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isabelgb's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
juliedlk's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
jennaweston's review against another edition
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
I have never seen The Godfather, so when I found out it was book, I was intrigued. I had no idea what to expect, but I ended up liking this book way more than I thought.
What I Liked
- Loved the pace of this book. Right as you think we’re getting too comfortable, something crazy happens.
- the characters were all really interesting and had faults of their own. Right as you thought someone was good, they turned and did something awful.
- you wanted to root for them but also were disappointed in them
- Each character got their moment, their backstory, which made the story much more in-depth and interesting.
What I didn’t like
- the women in this book are very sexualized and everything is tied around how the men in the family can satisfy them sexually.
- Johnny was a real piece of shit — getting mad at his wife for the divorce
- Kay is an interesting character
- It was an older book, but the racist outlook on people of color isn’t great
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence and Murder
Moderate: Racial slurs, Domestic abuse, and Toxic relationship
tendrilheart's review against another edition
dark
informative
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
the illiad equivalent of pulp fiction
kitty57's review against another edition
adventurous
tense
fast-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? Yes
4.75
agratzel's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
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? Yes
4.5
iolexx's review against another edition
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
riddlersboyfriend's review against another edition
4.0
rating: ★★★★ - i couldn’t put the book down but not in my top 10
why i chose this book: i'm writing a mafia novel myself, so i wanted to read The classic mafia book of all time to get some better insight on how it all worked. plus, i've been curious about this book for a couple years, so i figured now was the time to finally read it.
things i liked:
• sonny. i love sonny corleone so much. his love for his family, his temper... he reminds me of me when i was younger. he made a big impression on me early on
Spoiler
and i was wrecked when he died.• tom hagen. loved how everyone's like "he's irish!" but he's actually german-american (i am all of those things). loved the found family aspect of it and how he's basically a corleone too. and i love his relationship with sonny.
• the way the story comes full circle. michael is his father and kay is his mother (metaphorically) at the end of the book
• johnny fontane and his love for singing. as a fellow singer i understand this all too well
• the way nino valenti's depression and alcoholism is covered. he's not jealous of johnny's singing voice, he's jealous that johnny feels so strongly and so happily about it! he doesn't have anything he cares enough about like that!
• mama corleone, god bless her. her relationship with kay is so good
•
Spoiler
CARLO RIZZI DIES!!!!!!!!!!!!things i disliked:
• what was the thing with apollonia about. did we really need to see it
• the lack of development freddy got. do i understand it, yes. do i kinda wish i'd seen more of him though? also yes
•
Spoiler
tom hagen getting kicked out at the end• oh the way women are treated (kay especially, and especially by michael). i know this is like 1950s and they're italian so the bar shouldn't be high but i had qualms with how
Spoiler
michael ditched kay and then she just went back to him almost as soon as he came back from sicily.• i... do not like michael very much. wish he was less of an asshole
was it worth the money?: absolutely yes it was. i like this writing style, i like how the characters come alive and leap off the page, and i like how the author was NOT in the mafia and didn't talk to anybody IN the mafia and yet wrote an exceedingly accurate mafia book anyway. don corleone taught me some life lessons in this one yall