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The Godfather

(The Godfather #1)

Mario Puzo,

Robert Thompson (Introduction),

Peter Bart (Afterword)

4.36 · Rating details · 353,592 ratings · 9,251 reviews

The Godfather—the epic tale of crime and betrayal that became a global phenomenon.

Almost fifty years ago, a classic was born. A searing portrayal of the Mafia underworld, The Godfather introduced readers to the first family of American crime fiction, the Corleones, and their powerful legacy of tradition, blood, and honor. The seduction of power, the pitfalls of greed, and ...more

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Paperback, US, 448 pages

Published March 1st 2002 by NAL (first published March 10th 1969)

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Jun 16, 2017 Brina rated it it was amazing

Shelves: crime, thriller, fiction, historical-fiction, family-saga, classics, mafia

Mario Puzo wrote The Godfather, a book that was to become an instant classic, at a time when both his personal life and that of the United States were in transition. Puzo's first two novels had not sold well, and he was almost penniless. A young, up and coming author, Puzo sought to write his version of the great American novel that would also work well on the silver screen. Meanwhile, in a time of war, the nation was beginning to view the mafia rather than Cowboys as the great American hero. Ac Mario Puzo wrote The Godfather, a book that was to become an instant classic, at a time when both his personal life and that of the United States were in transition. Puzo's first two novels had not sold well, and he was almost penniless. A young, up and coming author, Puzo sought to write his version of the great American novel that would also work well on the silver screen. Meanwhile, in a time of war, the nation was beginning to view the mafia rather than Cowboys as the great American hero. According to afterward author Peter Bart, America's perception of the mafia as positive citizens is what allowed Puzo to thrust The Godfather into the forefront of American society.

As someone who has never experienced the award winning film starring Marlon Brando and Al Pacino, Don Corleone and the world he created were new to me. Vito Corleone had immigrated from Sicily to New York in the early 1900s, and, after a few lucky breaks, quickly established himself as one of the leaders of the crime underworld. Using his olive oil import business as a cover to make himself look like a law abiding citizen, Don Corleone's empire grew through his connections with politicians, police, and other officials. Along with his consigliere and caporegimes, Corleone instilled respect and fear into those who dared go against the most powerful mafia family in the nation.

Being a mafiosa has its costs, however. Corleone's wife through forty years of marriage was never able to be his equal partner. The mafia and everything that went with it was kept secret and separate from family life. Crimes split apart families, forged both likely and unlikely alliances, and one never knew who he could trust. Despite the awe with which people viewed the Don, even he did not feel safe outside of his self-made mall fortress on Long Island. As a result even his wife, daughter-in-law, and especially son-in-law were kept out of the business that was to remain for all times in the family.

The one protagonist who questioned the function of the mafia yet never wavered in his support of his family was the Don's youngest son Michael. A war hero and Dartmouth educated, Michael Corleone desired that his future children and grand children would be lawyers, bankers, maybe even the president, rather than have to go into the family business. Rather than marrying a Sicilian girl, he chose as his life partner a New England Yankee named Kay Adams. The two experience unconditional love yet even Kay, an Ivy League educated woman of the baby boom generation, is not told everything that occurs within the business. Like his father before him, Michael Corleone differentiates his marriage from his place in the family business.

As a Chicagoan, I always associated the mafia with Al Capone, the top Italian crime lord of the city. Viewed in a negative light, Capone alone was responsible for outsiders negative perception of Chicago for many years. Even Puzo and Don Corleone view Capone as an outlier, a crazy who is not invited to be part of the national network of Dons. In Don Corleone, Mario Puzo has created a persona who shifts people's views of the role of the mafia. While there might be killings in revenge on occasion, the Don assists his people in a time of need in the role of an inner city Italian Robin Hood. Some of the activities may be illegal, yet they are overlooked as even rival crime families view Don Vito Corleone with nothing but the utmost respect and reverence.

Following The Godfather's debut on screen, Mario Puzo never again rose to a high level of prominence. He was known as an extension of the character he created and often asked to impart words of wisdom on the Don's behalf. After three sequels, including the second part which also garnered awards, Puzo's ground breaking work lead to generations of mafia and crime family movies, most recently the Sopranos. Yet, there would be no Tony Soprano if Mario Puzo had not created Vito Corleone and his world, changing people's views of the mafia. I rate this captivating, game changing novel 4.5 stars.

Afterward:
After viewing the movie for the first time, I am impressed how closely it stuck to the book down to the minutest detail. For a three hour movie, the scenes moved quickly leaving me captivated and on edge. I found the acting to be stellar, especially Don Corleone himself Marlon Brando. Even if Puzo's other novels did not receive as high ratings, I am looking forward to The Godfather Part II. Puzo and director Francis Ford Coppola indeed made a perfect team and left Americans with a true classic. ...more

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Mar 26, 2015 Diane Wallace rated it it was amazing

The Best! a treasure of a story,plot and movie to keep forever...good storytelling and amazing writing (paperback!)

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Mar 08, 2016 Luca Ambrosino rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

English (The Godfather) / Italiano

New York, 1945. The Italian-American boss Vito Corleone, during the celebrations for his daughter's wedding, agrees to meet some Italian emigrants that ask for his help. Thus begins Mario Puzo's masterpiece, whose movie adaptation made Marlon Brando's interpretation of Don Vito famous. With a simple and straightforward style, Puzo manages to masterfully describe a series of intricate and temporally shifted events, involving the reader and maintaining high levels

...more

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Jul 11, 2014 Ahmad Sharabiani rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: united-states, historical, 20th-century, crime-mystery, literature, fiction, movie

The Godfather (Mario Puzo's Mafia), Mario Puzo

The Godfather is a crime novel written by American author Mario Puzo. Originally published in 1969 by G. P. Putnam's Sons.

The novel details the story of a fictional Mafia family based in New York City (and Long Beach, New York), headed by Vito Corleone. The novel covers the years 1945 to 1955, and also provides the back story of Vito Corleone from early childhood to adulthood.

تاریخ نخستین خوانش: دوازدهم ماه جولای سال 1992میلادی

عنوان: پدر خوانده؛ نویس The Godfather (Mario Puzo's Mafia), Mario Puzo

The Godfather is a crime novel written by American author Mario Puzo. Originally published in 1969 by G. P. Putnam's Sons.

The novel details the story of a fictional Mafia family based in New York City (and Long Beach, New York), headed by Vito Corleone. The novel covers the years 1945 to 1955, and also provides the back story of Vito Corleone from early childhood to adulthood.

تاریخ نخستین خوانش: دوازدهم ماه جولای سال 1992میلادی

عنوان: پدر خوانده؛ نویسنده: ماریو پوزو؛ مترجم: آذرمیدخت بهزادی؛ تهران، نشر علم، 1370؛

عنوان: پدر خوانده - ویتوکورلیونه - دن ویتونه؛ نویسنده: ماریو پوزو - فرانسیس فورد کاپولا؛ مترجم: علیرضا شمیرانی؛ تهران، پارینه، 1376؛

عنوان: پدر خوانده؛ نویسنده: ماریو پوزو؛ مترجم: حجت الله سلیمانی؛ تهران، جاده ابریشم، 1377، در 40ص؛ شابک: 9646225322؛

عنوان: پدر خوانده؛ نویسنده: ماریو پوزو؛ مترجم: محمد پورفر؛ تهران، نشرگستر، 1388، در 465ص؛ شابک 9789645544896؛

عنوان: پدر خوانده؛ نوشته: ماریو پوزو؛ مترجم: جبیب الله شهبازی؛ تهران، نشر افق، 1388، در 748ص؛ شابک 9789643695729؛ چاپ دیگر 1395، در 600ص؛

عنوان: پدر خوانده؛ نویسنده: ماریو پوزو؛ مترجم: منیژه اذکایی؛ تهران، نیلوفر، 1395، در 580ص؛ شابک 9789644486975؛

پدر «ویتو کورلئونه»، با شخصی در دهکده درگیر میشود، و آن شخص به مافیا شکایت میبرد؛ پدر حاضر به زانو زدن در مقابل کدخدای محلی مافیا نمیشود، و او را در حضور مردم به قتل میرساند؛ یک هفته بعد نیز، جسد خودش را پیدا میکنند؛ تفنگچیان مافیا به دنبال «ویتو»ی جوان، به پرس و جو میافتند، چرا که احتمال میدهند، که «ویتو» بعدها به خونخواهی پدر برخیزد؛ اقوام «ویتو»ی دوارده ساله نیز، او را مخفیانه به آمریکا میفرستند؛ ...؛

تاریخ بهنگام رسانی 14/06/1399هجری خورشیدی؛ ا. شربیانی ...more

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Apr 07, 2015 Matt rated it it was amazing

Shelves: classic-novels

“‘[T]ell me the truth, Tom, how many men do you figure the Don killed or had killed?’[Michael asked]

Tom Hagen turned away. ‘I'll tell you one thing you didn't learn from him: talking the way you're talking now. There are things that have to be done and you do them and you never talk about them. You don't try to justify them. They can't be justified. You just do them. Then you forget it.’

Michael Corleone frowned. He said quietly, ‘As the Consigliere, you agree that it's dangerous to the Don and o ...more

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Oct 07, 2017 Mizuki rated it it was amazing

Shelves: wish-i-could-write-like-this, great, crime-fictions, wonderful

“Tell my father I wish to be his son." -Michael Corleone

This is the line that won me over!

Edited@15/04/2019:

GR ate my review!!! I can't fucking believe it!!! *sobs*

*re-write review is in order.......hopefully.*

Here is a few reasons why I put The Godfather in such a high place:

(1) The characters are entirely seductive, likable and engaging despite most of them being Mafia. It has been a long time since I last saw seductive characters like this from We Have Always Lived in the Castle.

(2) ...more

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Mar 16, 2008 Kerstin rated it really liked it

I'm one of the people who watched the whole movie trilogy and then after that found out that The Godfather
exists as a novel. Naturally, I had to purchase it.
It is a matter of taste, I suppose, but next to the movies - so elegant and grandiose - it feels a bit like reading pulp fiction. Maybe it's that the book is lacking the presence of charismatic Hollywood giants Marlon Brando and Al Pacino, whose legendary performances rival those of Clark Gable and Vivien Leigh in Gone With The Wind. It's h I'm one of the people who watched the whole movie trilogy and then after that found out that The Godfather
exists as a novel. Naturally, I had to purchase it.
It is a matter of taste, I suppose, but next to the movies - so elegant and grandiose - it feels a bit like reading pulp fiction. Maybe it's that the book is lacking the presence of charismatic Hollywood giants Marlon Brando and Al Pacino, whose legendary performances rival those of Clark Gable and Vivien Leigh in Gone With The Wind. It's hard to tell. I did feel like the story tended to lose focus once in a while in the middle of the excessive subplots concerning the graphicly described sex lives of Johnny Fontane and Lucy Mancini. But I understand that, at the time, the subjects of pornography and death (especially together) were very controversial and obviously helped a lot with the sales, as the author Mario Puzo himself admitted.

Anyway... the great thing about the book is that the Corleones are all in there of course; the whole main gang. And they get you hooked on everything they do. Classic storytelling at its best.
The Godfather is basically an age-old tale about power passing between generations, more precisely from father to (reluctant) son. We have the "kingdom" of Don Vito Corleone and his "three princes". There's the rash and impulsive Santino (Sonny), the dim-witted but soft-hearted Fredo and the handsome and idealistic Michael. Vito also has a neurotic daughter called Connie and an adopted son named Tom Hagen. Who's German-Irish, btw, and works as a lawyer in the "family business".
Don Vito is a very powerful and respected "wise old man". He is known for his hospitality and seemigly benign, "reasonable" nature. He grants people "favors" and he is such a master of his game that even brutal monsters like Luca Brasi have sworn loyalty to him. In short - he "makes you an offer you can't refuse". Because, in case you do, be prepared to find a dead horse's head in your bed.

The magic of The Godfather story lies in the fact that it is told entirely from "the inside". Which enables us to care about and relate to characters who, in real life, would be considered despicable as people. It's like an exclusive peek into the closed world of a genuine Italian Mafia family. And we look into this world from a viewpoint similar to the one of Kay Adams - the only outsider in there.

Vito Corleone makes his living mostly through gambling and prostitution and, staying true to his old-school methods,
says "no" to drugs. Which is why the other Dons in the New York area decide that he is slipping and it is time to eliminate him. The night Vito is shot, it is his youngest son Michael who shows up in the hospital. Michael is an interesting isolated character. He announces proudly that he doesn't want to have anything to do with the family business and backs this up with his actions. Everything he does is different from his family - he goes to college, joins an army to fight for America and plans to marry a girl who doesn't carry a drop of Italian blood in her, Kay. He starts out as a hero that night, saving his father's life by moving his bed to another room and standing guard on the hospital stairs, displaying qualities (bravery, calculative and cool head under pressure, etc.) that make him an apparent "heir to the throne". When the Corleones work out their revenge strategies, Michael suggests that he should be the one to kill their enemies Virgil "The Turk" Sollozzo and the corrupt police captain McCluskey (who has assaulted him with a heavy punch in the face). Against all odds, he ends up executing the two men in an Italian restaurant, during one of the most thrilling and suspenseful scenes ever created. Having done away with the immediate threat to his family, he is then in danger and needs to go into exile.
With Michael's trip to Sicily, the narrative perspective shifts and the story becomes his. He travels through the land of his forefathers and discovers the terrifying and bloody history of this beautiful place - the birthplace of the Mafia. He seeks to "connect with his roots" by marrying a beautiful local girl called Apollonia. But blow after blow is delivered to him in there; first with the news of his brother Sonny's murder at home and then with the tragic death of his innocent wife and unborn child through the explosives planted in his car. Everywhere Michael goes, death follows him. Once he returns to America, he is no longer the man he used to be.

Michael's transformation from a young war-hero to a ruthless Mafia boss is both fascinating and devastating. And in the end we feel a deep sense of loss, because we've witnessed a man with so much potential for good and a bright, promising future simply sell his soul and go to hell. Was it the result of his decisions or just unfortunate circumstances doesn't even seem to bear real relevance in here - the story plays it out as an inevitability, as if it was always his fate.
Michael is not the only one left to pay for his father's mistakes in a rather biblical manner, either... all of Vito's children do, in their own ways (poor, poor Fredo).

The late Mario Puzo has said that The Godfather is first and foremost about family than anything else. But how much a person would do for their family or how much it would cost them to betray their family are not the only issues it brings up. Layers upon layers upon layers of meaning emerges as the story unfolds. Questions that never find answers (unless you're the actor Tom Hanks who's convinced that all of life's questions can be answered by The Godfather).
It somehow manages to authentically reflect the everyday operations of a criminal empire, be a character-driven psychological drama, a tale of immigrant experience (the backstory of Vito's arrival to America) and a study of Italian-American lifestyle all at the same time. While being structured as a modern myth. No wonder it's so popular.

...more

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Feb 04, 2012 Kaion rated it did not like it · review of another edition

Shelves: seen, modern, school

Indeed, dear reader, I did not hate The Godfather. I h-aa-ted it.

How much did I hate it? Well I could start with a long dissemination of Mario Puzo's simplistic and repetitive prose. Puzo seems to think the reader needs a reminder of plot points that occured ten pages ago, and that unnecessarily drawing out an obvious reveal by splitting it up into three points of view counts as suspense.

Or I could give you a thorough cataloguing of how very poser-y The Godfather, with its bombastic ideas of mas Indeed, dear reader, I did not hate The Godfather. I h-aa-ted it.

How much did I hate it? Well I could start with a long dissemination of Mario Puzo's simplistic and repetitive prose. Puzo seems to think the reader needs a reminder of plot points that occured ten pages ago, and that unnecessarily drawing out an obvious reveal by splitting it up into three points of view counts as suspense.

Or I could give you a thorough cataloguing of how very poser-y The Godfather, with its bombastic ideas of masculinity and supposed gritty crime plotlines. And yet for moral convenience, the only people we see the Corleone Family harm are fellow mobsters they are at "war" with (and somehow the Corleones are never the instigators) or else, terrible human beings who are child molesters (I'm not kidding).

I have an essay on my hard drive about how the worship of this book and the character of Vito Corleone is misguided, as he better represents the utter failure of the American Dream and its corruption of true values... that is if one takes Puzo's vision seriously at all, which one really shouldn't, as it is just another weak attempt at the myth of the Single Man, as well as obviously only prodding history for hopefully salacious material, rather than having an insight into the times.

And I could talk on forever about the greatest myth of Puzo's "history" is his adherance to the Madonna-Whore view of his female characters, only slightly amended more specifically in Puzo's case to the Long-Suffering-Wife (Whose-Willingfully-Ignorant-Devotion-To-Her-Husband-Is-Only-Matched-By-Her-Spiritual-Devotion-To-Praying-For-His-Soul) and the Body, of which there are two subtypes, the Vagina (Woman-Who-Only-Exists-As-A-Sexual-Object) and the Victim (Woman-Who-Exists-As-A-Punching-Bag-Usually-For-Plot-Device-Purposes).

But really that would involve spending more time about thinking about this truly wretched book, and really just this*:

There's a whole character in this book-- a secondary character who gets several chapters devoted to PoV-- who is defined by her gaping vagina. Yes, literally. Her whole character is about her large vagina. We get a whole decades-spanning arc about her large vagina, because really, what else could possibly be more riveting about any woman? What other possible characteristics could any woman have that would be more important than that?

Do I really need to say more?

*It was this or an haiku about watching the pages burn, but I don't believe in book burning and I could never top Bradbury anyway, so this is what you get instead. ...more

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Apr 07, 2020 Baba rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: modernclassic, crime-fiction

The godfather of mafia fiction... the seminal gangster read! The stories of the first family of American mafia fiction, the Corleones. A tale of honour, tradition, blood, sweat, brutality and bullets. Family. Power. Tradition. The Godfather. Should be on everyone's must-read list, period! Puzo's saga of the life and times of Don Corleone and his Family… simply the most popular Mafia tale ever written! Broken into chapters focusing on different 'family' members and told out of time, with the main ...more

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Dec 20, 2008 Manny rated it really liked it

Shelves: parody-homage, too-sexy-for-maiden-aunts, the-goodreads-experience, story-review, pooh-dante

"Come in."

"Ah, Don Corleone, I'm sorry to trouble you -"

"Sit down."

"Thank you, Don Corleone -"

"Where is your mother from?"

"I'm sorry?"

"Your mother, she is from Italia. Which town?"

The rest of this review is available elsewhere (the location cannot be given for Goodreads policy reasons)

...more

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Feb 27, 2014 Fabian rated it it was amazing

Shelves: favorites

Mario Puzo creates his awesome world & then plays with his own elements (those of detective noir and mob drama) like a world-class chess champion. Less than a fourth into the narrative, POW! the Don has been shot. And, hold on a sec, who is the protagonist here? I thought Michael. Or the Consigliari Hagen. Or Hollywood heart-throb Johnny Fontaine? The full display of individual destinies is what makes this better than its cinematic equivalent. Here we see flesh-and-blood people living at a Hadea ...more

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Sep 05, 2018 MischaS_ rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: amazing-cover, should-have-read-earlier, books-i-own, surprised-me, wow, classic, masterpiece, english, best-books-ever, read-before-movie

You gotta stop them at the beginning. Like they shoulda stopped Hitler at Munich, they should never let him get away with that, they were just asking for big trouble when they let him get away with that.

You know that you are a Czech person when this is your favourite quote/sentence(s) from the whole book.

I expected many things from this book because let's face it this book is a phenomenon! But, I didn't know what I will get because I never saw the movies and never read anything about the book. ...more

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Mar 10, 2019 Paul Bryant rated it did not like it

Shelves: abandoned, novels

Here’s a record breaking novel, but for the wrong reasons.

1. I gave it up so fast that I did not have time to list it as “currently reading”. First time that’s happened.
2. I did not even make page 30! I mean, I even gave Darconville’s Cat 50 pages!
3. But instead of just binning it, I need to warn people about this book, so that means I will have written Three Reviews in One Day! A record for me.

Well, I love the (first two) movies like everyone does. So what could go so wrong so fast?

Example the ...more

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Feb 10, 2021 Arini ~ Miss Casually Reading rated it really liked it · review of another edition

So, this is where all the mafia obsessions come from (?!?!?)

Omg, look at me reading yet another classic! The boy I used to have a crush on loved this book (or the movie). Now, obviously my reason for reading this in 2021 was more spontaneous and had nothing to do with him, but the experience did bring back some embarrassing memories. That said, The Godfather was such a man’s book, and I liked it a lot—which was a pity because I’d have LOVED it if the portrayal of women wasn’t so whacked.

I suppos ...more

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Jul 31, 2015 Matthew rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: completist-book-club, favorites, library, 2015

This book is good. This book is really REALLY good. This book is better than I expected. Amazing!

I have to go watch the movie RIGHT NOW!

From the mean streets of New York City . . . to the casinos of Las Vegas . . . to the villas of Sicily . . . the Corleones have got things under control . . . and those who cross them will pay the price.

