The Godfather

one of the best mob stories ever told

i decided to read the godfather because it is one of my favorite movies of all time. now, after having read the book i see the whole story in a different light. mario puzo writes this book with such passion and detail, and writes about each charicter in depth no matter how small a part they play. i recomend this book for all godfather fanatics. i will leave you breathless no matter how many times you have seen the movie.

5 out of 5 people found this review helpful.

Awesome

you cannot go wrong in buying this book!! its absolutely great!

3 out of 3 people found this review helpful.

Yes, It is as good as they say.

Okay, here's the thing. If you haven't seen the movie or read the book but plan to, READ THE BOOK FIRST. You will appreciate Mario Puzo's style and ability to make you feel like you are right there along side the characters that you fall in love with so much more if you do. Puzo creates a world that is realistic and makes sense with everything that is surrounded by the 1930s. The movie is also a classic. It portrays Puzo's masterpiece in a way I have never seen any other movie do. It gives the book justice and is so close to what Puzo describes, it feels like you are re-reading the book. Again, read the book first. If you haven't already read Puzo's writing, you are missing out. It's not called a classic for nothing.

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

A great story by a great author.

I was amazed at the character study that this book represents and I wanted to turn to the next page before I was finished with the one I was on. Mario Puzo's characters were as real as they come. The realationships between the Don and his family gave you a number of feelings. There were those that he didn't trust, and those that he would give his life for. The Godfather's characters brought you into the story and gave more meaning to it.

This is the story of the Corleone Family and their existence in the N.Y. Mafia. The story covers a time span of the early 1900's until the late 1940's. The Godfather was the first of its kind. Others have tried to imitate but came up short.

A great story by a great author. Highly recommend.

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

Exquisite

The remarkable thing about Mario Puzo's novel was the way it seemed to be told from the inside out; he didn't give us a world of international intrigue, but a private club as constricted as the seventh grade. Everybody knew everybody else and had a pretty good feeling of what they were up to. The Godfather himself is not even the central character in the book. That position goes to the youngest, brightest son, Michael, who understands the nature of his father's position while revising his old-fashioned ways. The Godfather's role in the family enterprise is described by his name; he stands outside the next generation which will carry on and, hopefully, angle the family into legitimate enterprises.

All in all this a great novel because it provides the same thirst quenching sensation as a bottle of cold water on a hot and sunny day. Definitely a must

-Tatian. O

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

An Moral, Tremendous and Thrill Story - You Should Read it !

The story is about the battle among a potential crime family- Corleone and some other mafia families in New York.
This story shows that no matter who you are, what kind of job you've been holding - you always maintain your own characteristics and qualities. Don't be affected or attracted by other people or anyone outside the society. It also shows the love and moral inside of a family about how they are happy or sad when one of the family member is in danger. Trying to do the best to protect the family and trust in each member of the family regardless of how bad the consequences will cause.

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

Amazing Classic!

Great Novel! Brings out the history of Sicily and the Mafia. This book takes place whre I live which is Long Island! Classic story that will be told for hundreds of years if not thousands!!!!!!!

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

My review on The Godfather

This is very tough to put down. There were a few chapters that weren't interesting, but everything else was hard to stop reading once I started.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Fans won't be disappointed

I enjoyed this book very much, it has all the elements you'd expect from a Mafia book (I still think the movie was better). The structure had me wondering about the time line more than once.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

A great classic read

The Godfather is every bit the classic as the movie and one of the few where I like both the book and the film. In my opinion, this is the heart of all Mafia type novels and I think there can be nothing better than this book.

The book starts off with an introduction on what kind of a person Don Corleone is. He oozes respect and class. The first few lines you read about him, you know that although he's the type of person you would turn to and someone you can trust, there's another side of him you wouldn't want to see and better off not knowing. Throughout the book you get mini stories in between the actual real plot. You get the inside-out of other characters and their background stories. It does aid the plot in some areas, in others, it's just a way of knowing some extra information - which still makes it a great read. Yes, you do get the classical Mafia wars that's an automatic requirement to make this a "mob novel" but it's done in such a way where it's classy and although it's unfortunate to happen to some characters in the novel, you're left thinking: "Well..you should have known better in the first place".

The characters are rich and filled with life throughout the book. I think it's thanks to these "mini stories" you have throughout the novel and it gives the characters more "flesh" so to speak. I like how they're all connected somehow with the Corleone family either through family relations, friendship, or the "favour" being done so the debt is being repaid. There's not too many characters to make it confusing, and there's even a specific part in the book where Puzo takes the time to explain to the reader which Don is which and of which family he is leader of, also he explains the ranks of Mafia as well to help the reader understand. He does a great job with explaining carefully that you're not left lost or wondering who is who. It may feel like there's a lot of characters but there's really just a group of central characters that you have to focus on which makes it less confusing and a much enjoyable read.The plot is very well done. There are certain parts where the plot "takes a break" and it may bother some readers, it didn't bother me I actually enjoyed the mini stories and in some cases it helps you understand how a certain character's relationship with the Don came to be.

