Take a photo of a barcode or cover
4.25 AVERAGE
4.25 AVERAGE
Quisiera haber sabido qué se siente leer esta novela sin las imágenes de la película en la cabeza y sin ver las caras de los actores cada vez que se les menciona. Creo que es un gran libro pero en definitiva supongo que mejora mucho por todo el contexto y la parte visual que ya uno tiene interiorizada gracias a la película de Coppola.
Even after having watched the movie and knowing all the iconic dialogues and scenes, this book thoroughly kept me hooked. The drama across various acts was palpable.
The book progresses through Vito, Sonny and then finally Michael. But you always felt the presence of these characters even in their absence. The marriage setup is very well done. The stories are an absolute page turner.
I could see through the chapters the growth of Michael from a reluctant son to the Don's successor. His presence gets frightening towards the end. There are so many life lessons on negotiations and patience spread across the book. And in equal measure is the misogyny and patriarchal thoughts of the times. The character of Kay Adams reflected a lot with me. She is the silent spectator to the drama just like us. She is the one who can see through their bullshit.
And finally I know what the famous Thunderbolt means. I loved swifting through the various books. I would like to read this novel at a stretch some day and hopefully enjoy it more.
The book progresses through Vito, Sonny and then finally Michael. But you always felt the presence of these characters even in their absence. The marriage setup is very well done. The stories are an absolute page turner.
I could see through the chapters the growth of Michael from a reluctant son to the Don's successor. His presence gets frightening towards the end. There are so many life lessons on negotiations and patience spread across the book. And in equal measure is the misogyny and patriarchal thoughts of the times. The character of Kay Adams reflected a lot with me. She is the silent spectator to the drama just like us. She is the one who can see through their bullshit.
And finally I know what the famous Thunderbolt means. I loved swifting through the various books. I would like to read this novel at a stretch some day and hopefully enjoy it more.
i started reading this book because i heard the movie was fantastic and i am a 'read the book first' ind of person. i was under the impression that this would be a fictional take on the 50s mafia scene and its affects on the people/government. and while that is part of the book, about 50% of this is misogynistic garbage. i have never read something so vulgar in regards to the treatment and general view of women in my life. yes i understand its in the 50s but the way it is written and the frequency of it takes away from the story so much that i dont even care about the main objectives. none of the characters are likeable and i couldnt care less about who died because i fucking hated everyone! i wanted to dnf this book multiple times but kept thinking that there must be some kind of redemption arc for these extremely troubled and evil people, but no, its just evil people doing evil shit for 400 pages. what a waste of time.
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This book was published in 1955, which reflects the views and prejudices in it. There are many derogatory terms/names in this book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Gun violence, Infidelity, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Alcohol
I think any of the characters in this novel could have their own novel and I would enjoy it, but all together, wow, it's a lot
You can tell it was written in a time with different values but I really enjoyed the pacing and story telling style.
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death
Moderate: Alcoholism, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Infidelity, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexual content, Police brutality, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Addiction, Cancer, Homophobia, Antisemitism, Medical content, Kidnapping, Abortion
Excellent book, one of my new favourites I think. Like the sequel to the first movie in my Top 5 movies of all time (The Good the Bad and the Ugly, Reservoir Dogs, Godfather Part II & Empire Strikes Back) this is high up there with my favourite novels of all time. Wonderfully crafted, very Shakesperian, amazing character depth and a fantastic masterclass in writing by Mario Puzo. Really need to read more of his work now, but this epic is really essential reading.
I had no real expectations going into this book and only picked it up because it was available at my library, and I was a little bit curious what it would be like.
To sum it up, it was underwhelming, and just a bit boring. It wasn’t all bad though. I did think the author captured the essence of mafia culture and family dynamics in an interesting way. The most interesting parts of the books were when we got a look into the inner workings of mafia life. If the author had stuck to that, I think this might have been closer to a 4-star read. But he inexplicably stuffed so many irrelevant plot lines into this book, it was nearly baffling. The entire section dedicated to a character’s vaginal reconstruction surgery was a real head-scratcher. And while I’m not one to cry foul when female characters are relegated to stereotypical roles, it was so glaring in this book that it was hard not to be annoyed by it.
Out of curiosity I decided to watch the movie after I finished the book. If you’re interested in the story but don’t want to sift through all the unnecessary stuff the author stuffed in the book, the movie is the way to go.
To sum it up, it was underwhelming, and just a bit boring. It wasn’t all bad though. I did think the author captured the essence of mafia culture and family dynamics in an interesting way. The most interesting parts of the books were when we got a look into the inner workings of mafia life. If the author had stuck to that, I think this might have been closer to a 4-star read. But he inexplicably stuffed so many irrelevant plot lines into this book, it was nearly baffling. The entire section dedicated to a character’s vaginal reconstruction surgery was a real head-scratcher. And while I’m not one to cry foul when female characters are relegated to stereotypical roles, it was so glaring in this book that it was hard not to be annoyed by it.
Out of curiosity I decided to watch the movie after I finished the book. If you’re interested in the story but don’t want to sift through all the unnecessary stuff the author stuffed in the book, the movie is the way to go.
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced