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4.25 AVERAGE
4.25 AVERAGE
The Godfather became a favourite I want to re-read. I truly want to savour it again. I regret not reading it earlier.
"Classic is a book that has not finished saying what it has to say"
The Godfather is a crime novel featuring a Mafia Family in NYC, headed by Vito Corleone. The book is written in the first person and third-person narrative.
The character of Vito Corleone is something that inspires the reader, the way he maintains his values in the illegal world, and his ability to foresee things deserves huge appreciation. All the male characters have equal importance and space throughout the story. The story sidelines all the female characters. The numerous twists and turns make the book a stunning read. The startling suspense at the end turns it to a book that every book lover adores.
"Classic is a book that has not finished saying what it has to say"
The Godfather is a crime novel featuring a Mafia Family in NYC, headed by Vito Corleone. The book is written in the first person and third-person narrative.
The character of Vito Corleone is something that inspires the reader, the way he maintains his values in the illegal world, and his ability to foresee things deserves huge appreciation. All the male characters have equal importance and space throughout the story. The story sidelines all the female characters. The numerous twists and turns make the book a stunning read. The startling suspense at the end turns it to a book that every book lover adores.
Vito Corleone is a polarizing figure, a true antihero. For someone that cares so much about his family, his community, his friends and creates his own sense of laws and morality he created an empire. The one thing that I believe that was flawed in the way his decisions was hhis treating of Carlo Rizzo, if someone, regardless of whether or not that is your daughters husband, assaults your daughter, you have to handle it. I believe Michael at the end did touch on the fact that he couldn't deal with it since he knew he was at the end of his career and he maybe wanted his successor to take care of it to spare him the burdon of dealing with it. Regardless of this you have such a carismatic man that only deals with rational reason and logic, not spurned by emotion even in the event of his sons death, he immediately starts planning and makes it clear he will not retaliate irrationally. The way Mario Puzo crafts the story is very easy to follow and impactful especially since it does not start with the background of vito, but at his peak and then backtracking after you have some context into what he becomes.
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:
No
adventurous
lighthearted
fast-paced
The movie is better.
One of the biggest critiques that I've heard of this book is that there are too many side stories, that no one cares to read about the sx life of a minor character; well, I disagree and did. All the backstories and the richness of the world are what made me love this story.
dark
reflective
slow-paced
dark
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-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
Even if you've seen the movie a million times, like I have, this was an excellent read. Even better than the movie and I have a new appreciation for how well the movie was made a followed this story.
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
reflective
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
So, I somehow managed to not watch any of the movies or read any of the Godfather books until now, and I was pleasantly very surprised at how much I enjoyed this. The Godfather somehow manages to be engrossing by hitting multiple sweet spots, like the Don himself.
It's violent and brutal, but there are human stories underneath that are interesting, and the characters are sympathetic despite the crimes that they commit. The straight way that Mario Puzo writes parallels the "It's just business," attitude, in all it's complexity, of the Don, since all of the Don's business is personal. The Godfather is an interesting study in politics, but it might seem more exciting, because it's the mafia.
One of my first thoughts was that I couldn't believe that it took so long between the time that the first Godfather film became a commercial success, and "Game of Thrones" hit HBO. There are a lot of similarities between the two in terms of appealing at multiple levels: characters, political machinations, violence, and copious food descriptions, just to name a few ;)
P.S. One of the things that didn't read well for me as a contemporary female reader was how all the women were possessions to be owned and protected, and were basically there to cook food and pray for their husbands and sons. Who knows, though? Maybe that's really how Italian-Americans in Hell's Kitchen were during the mid-1900s. Puzo should know, since he grew up then and there.
It's violent and brutal, but there are human stories underneath that are interesting, and the characters are sympathetic despite the crimes that they commit. The straight way that Mario Puzo writes parallels the "It's just business," attitude, in all it's complexity, of the Don, since all of the Don's business is personal. The Godfather is an interesting study in politics, but it might seem more exciting, because it's the mafia.
One of my first thoughts was that I couldn't believe that it took so long between the time that the first Godfather film became a commercial success, and "Game of Thrones" hit HBO. There are a lot of similarities between the two in terms of appealing at multiple levels: characters, political machinations, violence, and copious food descriptions, just to name a few ;)
P.S. One of the things that didn't read well for me as a contemporary female reader was how all the women were possessions to be owned and protected, and were basically there to cook food and pray for their husbands and sons. Who knows, though? Maybe that's really how Italian-Americans in Hell's Kitchen were during the mid-1900s. Puzo should know, since he grew up then and there.