Things that may bother some readers, some gory details, naturally this is a Mafia book so there will be blood. There are racial slurs and moments of misogyny and sexism. If you can read through that without bothering you, then this book will be a great read. I think it's a classic. The only real beef I have with this particular edition of the book is there are a lot of grammatical and spelling errors. I don't know why there's so many errors but it does get in the way of certain phrases and some spelling errors are so blatantly obvious.

Overall a great Mafia read and although it's a whopping 500 plus page book I don't regret it. It's definitely worth the time. I like both the movies and the book and will probably put this book among my favorites.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

didn't really impress me

As a big fan of the Godfather movie(s) I jumped at the chance to borrow this book from a friend of mine. 'You will love all the things that weren't covered by the movie,' he promised, 'and when you watch the movie again, you will notice lots of little things you missed before.' Well, he was half right. The movie is a very accurate translation of the novel, so you will definitely feel deja vu at each turn of the page. Some of the scenes that were cut were used in the Godfather Part II (the young Vito Corleone's rise to power). Others were mercifully banished forever because they were tangiental to the plot (Johnny Fontaine's career as a movie producer) or were insufferably stupid (Lucy Mancini's medical 'issue'). I didn't feel like I gained a great deal of insight on the characters from reading this book, although some of the background material was helpful (Tom Hayden's thoughts, and Don Vito's philosphies especially). I admit that after reading the book, I noticed some subtleties in the movie that I missed in my many previous viewings (Michael's runny nose in Sicily). But let's face it, none of them were critical to my understanding of the movie's plot or the character's motivations. As a stand alone, if you have never seen the movie, don't bother with this book: like many bestsellers it is poorly written, with anemic characterizations and point-to-point prose. This one is for fans only.

1 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

Truly awesome!

We have seen the movie, and know what happens (I'll make him an offer he can't refuse!). But to really understand it all you must read this book. It's a quick read and once you start it's hard to put down. Reading this book is like going behind the scenes of the movie, you really get into the characters you're able to fill in the spots where the movie missed the mak. I.e. Luca Brasi.

WOW

WOW Factor my most favorit book. Epic. Masterpice by master story teller.

Excellent

Excellent! I love the movie but had never read the book. This novel gave so much more backround on characters that in the movie looked like extras.

A great read full of "Oh...now I get it!" moments. Enjoy!

Explains the real life drama and wonders of the New York Mafia!

Mario Puzo is an amazing author. He knows how to really break down scenes in such description and it actually feels like your in the family as you progress on. The title of this book is "The Godfather" the title just itself made me pick up this book. It made me think of the movies and how much i love the old age mafia. The book has a bunch of genres in it, its funny at times, suspense, drama, sad, etc. Reading this book made me wish i was alive during these times and i had the chance to be involed in the Corleone Crime Family. Not even for the crime but just for the life they lived. Even though their lives were always on the line it was always worth it because the life is like a fast life and is all about money and family. This book is the best novel i have ever picked up. It is so memorable and intereting you never want to put the novel down because their is always something going on. The authors opinion he was trying to get across was perfect and i agree 100% with his choices and actions in the book. The characters are amazing and you feel like you know them as you progress on. My favorite character was Sonny Corleone which was Don Vito Corleone's oldest son. He was a man everyone feared and was very well respected as a Don even though he wasnt one. The fear he put into people was undescribable and you have to read it to understand exactly what i mean. Overall the book is amazing and memorable and i HIGHLY recommend for you to go to the book store and buy this book or the movie collections!

The Godfather by Bill

Mario Puzo's, The Godfather, shines a new light on the world of the Mafia. This crime fiction novel tells the story of the fictional Corleone Family's rise to power in America and their struggle to maintain it. The author, Mario Puzo, used his real life experiences as an Italian-American, as well events that occurred in the early 20th century as inspiration for the novel. The book tells the intertwining stories of multiple members of the Corleone Family. It tells how Vito Corleone a.k.a. "The Godfather," fled Sicily as a child and immigrated to America, where he climbed the ranks of the criminal underworld, eventually heading the most powerful crime organization in the world. The book also tells the story of Vito's son Michael, who slowly transforms from a law abiding war hero into a cunning and decisive Mafia chieftain. The plot is filled with betrayal and revenge. This story is memorable because of its originality. It shows the Mafia not as an organization of thieves and murderers, but rather as a large business that uses "unorthodox" methods to do business. The author shows that the men involved in the Mafia aren't just ruthless criminals but are real people who have in many cases been forced to take part in crimes because of circumstances out of their control. The Godfather is a highly entertaining and interesting book that I would definitely recommend for others to read.

A true gangster story

Great book, a classic, recomend to anyones whoes seen the movie.

OMG- You won't believe it!

If you've seen the movie (like me about 25 times), you HAVE to read the book.
As good as the movies are, the sub stories in the book are incredible.

hhhhh

hhhhhhhhhh

0 out of 3 people found this review helpful.

best book ever

love every thing about it