Review: The Godfather by Mario Puzo

SUMMARY FROM GOODREADS.COM:

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. Now, in this newly-repackaged 30th Anniversary Edition, readers old and new can experience this timeless tale of crime for themselves. 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.

MY TAKE:
If my husband hadn't insisted that I read The Godfather, I don't think I would ever have read it.

The Godfather follows the Corleone family through the years as they try to hold on to their territory and fight off the other families of New York.

My biggest objection to reading The Godfather was the violence. I usually don't read books with a lot of violent scenes because I find books like that to be too heavy and dark. My husband insisted that it was about more than just that, so I decided to read it.

As I expected, there was a lot of violence in this book. I also didn't find the writing style all that compelling. The action, the pace and the plot were interesting, though, and I found myself turning page after page. At first, I felt there were too many characters and it was hard to keep track of who was who, but after awhile, it became much easier.

After reading, I now truly understand the different Godfather references I've seen in different movies and shows like the Simpsons over the years. Aside from that, though, I did like a few things from the book. Namely, even though the Mafia members were ruthless and had little respect for life, there were some mantras they followed or believed in that I did appreciate. One example, is the Don's belief in making friends everywhere and maintaining good relationships with everyone and helping them out without payment because someday they may help you out. Of course, these guys took it to an extreme, but the basic idea is nice.

What I didn't like, though, was the women in the novel. Except for the matriarch, and possibly Michael's first wife, I didn't like the women in the book. Connie was selfish and annoying. Kay, on the other hand, just rubbed me the wrong way for some reason.

Overall, this is a very masculine book. If you're interested in the Mafia, like violence, military strategy, etc., this book may just be your thing.

THE GOOD:

1. There are some interesting life lessons in the book.
2. There's plenty of action.
3. Michael's revenge plan was unexpected.

THE BAD:

1. Some people may find the writing style boring.

FAVORITE QUOTE/S:

He had learned the girl's name was Apollonia and every night he thought of her lovely face and her lovely name.

READ IT IF:

1. You liked the Godfather movies.
2. You like books with a lot of action.
3. You like books with cunning characters.

RATING:


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