This book has a lot of intrigue, action, suspense, double-crossing - general bad-ass-ery. I will make you an offer you can't refuse - READ THIS BOOK! ...more

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Aug 02, 2015 Hasham Rasool rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: historical-fiction, crime, mario-puzo, classic, fiction, favourites

It was a very good book. Alhamdulillah. I can't wait to get 'The Family Corleone' and 'The Sicilian' books.

My favourite characters are Vito Corleone/Godfather and Michael Corleone.

'The Godfather and The Godfather part 2' movies were awesome.

'The Godfather part 3' was pointless! The only part I actually enjoy watched 'The Godfather part 3' was 15 minutes before at the end of the film. ...more

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Aug 08, 2018 Mary ~Ravager of Tomes~ rated it it was amazing

Shelves: year-2018, 5-star

Actual Rating: 4.5 Stars

I think this is just what I was in the mood for!

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Sep 04, 2009 Madeline rated it really liked it

Shelves: the-list

New Brilliant Future Career Idea: mafia wife.

Think about it - all you have to do is cook, have some babies, and go to Mass once a day. Sure, I might have a hard time learning to never ask questions about anything, but I could always get a hobby to occupy my time with. At the very least, being a mafia wife would give me tons of free time to finish The List.

It's win-win, really. ...more

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Mar 25, 2019 myra rated it it was amazing

Shelves: favorites

This book had me shook. Absolutely amazing. I’m sure most of you have heard of the Godfather because of the movies, they’re a piece of art but so is this book. I highly recommend it!

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Sep 16, 2020 Shariful Sadaf rated it it was amazing

An amazing, fast paced read. I liked Puzo's insight into the structure of The Family and the role of the Godfather. It was fascinating to consider the contradictions in the character and the actions of Don Corleone and to read the Family's justification of their actions - often perceived as 'necessary' and 'just'.
I'm sure most of you have heard of the Godfather because of the movies, they're a piece of art but so is this book.
This book!
This is, undoubtedly one of my favourite reads of all time! ...more

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Jul 15, 2008 Israel rated it it was amazing

The epic masterpiece of mafia fiction. Puzo is good and entertaining elsewhere, here is great and masterful. It is to mobster books what Godfather parts 1 & 2 are to mobster movies...a standard that can never be equalled. What really intrigues me about Puzo's presentation of the Corleone family, and something that does not translate as explicitly to the screen, is the incredible sense of moral and religious conviction that what they do is right and good. At times I found myself believing that th ...more

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May 15, 2019 Saadia B. || CritiConscience rated it liked it

The Godfather had been on my list for a long time. Having watched the movie I was really looking forward to it.

The mafias living in America had their own rules and regulations, which set them apart from one another. They belonged to Italian families who immigrated to America and made it on their own by spreading various businesses and controlling certain areas around the country to sustain their empires.

Don Corleone being one of them was among the powerful, who was attacked by Sollozo and the T ...more

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May 13, 2013 Jr Bacdayan rated it really liked it

"..for Justice, we must go to Don Corleone."

In a world where laws are broken, where the government is only a puppet, where murder is routine and safety a rare thing, Don Corleone holds all the strings. He is the avenging angel, the thief in the night, the protector of the poor, the warrior of the wops, the ultimate puppeteer. He is the loving father, the faithful husband. He is the Godfather.

Don Vito, Sonny, Fredo, Michael, Tom, Clemenza, Tessio, Luca Brasi, the entire family, they're like the ...more

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Mar 11, 2017 Karl Marberger rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: classics, legal-political

This book was very good. Complex and gripping characters with personable motivations light the pages up with the help of exquisite dialogue and delightfully descriptive narrative. A true classic and a great pleasure to read.

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Apr 05, 2019 Erin rated it it was amazing

Shelves: movie, april-2019

A Masterpiece!

I've read this book 3x and each time I love it more and more. The Godfather is what all crime novels should aspire to.

That's all I got!

I'm not qualified to write a review for this book.

Read it and then watch the movies(the first 2 not part 3). ...more

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Jun 26, 2017 Melindam rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: classics, noir, uno-2020

A very fitting book to read when all we can do about the corona virus is "going to the mattresses".

I was really fascinated with this book when I read it in my late teens.

Revisiting this was a really good experience, though the fascination wore out a bit with time, so I am removing 1 star. ...more

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Mar 02, 2008 Roxanne rated it it was amazing

Shelves: favorites, re-read, already-read

I absolutely loved this book! This book started my long running obsession with Mafia.

