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4.25 AVERAGE
4.25 AVERAGE
Very well written. The dynamics between characters and relationships were complicated and emotional while still feeling entirely realistic. I liked the way the story was laid out with smaller stories encapsulated in the larger whole to give us history and detail on the main characters before they branched out into the overall plot. The author does an excellent job of making the reader care about what happens to the characters, despite what they may have done or what type of person they may be. The audio book is also expertly read by Joe Mantegna, Anthony Puzo, and Angelo Di Loreto.
If it was possible to give this book ten stars out of five, I would.
A friend should always underestimate your virtues and an enemy overestimate your faults
It's been so long since I've last seen the movies. I really enjoyed this book. I would say that the movie is pretty faithful to the book, and that the book only has a few details that they chose not to put into the movie.
Not sure how to describe the book without the context of the movies, since the movies are so popular and well-known.
Not sure how to describe the book without the context of the movies, since the movies are so popular and well-known.
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
The Godfather is one of my favourite films and I knew I'd get round to reading this one eventually. Still though, I was surprised at the instantaneous enjoyment I received when I started reading. It's exactly like the film, only more so. The details are finer, the characters are inspected in depth, and the morality and culture are explored more thoroughly. So much of the plot is recognisably the same, but there is a deeper quality of richness in the telling that can come only from literature. The avenues that Puzo pulls us down are plentiful, and nearly all of them contribute to the fascinating tale of the Corleone Family.
I need not go into the plot, other than to say that some of what appears in The Godfather Part II film is here: namely Vito Corleone's entry into crime. Much of the rest of the plot is otherwise the same as the film. This is of course due to Puzo writing the screenplay too.
The middle does sag a little. Each auxiliary character gets their own chapter, most of which are engaging. But by the middle we have strayed too far from the magnetic pull of the Corleone Family, and while the tales within are still interesting, they lack the charisma and enigma of our main characters.
My chief complaint in an otherwise marvellous book is the misogyny. Writing in the late '60s, Puzo has some attitudes around women that I suppose were of the time. Of course he is writing about characters within a deeply patriarchal and conservative Italian framework, so it's expected that his characters be sexist. But I believe Puzo's own sexism is layered on top of that. Why else would we hear so much about the ancillary character Lucy Mancini's loose vagina? In a vulgar and frankly gross chapter, she is diagnosed during sex by her doctor boyfriend, who arranges surgery to tighten it, and boasts how he will try it out afterwards. It's revolting, and its inclusion taints an otherwise exceptional book.
Leaving that middle section behind though, we turn back to the Corleones and to Michael's rise to power. The pace picks up, the drama becomes more gripping, and I found myself once again racing through the pages.
I got this for £1 during Sidmouth Folk Week at a sale at the library.
I need not go into the plot, other than to say that some of what appears in The Godfather Part II film is here: namely Vito Corleone's entry into crime. Much of the rest of the plot is otherwise the same as the film. This is of course due to Puzo writing the screenplay too.
The middle does sag a little. Each auxiliary character gets their own chapter, most of which are engaging. But by the middle we have strayed too far from the magnetic pull of the Corleone Family, and while the tales within are still interesting, they lack the charisma and enigma of our main characters.
My chief complaint in an otherwise marvellous book is the misogyny. Writing in the late '60s, Puzo has some attitudes around women that I suppose were of the time. Of course he is writing about characters within a deeply patriarchal and conservative Italian framework, so it's expected that his characters be sexist. But I believe Puzo's own sexism is layered on top of that. Why else would we hear so much about the ancillary character Lucy Mancini's loose vagina? In a vulgar and frankly gross chapter, she is diagnosed during sex by her doctor boyfriend, who arranges surgery to tighten it, and boasts how he will try it out afterwards. It's revolting, and its inclusion taints an otherwise exceptional book.
Leaving that middle section behind though, we turn back to the Corleones and to Michael's rise to power. The pace picks up, the drama becomes more gripping, and I found myself once again racing through the pages.
I got this for £1 during Sidmouth Folk Week at a sale at the library.
adventurous
dark
informative
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
dark
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes