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Book Review: The Godfather by Mario Puzo

Author:  Mario Puzo

Publisher: G. P. Putnam’s Sons

Genre: Crime Fiction

First Publication: 1969

Language:  English

Major Characters: Don Vito Corleone, Santino “Sonny” Corleone, Michael Corleone, Frederico “Fredo” Corleone, Constanzia “Connie” Corleone, Thomas “Tom” Hagen, Johnny Fontane, Peter “Pete” Clemenza, Salvatore “Sal” Tessio,

Setting Place: New York City and Long Beach, New York. Hollywood, California. Las Vegas, Nevada.

Theme: Crime and Justice, Power, Masculinity and Patriarchy, Family, Loyalty and Betrayal

Narration:  Third person

Book Summary: The Godfather by Mario Puzo

The Godfather—the epic tale of crime and betrayal that became a global phenomenon. A modern masterpiece, The Godfather by Mario Puzo is a searing portrayal of the 1940s criminal underworld. It is also the intimate story of the Corleone family, at once drawn together and ripped apart by its unique position at the core of the American Mafia. Still shocking more than fifty years after it was first published, this compelling tale of blackmail, murder and family values is a true classic.

The seduction of power, the pitfalls of greed, and the allegiance to family—these are the themes that have resonated with millions of readers around the world and made The Godfather the definitive novel of the violent subculture that, steeped in intrigue and controversy, remains indelibly etched in our collective consciousness.

Vito Corleone grew up in Sicily. His father died and he escaped with his life. They call Vito the Don, or the Godfather. If you need true help, where do you go? Nothing exists outside the laws of our land. Except the law of the Godfather, and his law of power, and money, and business.

Vito loves his sons. They mean essence of life to him. Vito grows old. He gets shot several times and lands in a hospital bed. The family strives to keep and protect in this war of mob families. Sonny Corleone, the Godfather’s eldest son takes over interim. Will they protect from losses? Will they further the family business in the time of testing and vulnerability? The plot begins here, and leads to blood, deception and the smell of gun-smoke trailing a highway for the Angel of Death.

“Friendship is everything. Friendship is more than talent. It is more than the government. It is almost the equal of family.- Don Corleone”

When a story has a villain, villains are usually more effective and enjoyable when they are three dimensional (they have good traits as well) Much of the book explains the godfathers mindset, reasoning, philosophies, and strict sense of his version of honor. It’s not done in a preachy way; in fact, interestingly no other viewpoint is ever seen, experienced, or given from opposing characters.

“Never hate your enemies. It affects your judgment.”

The slow ascension into power by Michael Corleone is powerful. Michael is realistic as the son who wishes to set apart with his own future, pulled in eventually by honor learned after tainting himself. Vito is equally fascinating with his past, his present, his philosophies. I really hold no bad thoughts toward any of the characters and when their viewpoints are used.

Vito, Sonny and Michael have much to teach us concerning strategy and tactics in a competitive economy. These characters have become icons, and the broken face of Michael Corleone reigns as the tough face, the gangster face, the scar-face. Learn much of the Italian culture, the intimacy, the passion, the love of music and art and food. Learn to stay alive when trusted allies create dissonance of uncertainty.

“Revenge is a dish that tastes best when served cold.”

It’s easy seeing why this one became such a bestseller and was made successfully into a popular movie . Even if the cultural presence isn’t a reality we all personally experience, it’s easily understood and to a point agreed with. The struggle among father and son and setting a person’s own path is an age old story always enjoyed as it DOES affect people even today and always will.

The Godfather by Mario Puzo is one of the best pieces of literature ever written. Mario Puzo paints this elaborate picture of the Sicilian mafia through the eyes of Michael Corleone, a returning Marine Corps hero who at first wants nothing to do with the elaborate crime family that his father has built. The reason that the Godfather by Mario Puzo is so good is the depth of the characters. They aren’t just evil criminals. They are real people. Mario Puzo romanticises the mafia life and that time period altogether.

Brief Biography of Mario Puzo:

Mario Puzo was one of twelve children born to Neapolitan parents who emigrated from Italy to New York. He grew up in Hell’s Kitchen, a tough neighborhood on Manhattan’s West Side with a large population of Italian and Irish immigrants. Puzo’s father abandoned the family when Mario was twelve years old, leaving his strong-willed mother to raise the family on her own.

During World War II , Puzo served in the army but saw no combat due to his poor eyesight. After the war, he returned to New York and pursued a writing career. He wrote articles for men’s magazines such as Swank and Male and published two novels: The Dark Arena (1955) and The Fortunate Pilgrim (1965). Both novels received critical praise but met with poor sales.

By the late 1960s, Puzo was a father of five in deep financial debt, so he purposely tried to write a hit novel. The result was 1969’s The Godfather by Mario Puzo, a bestselling tale of life in an Italian-American Mafia family that became a cultural phenomenon and inspired an Academy Award-winning movie trilogy from director Francis Ford Coppola. Puzo wrote several more novels and screenplays throughout the 1970s, 80s, and 90s before he died of heart failure in 1999. His last work, another Mafia epic called Omerta, was published posthumously in 2000.

Buy Now: The Godfather by Mario Puzo

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April 27, 1969 Review By DICK SCHAAP The Godfather By Mario Puzo here are strong similarities between Michael Corleone and Alexander Portnoy. Neither of them, for instance, wishes to enter his father's line of work. Each of them falls for a White Anglo-Saxon Protestant girl. Of course, there are some differences, too. When Alexander Portnoy's father is frustrated, he gets constipated; when Michael Corleone's father is frustrated, he gets someone killed. "The Godfather" is the coming of age of Michael Corleone in a world that Philip Roth never knew. It is the world of the Mafia in America, and the dialogue and the logic of "The Godfather" ring true enough to raise the suspicion that, at least by hearsay, Mario Puzo knows his subject well. If Philip Roth has created a Jewish mother who can actually give you heartburn, Mario Puzo has created a Sicilian father who will make you shiver every time you stroll on Mulberry Street. And, with loving care and detail, what Roth has done for masturbation, Puzo has done for murder. Yet it is unfair to carry the analogy too far. "The Godfather" is not written nearly so artfully as "Portnoy's Complaint." Nor does it approach the humor of Roth's work. Yet "The Godfather" is such a compelling story, a better-written Sicilian entry into the Irving sweepstakes, the truth- disguised-and-distorted-as-fiction genre, that any day now, I am certain, the Portnoy family and the Corleone family will end up sharing the heady heights of best-sellerdom as comfortably as the Jews and the Italians have long shared the pleasures of salami. To condense "The Godfather," it is the account of the rise and fall and rise of the Corleone Empire, ruled by the godfather himself, Don Vito Corleone. Puzo performs a neat trick; he makes Don Vito a sympathetic, rather appealing character, part robbing hood and part Robin Hood. Without sugarcoating Don Vito's sins, Puzo makes the man believable and, more important, understandable. Don Vito's supporting cast includes his three sons, Santino, who is too tough; Frederico, who is too weak; and Michael, who is, by the Don's standards, just right. Tom Hagen, the Don's Irish- German-American counselor, weaves in and out of the story, and so does the Don's wayward godson, Johnny Fontane, a crooner whose voice goes sour, whose career nose-dives after a disastrous show-biz marriage and whose career revives after he plays a dramatic role in a movie about soldiers. (If there is any justice at all, Frank Sinatra deserves a piece of the royalties on half the novels published in the last few years.) The plot revolves around gang warfare and the names of the antagonists might as well read Anastasia and Genovese and Gallo and Profaci because almost all of the incidents spring straight from the headlines on page 3 of The Daily News (or page 87 of The Times, for that matter). For the most part, they only kill each other; as far as I can recall, only two innocents get killed in the entire book, and one of them is a horse--a magnificent horse, to be sure. The incidents--from a gangland kidnapping in Manhattan to an Appalachian-type sitdown to a murder on the Southern State Parkway--guarantee the pace of the narrative; the deeper strength of the narrative comes from examinations of the Mafia mind, a dedication to a peculiar kind of professionalism, a conviction that street justice is more equal and more honest than the justice practiced in the courts. "The Godfather" is weakest when Puzo reaches out to drag in dramatic scenes that advance neither his plot nor his characters. Obviously, he has collected vivid vignettes, based partly or wholly on fact, that he could not resist throwing in. I can't particularly blame him; some of the extraneous Hollywood and Las Vegas scenes are wonderful little anecdotes that would brighten even the most blasé cocktail party; it would have taken a very strong-willed man to keep them out of "The Godfather." Puzo gave in. He also gave in to a scene in which Don Vito "coined a phrase that was to become as famous in its way as Churchill's Iron Curtain." At the big meet with the rival Mafioso, Vito Corleone says, "We will manage our world for ourselves because it is our world, cosa nostra ." If the book were a cartoon strip, an electric bulb would have glowed above Don Vito's head. Allow for a touch of corniness here. Allow for a bit of overdramatization there. Allow for an almost total absence of humor. Still Puzo has written a solid story that you can read without discomfort at one long sitting. Pick a night with nothing good on television, and you'll come out far ahead. Mr. Schaap, who edited "Instant Replay: The Green Bay Diary of Jerry Kramer," is at work on the diary of a touring golf professional. Return to the Books Home Page

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THE GODFATHER

by Mario Puzo ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 10, 1969

Ten years in the workaday progress of a New York Mafia sort of family dynasty tale with all the attendant flurries of great houses at war. Don Corleone is ruler of the Family, avenger and dispenser of favors, from judges boughten verdicts to rub-outs among the fiefdoms. The noble Don ages and there is the nagging worry as to who shall carry on. Eldest son Sonny is too impetuous; Freddie is a fornicator; Michael fancies a teaching career with his Yankee bride. Along with the manipulative, diplomatic and skull-smashing demands of the Eastern empire of real estate, manufacturing, and gambling, there is always the threat of treachery from within one unfortunate example of which snuffs out Sonny by the Jones Beach toll booths. Michael, forgetting the scholar's life, pumps bullets in revenge, is sent to Italy, and is finally returned miraculously intact after assassination attempts. It is Michael, after the Don's near murder and eventual death from heart failure who reasserts the Family as Number One in a coup which includes the garrotting of a traitorous brother-in-law. The scene roams from coast to coast, provides glimpses of the sex/love tangles of the Ladies Auxiliary, family fun and cosy Italian fiestas, boppings, bashings, shootings, hackings. A Mafia Whiteoaks, bound for popularity, once you get past the author's barely concealed admiration for the "ethics" and postulates of primitive power plays.

Pub Date: March 10, 1969

ISBN: 0451205766

Page Count: 472

Publisher: Putnam

Review Posted Online: April 9, 2012

Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 1969

GENERAL FICTION

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by Mario Puzo with Carol Gino

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A LITTLE LIFE

by Hanya Yanagihara ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 10, 2015

The phrase “tour de force” could have been invented for this audacious novel.

Four men who meet as college roommates move to New York and spend the next three decades gaining renown in their professions—as an architect, painter, actor and lawyer—and struggling with demons in their intertwined personal lives.

Yanagihara ( The People in the Trees , 2013) takes the still-bold leap of writing about characters who don’t share her background; in addition to being male, JB is African-American, Malcolm has a black father and white mother, Willem is white, and “Jude’s race was undetermined”—deserted at birth, he was raised in a monastery and had an unspeakably traumatic childhood that’s revealed slowly over the course of the book. Two of them are gay, one straight and one bisexual. There isn’t a single significant female character, and for a long novel, there isn’t much plot. There aren’t even many markers of what’s happening in the outside world; Jude moves to a loft in SoHo as a young man, but we don’t see the neighborhood change from gritty artists’ enclave to glitzy tourist destination. What we get instead is an intensely interior look at the friends’ psyches and relationships, and it’s utterly enthralling. The four men think about work and creativity and success and failure; they cook for each other, compete with each other and jostle for each other’s affection. JB bases his entire artistic career on painting portraits of his friends, while Malcolm takes care of them by designing their apartments and houses. When Jude, as an adult, is adopted by his favorite Harvard law professor, his friends join him for Thanksgiving in Cambridge every year. And when Willem becomes a movie star, they all bask in his glow. Eventually, the tone darkens and the story narrows to focus on Jude as the pain of his past cuts deep into his carefully constructed life.  

Pub Date: March 10, 2015

ISBN: 978-0-385-53925-8

Page Count: 720

Publisher: Doubleday

Review Posted Online: Dec. 21, 2014

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2015

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by Hanya Yanagihara

PERSPECTIVES

THE CATCHER IN THE RYE

by J.D. Salinger ‧ RELEASE DATE: June 15, 1951

A strict report, worthy of sympathy.

A violent surfacing of adolescence (which has little in common with Tarkington's earlier, broadly comic, Seventeen ) has a compulsive impact.

"Nobody big except me" is the dream world of Holden Caulfield and his first person story is down to the basic, drab English of the pre-collegiate. For Holden is now being bounced from fancy prep, and, after a vicious evening with hall- and roommates, heads for New York to try to keep his latest failure from his parents. He tries to have a wild evening (all he does is pay the check), is terrorized by the hotel elevator man and his on-call whore, has a date with a girl he likes—and hates, sees his 10 year old sister, Phoebe. He also visits a sympathetic English teacher after trying on a drunken session, and when he keeps his date with Phoebe, who turns up with her suitcase to join him on his flight, he heads home to a hospital siege. This is tender and true, and impossible, in its picture of the old hells of young boys, the lonesomeness and tentative attempts to be mature and secure, the awful block between youth and being grown-up, the fright and sickness that humans and their behavior cause the challenging, the dramatization of the big bang. It is a sorry little worm's view of the off-beat of adult pressure, of contemporary strictures and conformity, of sentiment….

Pub Date: June 15, 1951

ISBN: 0316769177

Page Count: -

Publisher: Little, Brown

Review Posted Online: Nov. 2, 2011

Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 1951

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by J.D. Salinger

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Book Review | The Godfather by Mario Puzo

The Godfather by Mario Puzo

I’m one of the few people I know that has not watched Francis Ford Coppola’s film classic The Godfather . When a co-worker promised that “The movie was good, but the book was better,” I decided to test the thesis.

And, indeed, I wonder if I’ll ever need to even try the movie after reading The Godfather . As written by Mario Puzo, The Godfather  is something that pulls you in, grasps you, and demands you pay attention. Pay attention as the Godfather builds his empire, plots against his rivals, and establishes plausible deniability, all set on a foundation of Sicilian honor, “omerta,” and business. Pay attention to a world where the highest value is loyalty and where blood is thicker than love, a chauvinistic world where men rule over their women and where women refrain from asking too many questions.

It’s almost medieval. And yet, there are statements here, commentary by author Mario Puzo about the environment in which the Sicilian mafia like that of the Corleone family rose. But perhaps I am getting ahead of myself.

The Godfather opens right in the middle of things. We are at the wedding of Don Corleone’s daughter Connie to Carlo Rizzo. The whole family has gathered at “the mall” to celebrate. Here are the Don’s sons: Sonny, who is mean, dangerous, and carnal; Fredo, the middle child destined for mediocrity; and Michael, the one most like his father, but straight-laced and, almost scandalously, a war hero in love with a non-Italian girl from New Hampshire. Also present is the rest of the cast of The Godfather : the caporegimes Clemenza and Tessio, the assassin/bodyguard Luca Brasi, and the consigliere , or advisor, to the Don, Tom Hagen, himself an oddity as the only non-Sicilian of the lot. Each is given a story in his or her own time, a back story that makes the fabric of the tale colorful, sturdy and vibrant.

It is a highpoint for the Family. Favors are sought from the Don, and the Don is beneficent and gracious as he dispenses his largesse. And yet, peril threatens. The Family’s power and wealth come from its control of the vices of gambling, prostitution, and alcohol in various boroughs of New York and a new vice is arriving that will force the Corleone’s to consider the future: illicit drugs. When the Don decides he does not want to leverage the Family’s control of politicians, police, and judges to participate in the drug trade, a bloody war between the Sicilian mafia families begins that guides the narrative for the rest of the book. The war, and the Corleone’s reach, will extend from New York to Hollywood and will track the rise of Las Vegas from the desert to become the gambling and entertainment destination that it is today. Here we will see scenes and read lines famous even to those who have not seen the movie: “go to the mattresses,” “make an offer he cannot refuse,” and find a when a horse head is a threat that cannot be ignored, among others.

It many ways, the story is sordid, as are its characters. And yet, Puzo gives reason to sympathize with the Don, with Michael, with Kay, and others. These characters are, before all else, humans and Puzo emphasizes the familial bonds that tie them. They are a group of individuals that will go to war for each other and that can trust each other with their lives. Even as Puzo manages to engage is characters in almost every vile and disgusting vice under the sun, he never loses track of the thread that keeps these individuals tied to each other and creates sympathy for characters that are as honest and true to what they claim to be as if they were modeled after real world individuals.

