient reader, but I find that the older I get, the less patient I become. Nevertheless, I appreciated that we got to know many characters in depth. In fact, there was a particular character I found very intriguing, and I felt that we didn’t get enough backstory on him.It was fascinating as well to read about the Sicilian mafia logic. The police and the law fail to support the common people, especially the poor, and so the people go to the mafia for justice. We got to read from some of the police officers’ points of view too, which made you empathize with them; the justice system failed them too. It makes you wonder how anyone in that society could avoid breaking the law.I found the betrayals and the motives behind them intriguing too.It was also more interesting than I thought to read about Johnny Fontaine and Virginia. Hmmm…Even though Freddie Corleone isn’t much talked about, I felt bad for him. Nobody respects him, so what could you even expect from him? As for Sonny Corleone…sorry, I didn’t like him that much.Tom Hagen was an interesting character as well. It struck me that he actually has a happy marriage. I had held the stereotypical belief that powerful men, especially powerful men who are lawyers, are doomed to have miserable marriages. I’m sincerely very glad for Tom. He’s an underrated ally for sure.All in all, this was a lovely book! No wonder it’s so popular. I’m happy that I finally got to read it.

This is not the sort of book I normally read: crime, murder, family feuds - but I have seen the films many times and I bought the book on a Kindle daily deal - I like to collect classics.The first thing to say is, it is beautifully written and with affinity for each of the main characters and their point of view, as they enter the story. I cannot say how much of the three dimensionality - or sometimes four-dimensionality - of the characters I feel is due to the book itself, or my familiarity with the films; it can't be separated now.That leads me on to the next thing I must mention, which is the first thing I noticed on reading this book. The first part of the book and the first part of the film are almost identical, so I was in familiar territory. We are at Connie's wedding party, in the grounds of the Corleone family estate and it is almost as if, like 2001, the two were written synonymously. I have to say that this makes the film enormously clever, I feel, to pull off such a thing - but then, Mario Puzo was heavily involved in the making of the film - and I might have felt very differently about it, if I had read the book first (I hated Disney's Winnie the Pooh!).The book, however, contains a lot of detail that is not in the film - a whole different dimension to both Johnny Fontane, and Lucy Mancini (Sonny's Mistress) and, even having seen the films many times, I still thoroughly enjoyed it - in fact, it was comforting to have ready made images I could call up, for these characters, which did not clash with the book in any way.All in all, a thoroughly enjoyable, well-written book, with few grammatical errors and I am on to the next one now, while my husband, who has been anxiously waiting in the wings, for me to finish this one, commences to devour it, probably in half the time it took me!