The Godfather - Mario Puzo

The most renowned gangster in I know of is Michael Corleone, closely followed by his father Vito. I imagine real-life master criminals aspiring to achieve the same fame, fortune and notoriety as the Corleone family, only to realise Mario Puzo does in fact write fiction! “The Godfather” is a story which spans approximately ten years (excluding the flashbacks), but in reality Puzo has created a multigenerational hero which even the legally minded can identify with. Everyone knows Michael Corleone – he, his family and their associates are the original “GoodFellas”. Whilst I realise the trilogy of films is a brilliant ...  Read the complete review

Traditionally it was the Hollywood movie that would attract me to a novel. I would first reconcile with the film and then if I sought further enlightenment, might go on to read the novel. But with The Godfather this was different and it became apparent that the representation that is a film is just how one person interpreted the book. In this sense the novel looses its authenticity, this however is a great complement to The Godfather Trilogy. This is a film that has revolutionised what I look for in the films I watch. Mario Puzo's the Godfather however takes the film to a higher level. Being the original text, you the reader are free to explore the wonderful world of ...  Read the complete review

Mario Puzo's The Godfather - who in this world has not heard of this magnificent book? It has it all, in my opinion, feeling, action, romance, a deep horrific undertone (if you like that sort of thing) and strong family values - of a sort. The Plot: --------- You've probably all seen the film so know the outline to this book but here goes: the family, headed by The Don - Vito Corleone, enter into a "war" with the 5 families of New York. This war is started over the proposal by Virgil Solozzo to the Corleones to enter into the Heroine business together, when he is refused he attacks and nearly kills the Don and the 5 families back ...  Read the complete review

Mario Puzo’s book is often overlooked due to the incredible success of the film adaptations. In the local Waterstones store there was money off all film related paperbacks so I managed to pick up this book for £4.99. It has been a number of years since I saw any of the Godfather movies and my memories of the story were sketchy at best, I think that this added to my enjoyment of the book as I didn’t know where the story was going a lot of the time. The book is one of the best I have ever read and I would highly recommend it to anyone who is even slightly interested in mafia/gangster stories. There are nine books within the book. ...  Read the complete review

The book that started the legacy. One man alone developed the story that was to be one of the most successful stories in cinema history. While The Godfather Part I is in my opinion by far the best part of the trilogy, the book eclipses even that. There are a countless number of reasons why. One of the greatest features of this book is the fact that, not only does it contain the excellent plot of the first movie, but it also includes the flashbacks to young Vito Corleone, which are found in The Godfather Part II. Mario Puzo develops the character of Vito much more fully in the book. Not only does he describe how Vito became "The Godfather," but also ...  Read the complete review