(Indeed, as I did a little reading about the history of the novel, I stumbled across claims that the character Johnney Fontane was allegedly modeled on Frank Sinatra, who himself was said to have close ties to the mafia. The story goes when Mario Puzo was introduced to Sinatra, the crooner refused to look at him or acknowledge him, standing only to yell at the author as he left. Whether true or not, it sure makes for interesting reading, and it’s had to read certain sections of The Godfather and not see similarities in Johnney Fontane to Frank Sinatra.)

All this leads back to a question that arose as I arrived at about the halfway point in the book. By then I found my sense of disgust at the lack of moral compunction of many of the characters begin to overwhelm Puzo’s gripping narrative. Here were characters that would betray or beat their wives on their wedding night, greedily fueded and kill to establish and strengthen “business” holdings–really just control of gambling “books,” prostitution, and smuggling rackets–and did not bat an eyelash as pornography, pedophilia, adultery (and its unmarried companion fornication), abortion, public corruption, alcoholism, sex operations, assassinations, and more. With heroes like these, who needs antagonists? And, indeed, why keep reading? Where is the redeemable protagonist? I began to realize that at the center of The Godfather  we find the morally upright Michael, the man who will not be part of the family business, but who will go his own way, become a war hero, and become, perhaps, something better and more honest.

Or will he? As the story unfolds and Puzo takes opportunities to spin side tales of woe and wickedness, the Corleone’s saga becomes increasingly Michael’s, and it is not a story of redemption, but of tragic fall, for a tragedy it is. In the end, The Godfather  is a story of  moral decline even as the Corleone’s climb to new heights. The reality of the seduction of power, in both Puzo’s and Lord Acton’s estimation, is that it corrupts.

If Puzo tells us nothing else, it is that the price of loyalty is that one must sometimes give up other virtues for the security and strength that comes with imposing your visions and reality on the world. But this isn’t all that Puzo has to say. In here also is an examination

But this isn’t all. In The Godfather is also is an examination of the time and place that gave rise to the mafia, the influx of migrants in pre-Great Depression America, the corrupt and unpoliced police, and the powerful doing what they will while the weak did what they could. Into this chaotic milieu come individuals like Vito Corleone, fleeing decaying “Old World” Sicily, find opportunity and find themselves at odds with the law as they begin by defending the weak only to become the strong man they once opposed. In a time where the rule of law and increased transparency has made public and police corruption much more the exception than the rule, it is perhaps hard to imagine that there was ever a time when it was different; and yet, in the pages of Puzo’s bestseller lies a world that is entirely credible and, perhaps, just as likely as it seems.

As literature goes, Puzo’s style is heavily expository, but not in a way that fails to recognize when dialogue and action should replace description and exposition. Puzo is telling a story, and it feels like a story is being told. It is a story that is unforgettable, as much for its cautionary lessons as for the sordid world that   The Godfather   seems to insist existed–exists?–in some version of 1940s and 1950s America. It is a tale that could belong in the past of any great family that has clawed its way to power by criminal means, only to begin the next generation clean and in respectability. It is a very American story, if not the one that fits the modern mythology.

When Mario Puzo's blockbuster saga, The Godfather , was first published in 1969, critics hailed it as one of the greatest novels of our time, and "big, turbulent, highly entertaining." Since then, The Godfather has gone on to become a part of America's national culture, as well as a trilogy of landmark motion pictures. From the lavish opening scene where Don Corleone entertains guests and conducts business at his daughter's wedding...to his son, Michael, who takes his father's place to fight for his family...to the bloody climax where all family business is finished, The Godfather is an epic story of family, loyalty, and how "men of honor" live in their own world, and die by their own laws.

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Dan Burton lives in Millcreek, Utah, where he practices law by day and everything else by night. He reads about history, politics, science, medicine, and current events, as well as more serious genres such as science fiction and fantasy.

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The Literary Edit

Review: The Godfather – Mario Puzo

Until I challenged myself to read the BBC’s Top 100 Books I wasn’t even aware that The Godfather was a novel. Ranked at No. 91 in the list of the nation’s best loved books, it is something of a change from Dostoyevsky and Dickens. My great friend and fellow bookworm, Chloe, lent it to me with the assurance that it was one of her favourite books and so I began the novel whose film adaptation has become a cult classic of the 20th century.

Published in 1969, The Godfather tells the story of a Sicilian Mafia family based in New York and headed by Don Vito Corleone, who is known to many as The Godfather. A powerful story with a gripping plot, the novel paints a convincing picture of New York’s underworld of crime, corruption and power.

Almost instantly I became absolutely enthralled with The Godfather and couldn’t put it down. The pace is fast, the characters are beautifully depicted, and you soon see beyond the criminal activity in which these men indulge, to the fiercely loyal fathers, brothers and friends that they are.

A novel of epic proportions, The Godfather is a captivating read with a thrilling plot and a haunting ending, and thus a modern masterpiece that thoroughly deserves its place on the BBC Big Read .

About The Godfather

The Godfather—the epic tale of crime and betrayal that became a global phenomenon.

Almost fifty years ago, a classic was born. A searing portrayal of the Mafia underworld, The Godfather introduced readers to the first family of American crime fiction, the Corleones, and their powerful legacy of tradition, blood, and honor. The seduction of power, the pitfalls of greed, and the allegiance to family—these are the themes that have resonated with millions of readers around the world and made The Godfather the definitive novel of the violent subculture that, steeped in intrigue and controversy, remains indelibly etched in our collective consciousness.

About Mario Puzo

Mario Puzo was an American author, screenwriter and journalist of Italian descent. He is known for his crime novels about the Mafia, most notably  The Godfather  (1969), which he later co-adapted into a three-part film saga directed by Francis Ford Coppola. He received the Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay for the first film in 1972 and  Part II  in 1974. Puzo also wrote the original screenplay for the 1978  Superman  film. His last novel,  The Family , was released posthumously in 2001.

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2 comments on “Review: The Godfather – Mario Puzo”

loving it lucy, keep up the reviews they are a good read from an old housemate chris x x x

Ah thanks Chris – I’m still forever indebted to you for the time you saved my car when I had committed a massive parking error! xx

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Review: The Godfather by Mario Puzo

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The Godfather

By mario puzo.

The popular book of Mario Puzo called 'The Godfather' has been turned into a movie which also became widely successful.

About the Book

Article written by Ugo Juliet

Former Lecturer. Author of multiple books. Degree from University Of Nigeria, Nsukka.

‘ The Godfather, ‘ penned by the acclaimed author Mario Puzo , stands as an iconic pillar of modern literature and cinematic history. Released in 1969, this novel catapulted Puzo to international acclaim and laid the foundation for one of the most revered film franchises ever created. The book became so successful that it sold more than nine million copies in two years and even retained its spot on The New York Times Best Seller list for 67 straight weeks.

Key Facts about The Godfather

• Title: The Godfather
• Book Inspiration: Organized crime bosses
• Publication Date:   1969
• Literary Period: Contemporary period
• Genre: Novel, Crime Fiction
• Setting: New York and California, USA
• Point-of-view: Third-person narrative
• Climax: When Michael Corleone murders the rival mafia leaders
• Protagonist: Micheal Corleom
• Antagonist: The rival New York crime families and members of law enforcement

The Godfather by Mario Puzo

I watched the movie, ‘ The Godfather ‘, first before I read the book. Though I have heard of the book, I couldn’t wait to see it in live pictures when I got the chance. Yet being an avid reader, I knew I’d pick more details and intricacies from the book. And I wasn’t disappointed.

The story opens in the vibrant heart of New York City, where the Corleone family presides over a sprawling empire of power, wealth, and crime. Through the eyes of Don Vito Corleone, a figure both revered and feared, we are ushered into a world of intricate alliances, betrayal, and the relentless pursuit of family honor. The story goes beyond crime, diving into human nature, loyalty, and destiny. This tale lays the foundation for a gripping saga of power and retribution.

In the Italian-American Mafia, Puzo crafts a story of power, loyalty, and moral dilemmas. Led by Don Vito Corleone, the Corleone family represents the complexities of organized crime. Tradition clashes with ambition, and choices echo through generations. ‘ The Godfather’ is more than a story; it’s a journey through the human experience in all its shades.

The novel is divided into three parts. The first part is when ‘ The Godfather ‘ introduces the Corleone family and their business dealings. Vito Corleone is a powerful mafia boss who is respected by his friends and feared by his enemies. He has three sons: Santino (Sonny), Fredo, and Michael; and a daughter named Connie. Sonny is the eldest son and heir to the family business. Fredo is the middle son and is often overlooked. Michael is the youngest son and is initially reluctant to join the family business.

The second part is when Michael Corleone rose to power as the new head of the Corleone family. After Vito is shot by an assassin, Michael takes over the business and begins to expand the family’s empire. However, he also faces new challenges from rival mafia families and the government.

The last part follows Michael Corleone’s attempts to legitimize the Corleone family business and leave his criminal past behind. However, he is drawn back into the world of crime when his daughter is kidnapped by a rival mafia family.

Readers might question what genre of literature this book belongs to. Well, ‘ The Godfather’ is a crime fiction novel with a touch of drama and thriller. It is a must-read for fans of crime fiction, and it is also a valuable text for anyone interested in learning more about the history and culture of organized crime.

Books related to The Godfather

‘The Godfather’ is a complex and well-written novel that offers a fascinating glimpse into the world of organized crime. It is also a powerful story about family, loyalty, and power. The novel has been adapted into a trilogy of successful films , which have further cemented its status as one of the most iconic crime stories ever told.

If you enjoyed reading ‘ The Godfather,’  here are some books related to ‘ The Godfather’ that you should read. ‘ The Fall of South Bridge’ by Jimmy Badavino, ‘ The Family Corleone’ by Ed Falco, ‘ The Sicilian ‘ by Mario Puzo, ‘ Hot Springs’ by Stephen Hunter, ‘ WiseGuy’ by NicholasPileggii, ‘ The Last Don’ by Mario Puzo, ‘ Gangsterland’ by Tod Goldberg, ‘ The Godfather’s Revenge’ by Mark Winegardner, ‘ The Wolf’ by Lorenzo Carcaterra, and ‘ Omerta’ by Mario Puzo.

These books offer a range of perspectives on the Mafia and organized crime, from fictionalized narratives to historical accounts and behind-the-scenes insights into the making of mafia families. They collectively provide a rich collection for readers interested in delving deeper into the world of organized crime.

The Lasting Impact of The Godfather

The story of ‘ The Godfather ‘ has left an indelible mark on literature, cinema, and popular culture. Mario Puzo’s masterful storytelling and vivid characters, brought to life on screen by Francis Ford Coppola, elevated the gangster genre to an art form. The Corleone family’s intricate dynamics and moral complexities continue to captivate readers, sparking discussions on power, loyalty, and the human condition. Its iconic quotes and imagery are woven into the fabric of our cultural lexicon. Decades after its release, ‘ The Godfather’ r emains a touchstone for storytelling excellence, reminding us of the enduring power of a well-crafted narrative. Its legacy is one of profound influence, shaping the way we view crime fiction and leaving an unforgettable impression on generations of readers and viewers worldwide.

Mario Puzo’s 1969 novel ‘ The Godfather ‘ is one of the most iconic and influential works of American literature. The story of the Corleone family, a powerful Mafia clan, ‘ The Godfather ‘ is a complex and nuanced exploration of power, corruption, and the American Dream. The novel has had a lasting impact on American literature, both in terms of its subject matter and its style.

One of the most significant impacts of ‘ The Godfather ‘ has been its normalization of the Mafia in American culture. Before the novel, the Mafia was largely seen as a shadowy and dangerous criminal organization. However, Puzo’s portrayal of the Corleones as a complex and multifaceted family helped to humanize the Mafia and make it more relatable to readers. This normalization of the Mafia has had a profound impact on American literature, as it has opened up new possibilities for storytelling and character development.

Another significant impact of ‘ The Godfather ‘ has been its influence on the genre of crime fiction. Before the novel, crime fiction was often seen as a pulpy and sensationalized genre. However, Puzo’s realistic and gritty portrayal of the Mafia helped to elevate crime fiction to a new level of respectability. ‘ The Godfather ‘ is now considered to be one of the greatest crime novels ever written, and it has inspired countless other works of crime fiction in the decades since its publication.

In addition to its impact on subject matter, ‘ The Godfather ‘ has also had a significant impact on the style of American literature. Puzo’s writing is characterized by its spare and direct prose, its complex characters, and its unflinching portrayal of violence. This style has been emulated by many other writers, both in the crime fiction genre and beyond. The Godfather is a landmark work of American literature that continues to inspire and influence writers and readers alike.

The novel’s influence can be seen in the work of many other writers, including Stephen King, Elmore Leonard, and Donna Tartt. ‘ The Godfather ‘ has been adapted into a successful trilogy of films, which have helped to further cement the novel’s status as a classic work of American literature. ‘ The Godfather ‘ is a required reading for many students of American literature, and it is often used as a teaching tool in universities and colleges.

‘ The Godfather ‘ is a landmark work of American literature that has had a profound impact on the genre of crime fiction and American literature in general. The novel’s complex characters , realistic portrayal of violence, and spare and direct prose continue to inspire readers worldwide.

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Book review: The Godfather by Mario Puzo

Three and a half years later, I have COVID and am isolating from Tim (which sucks) and the rest of the world (less bothered). The one positive is that by not spending my evenings with anyone else, I am flying through books. After finishing the two books I had already started, I asked Tim to select some books for me from my TBR shelves. He left me a stack of three very different books: If I Had Your Face by Frances Cha, A Map of Tulsa by Benjamin Lytal and The Godfather by Mario Puso. Well, if there was ever a time to read a 600-page saga…

I’ve seen the films (albeit a very long time ago) and had heard many times that they’re far superior to the source material. Even Francis Ford Coppola, in his introduction to this edition, calls it a “potboiler”, albeit one with Shakespearean-level plotting. And I am averse to the romanticisation of violence, murder and the other terrible behaviours in this story. But I figured I’d give it a go and if it was awful then I would finally add it to the charity pile.

I was quickly hooked. Puzo carefully metes out the necessary information – who characters are, their backgrounds and relationships – between thrillingly cryptic conversations and gripping action. The plot bounces along but not by sacrificing character development. These may not be people I would ever want to meet, but they’re not purely evil “baddies” either – they’re interesting, three-dimensional humans with complex motivations and justifications.

I mean, they’re also pretty much all misogynistic, racist, homophobic antisemites who use violence to get their own way. Even Don Vito Corleone, the Godfather himself, famous for his quiet “reasoning”, is only persuasive because hidden in every conversation is the threat of violence – albeit violence that will never come from his own hand.

Like the first film, the book opens with the wedding of Connie Corleone, the Don’s only daughter. Before we meet the Corleones, Puzo introduces three men who will be guests at the wedding – men who will play roles throughout the saga to come, men who are not part of the crime family themselves but who each have a favour to ask the Don – knowing that the Don will eventually call in those favours.

“Don Vito Corleone was a man to whom everybody came for help, and never were they disappointed. He made no empty promises, nor the craven excuse that his hands were tied by more powerful forces in the world than himself. It was not necessary that he be your friend, it was not even important that you had no means with which to repay him…Don Corleone would take that man’s troubles to his heart…It was understood, it was mere good manners, to proclaim you were in his debt.”

Puzo then uses the seating arrangements at the wedding to illustrate the status of family and guests. Youngest son Michael Corleone is sat apart from the rest with his non-Italian girlfriend Kay, explaining his family to her, hinting at but obscuring the real truth. Eldest son Sonny has pride of place at the head table but conspicuously disappears with the maid of honour thinking no-one has noticed. Middle son Fredo is at his father’s right hand but quickly glossed over as unimportant. He will not be inheriting this kingdom.

Because as Coppola recognised back in 1969 when he first read this, it is at heart a classical story of a king and his three sons, who each have only one of their great father’s attributes. Which attribute will prove most important, and therefore which son will be the next wearer of the crown? This question becomes urgent when an attempt is made on the Don’s life and someone else must take the reins, while also figuring out who betrayed who.

At first, I was rooting for the characters who manage to stay outside the Family business, hoping they would remain safe and alive that way. I couldn’t see any justification for gangsters shaking down small businesses for protection money, demanding a cut from illegal gambling dens, using violence and even murder to establish their so-called “legitimate” businesses such as importing olive oil.

Puzo does make a case for the mafia. In a world where the police, politicians and justice system are all corrupt, where the state ignores poverty and the abuse of the poor, then there is a place for an organization that will protect the most vulnerable. Time and again we see Don Corleone help out a local who has no power of their own, with apparently no gain to himself (though of course the combination of reputation laundering and favours he can call upon later is worth more every time than the money he spends). Then Puzo punctures that case by depicting the corruption of the mafia itself when it gets too big and powerful – both in Sicily and in New York.

“Dr Taza was perhaps the worst physician in Sicily. Dr Taza read everything but his medical literature, which he admitted he could not understand. He had passed his medical exams through the good offices of the most important Mafia chief in Sicily who had made a special trip to Palermo to confer with Taza’s professors about what grades they should give him. And this too showed how the Mafia in Sicily was cancerous to the society it inhabited.”

There are some weird interludes to the story. Puzo spends a little too long on Johnny Fontane – a famous singer and actor who grew up in the Family and is now going off the rails in LA after the breakdown of his second marriage. Fontane does play a key role a handful of times, but I didn’t need to read for the hundredth time about him going to dinner with his (Italian) first wife and musing on how he should never have left her.

Even weirder is the interlude about Lucy Mancini, who has a gynaecological problem that is described in lascivious detail. What’s extra strange is that Puzo uses this to make a serious – and very valid – point about gynaecological health not being taken seriously enough. He quite rightly attacks the prudishness about sex and sexual organs that causes women to suffer in silence, even die, of easily treatable illnesses. And he repeatedly stands up for abortion, giving his main doctor character the line “I do not believe a two-month foetus is a human being”. So why be so gleefully lurid in describing Lucy’s problem, or choose that particular problem?

Women do generally get a bad rap, being expected to put up and shut up. Violence against women is frowned on but rarely prevented. There’s an infantilisation of women and a tendency to equate youth and virginity to saintliness that I found queasy – though there are a couple of women who buck this trend, and arguably they are the ones who come out on top.

As with the films, the interlude I did enjoy is the one in Sicily. It’s a big change in tone, almost a dream sequence. Which makes its devastating ending even more shocking and nicely sets up the quicker pace of the rest of the novel.

So I didn’t love it but I didn’t hate it either. It shares with other mid-twentieth-century bestsellers like the Bond books a level of bigotry that makes me wince but that doesn’t prevent me from enjoying the overall experience. I might even read some of Puzo’s other works. But most of all I want to rewatch the films – at least the first two!

First published 1969 by G P Putnam.

Source: Penguin Classics promotion.

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The Godfather

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• Internet Archive - "The Godfather"
• The Guardian - The Godfather: how the Mafia blockbuster became a political handbook

The Godfather , novel by Mario Puzo , published in 1969, which became one of the most successful fiction books ever—selling some 21 million copies worldwide, spawning three critically and financially successful motion pictures , and placing its characters into the contemporary American cultural mythology.

Although Puzo had no personal knowledge of organized crime , thorough research and family connections gave him the details he needed for his chronicle of a fictional Mafia family, the Corleones. Puzo collaborated with director Francis Ford Coppola on the screenplay of The Godfather (1972) and its two sequels ( 1974 and 1990 ). The first two won nine Academy Awards , including best picture and best screenplay Oscars for each.

Few novels have forced themselves into the cultural imagination as brutally as Mario Puzo’s The Godfather . Arriving on the bestseller list at a highly contentious moment in U.S. history, when political institutions and social practices were being scrutinized and questioned as never before, The Godfather poses provocative questions about the origins and legitimacy of power won by violence.

Puzo based the character of Don Vito Corleone on a real-life Mafia boss, Sicilian-born Joseph Bonanno, who headed the New York-based Bonanno family crime syndicate until “retiring” to Tucson, Arizona. Bonanno, who was displeased with Puzo’s book, refused to acknowledge that the Mafia was a real entity, instead insisting on calling it by the anodyne name “The Tradition.” Puzo, a veteran of combat in World War II and himself an Italian American, drew on his experiences to create the character of Michael Corleone, Don Vito’s presumptive heir.

Realistic and often profane, the novel purports to show how things “really” work, while also playing games with the reader. Making the bad guys seem good, the novel redefined the gangster genre . Puzo’s strategy of rhetorical inversion, overturning conventional moral presuppositions of right and wrong, enforces a new understanding of the manipulative and treacherous capacities of language. Twisting distinctions between hero and villain, Puzo’s enthralling story of the Corleone’s “family business” and Italian-American immigrant culture serves to affirm the outlaw character of America in general.

Although The Godfather has filtered into the culture mostly through the movie trilogy and other derivations, most notably the long-running television series The Sopranos , the novel remains the driving force behind the mobster culture industry. It is the novel that gives us such legendary sayings as “I’ll make him an offer he can’t refuse” and “a lawyer with his briefcase can steal more than a hundred men with guns.” Above all, in spite and perhaps because of the clear, accessible prose, the novel testifies to the myth-making potential of contemporary writing. Puzo’s depictions of Italian Americans have been seen as both celebratory and defamatory: either way, Puzo’s The Godfather remains remarkably influential, compelling, and readable.

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The Godfather Hardcover – March 10, 1969

• Part of series The Godfather
• Print length 448 pages
• Language English
• Publisher G.P. Putnam's Sons
• Publication date March 10, 1969
• Dimensions 5.77 x 1.39 x 8.71 inches
• ISBN-10 0399103422
• ISBN-13 978-0399103421
• See all details

Editorial Reviews

About the author, excerpt. © reprinted by permission. all rights reserved., product details.

• Publisher ‏ : ‎ G.P. Putnam's Sons (March 10, 1969)
• Language ‏ : ‎ English
• Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 448 pages
• ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0399103422
• ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0399103421
• Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.21 pounds
• Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.77 x 1.39 x 8.71 inches
• #447 in Organized Crime Thrillers
• #590 in Family Saga Fiction
• #3,200 in Suspense Thrillers

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About the authors

Mario Gianluigi Puzo (/ˈpuːzoʊ/; Italian: [ˈmaːrjo ˈpuddzo]; October 15, 1920 – July 2, 1999) was an American author, screenwriter and journalist. He is known for his crime novels about the Mafia, most notably The Godfather (1969), which he later co-adapted into a three-part film saga directed by Francis Ford Coppola. He received the Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay for the first film in 1972 and Part II in 1974. Puzo also wrote the original screenplay for the 1978 Superman film. His last novel, The Family, was released posthumously in 2001.

Bio from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

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Customers say

Customers find the plot riveting and thought-provoking. They also praise the writing quality as excellent, captivating, and detailed. Readers say the family relationships penetrate their psyches. They describe the literary merit as didactic and entertaining at the same time. They mention that the pacing is nice. Customers also find the characters rich and full. They find the story engaging and timeless. Opinions are mixed on the storytelling style, with some finding it solid and real, while others say it's unnecessary.

AI-generated from the text of customer reviews

Customers find the story engaging, masterfully plotted, and entertaining. They also appreciate the details and the trickery that takes place. Readers say the book is timeless and very hard to put aside.

"Very well written and extremely entertaining . Keeps you on the edge of your seat as plots unfold throughout the novel." Read more

"The writing is great and the story engaging . Just read it and don’t worry about the world for a while." Read more

"...it came out when I was much younger and it was terrific and very much an eye-opener ...." Read more

"...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..." Read more

Customers find the writing excellent, captivating, and memorable. They also appreciate the exaggeratedly elevated language, character behaviour, and extensive details. Readers also say the book is interesting, complex, but not overly hard to follow.

" Very well written and extremely entertaining. Keeps you on the edge of your seat as plots unfold throughout the novel." Read more

"The writing is great and the story engaging. Just read it and don’t worry about the world for a while." Read more

"...Some of the Don's lines are deliciously memorable , and his characterization is endlessly engrossing, mostly due to the rigid moral code he possesses..." Read more

"A must read. Simply brilliant so well crafted . Can’t recommend this book enough. Buy it and thank me later. out." Read more

Customers find the characters in the book rich and full.

"...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..." Read more

"...I couldn't put it down. Puzo creates characters that are complicated and somewhat fleshed out...." Read more

"...It really details the thoughts of the characters and is truly one of the best books I’ve read. Really hard to put down." Read more

"...The character development was excellent and Puzo gave an in depth back story for many. Don Vito's birth name was Vito Andolini...." Read more

Customers find the book absolutely didactic and entertaining at the same time. They say it's a great book for learning about leadership, and one of the most culturally significant novels of the second half of the 20th century. Readers also appreciate the fantastic source material and interesting insight into the alternative worldview.

"...The novel benefits from its chosen form ...." Read more

"...and tells a wonderful story about thoughtful, precise, management of a business ...." Read more

"...the story, but by filling it out with these additions, added nicely to it ! Glad I read it!" Read more

"...There are so many life lessons ." Read more

Customers find the pacing of the book nice and allow it to evolve at a pace that encourages them to enjoy the tense.

"...Puzo really is a wonderful writer. The pages turn quickly and before you know it, you're at the end and hoping for more." Read more

"...It was a fast read with several details omitted in the movie or its sequel but that is the case quite often when a book is turned into a movie...." Read more

"...Lots of these details are quite interesting, but rather destroys the pacing of the book ...." Read more

"...The pacing is great , and it does well to hop around its ensemble of characters too keep things from getting dry...." Read more

Customers find the plot riveting, thought-provoking, and gripping from beginning to end. They also say the book is one of the finest books of fiction they've ever read and that the screenplay sticks very close to the book.

"...The Godfather novel is one of the finest books of fiction I've ever read. A copy belongs in every serious library." Read more

"...This book is a real page turner . I loved it and literally couldn't put it down...." Read more

"...The Godfather is a real page turner that equals the movie or maybe even surpasses it in some areas.Highly recommend!..." Read more

"...You can tell Puzo co wrote the screenplay as it sticks very close to the book . Highly recommend." Read more

Customers find the family relationships in the book to be accurate and great. They also mention that the book penetrates their psyche and has never a dull moment.

"...put it down, as if it was my first time reading this incredibly poignant story of the Corleone family trials and tribulations. Masterful novel." Read more

"...It’s a story of internal strife, love, family , and friendship just as much as it is a mafia book, making it a must read for all avid readers." Read more

"...There's something here that penetrates your psyche ...." Read more

"It’s power still moves after all this time. A great American novel about family loyalty and its existence in the darkest corners of humankind." Read more

Customers are mixed about the storytelling style. Some find it solid, well-written, and realistic. They also say the characterizations are excellent and provide more insight into the character motivations. However, some find the back stories unnecessary and distracting.

"...The story is quite clearly written ...." Read more

"...But all of it is believable , cohesive, makes sense and works together...." Read more

"...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..." Read more

"...in the pace of each scene, but it is the overall story and deep character development that makes this book one of the greatest I have..." Read more

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Book review: ‘the godfather: 50th anniversary edition’ by mario puzo.

THE GODFATHER: 50TH ANNIVERSARY EDITION

By Mario Puzo

With a new introduction by Francis Ford Coppola

Penguin Random House, $14.55, 448 pages

Mario Puzo’s novel “The Godfather” became one of the best-selling novels in publishing history in 1969, and the novel continues to sell well today, perhaps due in good part to new generations of readers who flock to the novel after viewing director Francis Ford Coppola’s classic films that were based on Mr. Puzo’s novel.

Now, 50 years later, “The Godfather: 50th Anniversary Edition” has been released. The new edition offers an interesting introduction by Francis Ford Coppola, who recalls his collaboration with Mario Puzo on the screenplay for the film.

The powerful and compelling story of Vito Corleone, a New York Italian-American organized crime boss, and his three sons — Sonny, Fredo and Michael — can be described as almost Shakespearian. Between the successful novel and the classic films, the epic story of the Corleone family is perhaps better known to most Americans than Shakespeare’s tragedies.

Although highly romanticized, “The Godfather” is a fine fictionalized study of organized crime’s history in America. Nearly all the major events in the Mario Puzo novel (and the films) were based on true events in crime history.

Mr. Puzo claimed his novel was based solely on research and that he didn’t know any mobsters, (although as a gambler, he undoubtedly knew mobbed-up bookmakers and loan sharks), but it was perhaps a testimony to Mario Puzo’s skill as a novelist that real mob guys never truly believed him. Many of them believed he had a highly placed mob source.

Mario Puzo was a poor and struggling writer when he sat down to write “The Godfather.” His two previous novels, “The Dark Arena” and “The Fortunate Pilgrim,” received good reviews but earned him little money. As “The Fortunate Pilgrim” had a criminal as one of the characters, Mr. Puzo’s publisher suggested he write a novel about the mob.

Mario Puzo set out to write a blockbuster novel, not a literary one. His novel contains portions of salacious material of the kind one finds in Harold Robbins novels. A subplot involving Lucy Mancini, Sonny Corleone’s girlfriend, a plastic surgeon and the Hollywood crowd, was just awful. Mr. Puzo threw the subplot in as he knew this kind of material sold novels.

Thankfully, the novel is mostly about organized crime, corruption and murder, as well as kinship.

The story largely takes place from 1945 to 1955. In 1945, Don Vito Corleone is the head of a powerful organized crime family in New York. His world is disturbed when an Italian-American international drug trafficker named Virgil “the Turk” Sollozzo approaches the mob boss and asks for $2 million to finance his drug operations from Sicily and Turkey to America. He also wants the use of Don Vito’s powerful political and law enforcement connections. Solozzo already has the backing of the rival Tattaglia crime family.

Don Vito says no, but not because he is against drugs. His refusal is purely practical, based on the views of the politicians, judges and policemen on his payroll. They see his criminal operations, such as gambling, as largely harmless victimless crimes. They see drugs as a dirty business, and he would lose their support if he became involved.

Vito Corleone’s refusal leads to an attempt on his life by Sollozzo’s gunmen. Fredo, the weakest of the brothers, stood helplessly by as his father was shot numerous times.

Vito Corleone survives the shooting and is hospitalized while an internecine mob war begins. Sonny, the hot-tempered eldest son who “made his bones” as a gunman and killer in an earlier mob war, takes the reins of the family.

Michael, a World War II veteran who didn’t want to be part of the “family business,” becomes involved as his father’s life is in jeopardy. Although considered a “civilian” and not a mob member, he offers to murder Sollozzo, who is seemingly untouchable as he is always in the company of a crooked NYPD captain.

There are so many great characters and scenes in this novel that I can’t possibly name or describe them all here.

I first read the novel as a teenager when it came out in 1969, reread it over the years, and I enjoyed reading it once again. As I’m half-Italian and grew up in the “Little Italy” section of South Philadelphia, I especially liked Mr. Puzo’s portrayal of Italian family traditions, food and music.

I don’t subscribe to the capitalism analogy that Francis Ford Coppola and others often claim, as organized crime also existed under communists in the Soviet Union. I just think it’s a great crime story.

I highly recommend the novel to those who have not read it, and I suggest that those who have, reread “The Godfather” on the novel’s 50th anniversary

• Paul Davis covers crime, espionage and terrorism.

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“Never write in the first person,” is what three years of education threatened prospective students with. It is a message passed on through the current role, marking year four of this long and winding journey. For websites, this one and others, it is the lesson thrust at students, budding journalists and part-timers who wish to dabble their thoughts on this book or that film. Be personable without the person present. It is hard to do so when writing about  The Godfather , the Mario Puzo novel that crashed through Hollywood and reshaped the narrative for ensemble features. But it is not the film that had such a profound and moving effect, one so great that the very barrier of first and third person is blurred, but the Puzo text itself.

What Puzo offers is accidental inspiration. He does not set out for these characters to be role models. They are sick beasts in need of help. Damned and cruel men coddling their woes with power and the responsibility of it. A strict structure marks Don Corleone as the man to impress and be indebted to. The fear and command of it are astonishing, Puzo presents that well despite having elongated breaks from The Godfather himself. He takes the time to flesh out the other characters, and as simple as that sounds, it is the tact provided by Puzo that makes them so entertaining. Not every man is cold in this mafioso family, but the bulk of them are heavy-hitting and have dark structures in their past. His effective prose is simple. He is there to disperse detail about a rich and engaging family with as simple a tone as possible.

It is that simplicity that lends itself to the stunning moments of offhand manipulation, assassination and brutality.  The Godfather perches on simplicity not because it has nothing extra to offer, but because the blunt structure is the driving force of a narrative that spans ten years in the life of a once-feared family. Interjecting emotion is a rare opportunity for Puzo, who does so sparingly and effectively. Vito and Sonny Corleone are presented incredibly well, and it is Freddie who is left out of the equation. Even with his lack of presence, there is still a bright and shaken understanding of what he is doing off-page. Each character exists in their own little bubble, and Puzo makes a rather convincing, delicate case for flowing between these characters and not having them all pile in together.

Because of that, though, the flow of the story and the natural perception of it takes a dive. Puzo prevents this frequently, with an ultimately personal offering where even the slightest, briefest dialogue can have a profound and interesting effect. It is a book that should not leave the mind for some time, and as it lingers it is then that  The Godfather  takes hold. A slow-burning masterclass. Once the pieces of the puzzle are fitted together, it is hard to disagree with the actions the characters take, or at the very least, disagree with why they took them. Puzo does that well. He invites the reader into the dark hearts and cool-headed minds of the mafia and leaves no stone unturned as he crafts a novel that relies on an audiences’ perception of familial loyalty, doing what is right and putting up a blunt front for those disrespectful few. Seductive villains biding their time, Puzo crafts a knowable and intense world of backstabbers, but cuts a path through for those that live within it as sinless and soulful. It’s an odd blend, but it works well.

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Book Review: The Godfather , by Mario Puzo

• Oct. 25th, 2010 at 12:11 AM

The story of Don Vito Corleone, the head of a New York Mafia family, inspired some of the most successful movies ever. It is in Mario Puzo's The Godfather that Corleone first appears. As Corleone's desperate struggle to control the Mafia underworld unfolds, so does the story of his family. The novel is full of exquisitely detailed characters who, despite leading unconventional lifestyles within a notorious crime family, experience the triumphs and failures of the human condition. Filled with the requisite valor, love, and rancor of a great epic, The Godfather is the definitive gangster novel.

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Mario Francis Puzo (October 15, 1920 – July 2, 1999) was an American author and screenwriter. He wrote crime novels about the Italian-American Mafia and Sicilian Mafia , most notably The Godfather (1969), which he later co-adapted into a film trilogy directed by Francis Ford Coppola . He received the Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay for the first film in 1972 and for Part II in 1974. Puzo also wrote the original screenplay for the 1978 Superman film and its 1980 sequel . His final novel, The Family , was released posthumously in 2001.

• The first interview he granted after the publication of The Godfather , quoted in Jacquin Sanders, 'Mario Puzo: Author of ‘The Godfather’', The News-Herald (March 18, 1970), p. 25
• Quoted in Ivor Davis, 'Hollywood: still a money spinner', The Times (September 26, 1978), p. 21
• Quoted in James Bone, '‘Godfather’ tale was based on Mob links', The Times (May 16, 1998), p. 4

Quotes about Mario Puzo

• Review of The Godfather in America (May 1969), quoted in James Thomas Chiampi, 'Resurrecting The Godfather', MELUS , Vol. 5, No. 4, New Writers and New Insights (Winter 1978), p. 18
• Pete Axthelm , review of The Godfather , Newsweek (March 10, 1969), p. 102, quoted in James Thomas Chiampi, 'Resurrecting The Godfather', MELUS , Vol. 5, No. 4, New Writers and New Insights (Winter 1978), p. 19
• Jackie Collins , 'My Perfect Weekend', Weekend Times (December 7, 1991), p. 18
• Fred J. Cook , 'Power of the Mafia', The Nation (June 16, 1969), p. 771
• Robert J. Di Pietro, 'Language, Culture and the Specialist in Ethnic Literature', MELUS , Vol. 4, No. 1 (Spring 1977), p. 2
• Roger Jellinek, 'Just Business, Not Personal', The New York Times (March 4, 1969)
• Peter Millar , 'Don and on', Metro (May 27 – June 2, 2000), p. 22
• A review of Omertà
• Jacquin Sanders, 'Mario Puzo: Author of ‘The Godfather’', The News-Herald (March 18, 1970), p. 25
• Dick Schaap , review of The Godfather , The New York Times (April 27, 1969), p. 34, quoted in James Thomas Chiampi, 'Resurrecting The Godfather', MELUS , Vol. 5, No. 4, New Writers and New Insights (Winter 1978), p. 20
• 'Packaged for Gluesville', review of The Godfather , The Times Literary Supplement , 24 (1969), p. 808, quoted in Jane A. Bowden (ed.), Contemporary Authors, Volumes 65–68 (1977), p. 474
• Gerald Walker , 'Crime Pays But So Do Criminals', New York (March 31, 1969), p. 58

External links

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Francis Ford Coppola: ‘I Have Nothing Left to Lose’

By David Fear

F rancis Ford Coppola is sitting in a large, library-like space that is right next to the gift-shop area of his Niebaum Coppola Estate Winery in Napa, California, behind a usually closed set of doors. The awards, family pictures, and massive collection of vintage zoetropes are all in the lobby. The tasting room, which resembles something like a 15th-­century monastery, albeit one with a state-of-the-art espresso machine, is on the other side of the chateau. The room where the 85-year-old filmmaker, winemaker, and overall rainmaker is currently mugging for a photographer and fiddling with his breakaway glasses is filled with floor-to-­ceiling shelves of leather-­bound books, paintings, a grand piano, a long conference table, and expensive-­looking, ­comfortable chairs. It looks like a cross between a museum wing and the world’s most artfully decorated man cave.

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After lunch, the filmmaker casually mentions that he’s figured out how to revolutionize how wine is produced, which involved purchasing 120 different fermenting tanks, one for each lot. Do we want to go see them? Coppola quickly piles me, along with a photographer and a publicist, into a compact electric car before jumping behind the wheel and speeding us off roughly 500 yards away to a “wine cave” he had constructed to house these new acquisitions.

“I wanted you to see those, so that you could properly see this,” he says once we get out of the car, sweeping his arm across the view of the vineyard. “Because this is what’s at stake if this movie doesn’t succeed. This is why Megalopolis really has to succeed.”

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At Cannes, where it premiered in May, Megalopolis managed to be the single most divisive film of the festival; love it or hate it, Coppola’s huge swing for the philosophical fences is a truly singular work — and is exactly the movie that he wanted to make. (It’s set to hit theaters on Sept. 27.) That Coppola somehow managed in his eighties to will this long-gestating pet project into being and self-finance it against his winery for $120 million is borderline unbelievable, even given his legacy as someone willing to bet a fortune and/or a film studio to follow a dream. “I have everything to lose here,” he says, referring to this portrait of the decline, fall, and Phoenix-like rise of a civilization. “And, in a way, I have nothing left to lose anymore.”

Now, I wasn’t trying to write Megalopolis over 40 years. It’s more that these scrapbooks were going on for 40 years. I started to come around to the idea that I wanted to make a Roman epic, because Roman epics were always fun. They had gladiators and conspiring crazy people like Caligula or Nero. And then one of the things I read proposed that America was the modern-day Rome, so that you could take those stories and set them in modern America, and it would work. I started to fashion a rough approximation of what the Megalopolis story might be, but I didn’t know how to write it. I believe that we all get a gift. I got lucky. I got three.

What are they?   A good imagination, fantastic memory, and Cassandra-like ability to see the future. Those are my three talents. I don’t have that thing some filmmakers have, which is to see a whole movie in your head and be able to just write it down. I think Steven [Spielberg] has that gift. I don’t. I only can write a script as if I’m going to rewrite it 100 times.

Those aren’t bad gifts for a filmmaker to have, though. The last one helped with Megalopolis. The same thing happened with The Conversation, because the movie was about a private eavesdropper and I wrote it in the 1960s, but people didn’t even know there was such a thing until Watergate happened 10 years later. With Megalopolis and the concept of America as Rome, a lot of people said, “Well, why would anyone want to go see a movie about that?” But it’s happening right now in our lives.

What I didn’t want to happen is that we’re deemed some woke Hollywoood production.

You did a few readings of an earlier Megalopolis draft in 2001, with Robert De Niro, Leonardo DiCaprio, Edie Falco, Uma Thurman, and a few others, right? How similar was that version of Megalopolis to what you made? It was the pregnant version of it, but it wasn’t all that similar. There were different periods where I took stabs at it. What’s the name of the actor in The Sopranos, the main one?

James Gandolfini? Yes! He gave me a lot of great suggestions, actually. He read the part of the mayor back when I did a reading of a draft in 2001.

And you were about to start production when—  9/11 happened. Here I’m making a movie about utopia and the world in which we achieve this break­through that I am so hopeful about, and then a huge terrorist attack happens. I couldn’t write my way out of it. So I abandoned the project.

But on the days where it would be these strict exercise regimens, I started listening to some of the readings of Megalopolis just for the hell of it, and thought, “This feels more relevant than ever.” I realized that even though the script was 20 years old, I could still do it. 

There were reports of chaos on the set.  There were some disagreements that had to do with the studio I was shooting at in Atlanta. “You have an art department with five art directors. I want to cut one of them.” “Well, if you cut one, we’ll all resign.” I did, and they did. It’s similar to what has happened at different times in my career, where basically it was over what the money was being spent on. But I did wrap on schedule, which I had to do because if I had been going over schedule, I would’ve been doomed.

You’ve talked about a famous dinner you arranged right before you started shooting The Godfather, where you put Marlon Brando at the head of the table with the rest of the cast, and the dynamic of the Corleone family pretty much fell into place. Did something similar happen with this cast? I did a weird thing with Megalopolis because I could only rehearse with about a third of the cast, maybe a little more. I had Aubrey Plaza. I had Nathalie Emmanuel. I didn’t have Adam. But I had given everybody understudies like it was a play, and I said, “What I’ll do is, I’ll do the rehearsal, and regarding the actors I don’t have, I’ll use the understudies.” It was a very creative, interesting week of rehearsals. You could see the actors find the characters. Shia [LaBeouf] really took to it. I had no experience working with him prior to this, but he deliberately sets up a tension between himself and the director to an extreme degree. He reminds me of Dennis Hopper, who would do something similar, and then you’d say, “Just go do anything,” and then they go off and do something brilliant.

Would you say the Megalopolis shoot was closer to The Godfather or Apocalypse Now ?   Apocalypse Now. No helicopters this time. That’s the big difference [ laughs ].

Have you ever felt like the success of The Godfather became like an albatross around your neck? No. Never. The Godfather opened up the world to me and gave me the ability to talk to virtually anyone in the world. Which has been a gift, because I’ve met some incredibly wonderful people as a result. Some of the greatest people in the world have wanted to talk to me simply because I was the guy who made that film. Some of the very worst people in the world, too, but that’s another story. The composer Richard Strauss has this quote: “I may not be a first-rate composer, but I am a first-class second-rate composer.” All I ever wanted out of the film industry was just to be part of the group.

I believe that we all get a gift. I got lucky. I got three.

You were part of a group, though. As someone who was a key member of what we now call “New Hollywood,” why do you think that moment has been so romanticized?   Part of it is because of the films themselves — look at George [Lucas’] and Marty [Scorsese]’s early movies. They’re really great. We’d come from film school and working with Roger Corman, a lot of us, and suddenly we were able to make it past the studio gates. It became this maverick thing, and people love mavericks. You know, the whole thing about how the things you get in trouble for in your twenties is what you get praised and win awards for in your sixties! I think we were lucky to find each other, but I really believe it comes down to the movies. Not that book.

By “that book,” do you mean Peter Biskind’s Easy Riders, Raging Bulls [about Coppola, Scorsese, and the New Hollywood filmmakers of the 1970s]? Yeah. Totally full of inaccuracies. I just lost my wife of 60 years, Eleanor, and one of the reasons I’m in Napa right now is because it’s forced a kind of probate — I have estate issues, and I have no idea how it’s going to work out. Of course, Megalopolis is going to open and I’m very optimistic about what’s going to happen. I think people are going to go see it because, if for no other reason, they want to see it for themselves, which I think is good. But if there’s some wealth left here, I want it to go to being some sort of subsidy for young filmmakers in our family foundation.

How have you been dealing with the grief? The most comfort I have is … there’s something that Marcus Aurelius said that’s basically “When you lose a loved one, you should honor them by trying to be more like them. It’s in your actions that they will remain alive.” So I try to do things that she would do. I have some friends who are elderly now, and it’s not my nature to call them up and say, “How are you doing?” That would be her nature, though. So I do things to try to be more like that, to keep her in me.

Let’s go back to The Godfather for a second. Why do you think the movie endured the way it has? It was the right movie for the right time, with the right cast, with the right artists. Somehow, everything just lined up. I have a theory of one of the reasons why it was so successful, which is [something] no other gangster film ever did, is it had the children of gangsters in it. Which is funny, because it’s a small thing. But one of the things that made The Godfather really different is that you not only see these men doing what they do, you also see their family and what so much of Italian American life was at that time.

What do you think about works like The Sopranos, which take the mythology of the Godfather films and either build on it or deconstruct it? The Sopranos is incredible. [David Chase] wanted to be a moviemaker, and you can see all of these cinematic influences in the show. And then he raised television storytelling to the level of movies, and maybe surpassed them. It’s kind of amazing.

Such as? Well, I had a wonderful older brother who was very good to me, five years older, and he used to write his work under the name August Floyd Coppola. He’s Nicolas Cage’s father. I just wanted to be his kid brother. He was such a wonderful older brother. He’s the one who took me to see all those movies. So when The Godfather came out and suddenly Francis Ford Coppola was somebody, he couldn’t be August Floyd Coppola anymore because it seemed as though he was copying me — but I was copying him, and that caused the heartbreaking issue that went on and on throughout my life.

Your success changed the dynamic between you two? I still worshiped him. He died not talking to me. [ Long pause. ] Do you know the story about the first preview for The Godfather: Part II ?

What happened? So the movie goes between young Vito Corleone coming to America and Michael Corleone in the 1950s. It would be 10 minutes in one story, then we’d switch to 10 minutes of the other story. We had finished the mix on the movie and were all set to open. We previewed it in San Francisco — and it was a disaster. The audience hated it. I didn’t go to bed. I went under the bed and I hid. And in that state, under the bed, I realized that 10 minutes wasn’t long enough. It should be double that — I should cut back and forth every 20 minutes, because the audience wasn’t ready to be yanked out of one story and yanked in the other story.

So I went to the editors and I said, “Guys, we have to make 120 picture cuts to do what I have in mind,” which was to basically double the scenes for 10 minutes to 20 minutes. They stayed up all night for two nights and made the changes. We took it back to San Diego — and it was a different story entirely. The audience loved it. They were wildly impressed. Originally, they hated the acting. Now, it was the best acting they had ever seen, they said. It was the same acting [ laughs ]!

There were reports from the Megalopolis set that you kissed and touched extras in a way some people found inappropriate. Was that a rehearsal thing that got out of hand? You’re talking about the Guardian piece, which is totally untrue. If you read that piece, you’ll realize that whoever the sources were — and I honestly don’t know who the sources were — it’s the same people who provided quotes for that Hollywood Reporter piece that said all these people were fired or resigned, and that there was a mass exodus, all of that. And the truth of the matter is, they were looking for some sort of dirt. The young women I kissed on the cheek, in regards to the New Year’s scene, they were young women I knew.

It’s all so ridiculous. Look at the timing of that article. It’s right before we’re about to premiere the film at Cannes. They’re just trying to damage the picture.

I want to start a conversation. You can’t have a utopia without a conversation.

Why do you think they’re trying to damage the picture? There’s a prevailing tendency in Hollywood to say, if you follow our rules, you’ll have a better chance of a success. “Well, what about Francis? He doesn’t follow your rules.” “Well, look, what’s going to happen to him, he’s going to have a failure.” I’m trying to do something different here. Film is change. I mean, the movies that your grandchildren are going to make are going to be nothing like what we see now.

Now that you’ve finally made Megalopolis , is that it for you? No, I’m working on two potential projects right now. One is a regular sort of movie that I’d like someone to finance and make in England, because I don’t have a big history with my wife in England. Everywhere else I go, I’m reminded of her all the time. The other is called Distant Vision, which is the story of three generations of an Italian American family like mine, but fictionalized, during which the phenomenon of television was invented. I would finance it with whatever Megalopolis does. I’ll want to do another roll of the dice with that one.

Megalopolis is a film about the death and rebirth of a republic. And I think it’s safe to say that I feel like our republic is as close to being within its death throes— As it’s ever been. Yes. Maybe the War of 1812. That was dicey, too. They burned the White House.

But the movie ends on an optimistic note. It’s hopeful. How do we bring that sense of hope into our everyday lives? This steers me toward politics, and my publicist will yell at me if I start talking about politics [ laughs ]. This movie won’t cure our ills. But I honestly believe that what will save us is the fact that we’ve got to talk about the future. We want to be able to ask any questions we have to ask in order to really look at why this country is divided right now, and that’s going to provide an energy that will defeat those people who want to destroy our republic. I made this film to contribute to that. And all I want is for this movie to start a conversation. You can’t have a utopia without a conversation. 

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