The Godfather is one of the best pieces of literature ever written. Mario Puzo paints this elaborate picture of the Sicilian mafia through the eyes of Michael Corleone, a returning Marine Corps hero who at first wants nothing to do with the elaborate crime family that his father has built.

Don Vito Corleone, an Italian immigrant who goes from poverty in Little Italy to create one of the Five Families of New York ...more

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Sep 18, 2018 Chris rated it it was amazing

I’d never read The Godfather until this summer. But my lovely bride gave me an early hardcover edition for my birthday, and the whole experience was...Proustian. Almost every passage brought back a memory from my childhood, when the book and movies were omnipresent. I loved it. It’s a classic, and deservedly so.

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Jul 27, 2017 theburqaavenger➹ rated it it was amazing

Shelves: fiction, where-is-the-money, i-have-but-one-heart, you-made-me-a-believer, what-is-happening, when-life-gives-you-lemons, classics, we-ll-always-have-paris, don-t-knock-on-death-s-door, i-love-him

“Revenge is a dish that tastes best when served cold.”

Having dominated both popular film culture and literature for the last 48 years, Mario Puzo's world renowned masterpiece The Godfather is the undisputed patriarch of an awe-inspiring legacy. It's translation onto screen was magnificent but there can be no shortage of superlatives to describe the book in which this idea was first born.

The Godfather by Mario Puzo is one of the best pieces of literature ever written. Mario Puzo paint ...more

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Jun 04, 2011 Lou rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: june-read, adapted-to-screen

A good read that demands re-read has been long time ago for now..

...more

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Should I read the book first or watch the movie?	13	78	Dec 04, 2020 06:08PM
Reading 1001: The Godfather - Mario Puzo	5	13	Oct 01, 2020 11:59AM
Reading 1001: The Godfather - Puzo , Buddy Read	19	13	Sep 13, 2020 02:47PM
Book vs film	1	11	Aug 04, 2020 08:59AM
Goodreads Librari...: New book cover needed	8	27	Jul 24, 2020 01:31PM

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About Mario Puzo

Mario Puzo

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Puzo was born in a poor family of Neapolitan immigrants living in the Hell's Kitchen neighborhood of New York. Many of his books draw heavily on this heritage. After graduating from the City College of New York, he joined the United States Army Air Forces in World War II. Due to his poor eyesight, the military did not let him undertake combat duties but made him a public relations officer statione Puzo was born in a poor family of Neapolitan immigrants living in the Hell's Kitchen neighborhood of New York. Many of his books draw heavily on this heritage. After graduating from the City College of New York, he joined the United States Army Air Forces in World War II. Due to his poor eyesight, the military did not let him undertake combat duties but made him a public relations officer stationed in Germany. In 1950, his first short story, The Last Christmas, was published in American Vanguard. After the war, he wrote his first book, The Dark Arena, which was published in 1955.

At periods in the 1950s and early 1960s, Puzo worked as a writer/editor for publisher Martin Goodman's Magazine Management Company. Puzo, along with other writers like Bruce Jay Friedman, worked for the company line of men's magazines, pulp titles like Male, True Action, and Swank. Under the pseudonym Mario Cleri, Puzo wrote World War II adventure features for True Action.

Puzo's most famous work, The Godfather, was first published in 1969 after he had heard anecdotes about Mafia organizations during his time in pulp journalism. He later said in an interview with Larry King that his principal motivation was to make money. He had already, after all, written two books that had received great reviews, yet had not amounted to much. As a government clerk with five children, he was looking to write something that would appeal to the masses. With a number one bestseller for months on the New York Times Best Seller List, Mario Puzo had found his target audience. The book was later developed into the film The Godfather, directed by Francis Ford Coppola. The movie received 11 Academy Award nominations, winning three, including an Oscar for Puzo for Best Adapted Screenplay. Coppola and Puzo collaborated then to work on sequels to the original film, The Godfather Part II and The Godfather Part III.

Puzo wrote the first draft of the script for the 1974 disaster film Earthquake, which he was unable to continue working on due to his commitment to The Godfather Part II. Puzo also co-wrote Richard Donner's Superman and the original draft for Superman II. He also collaborated on the stories for the 1982 film A Time to Die and the 1984 Francis Ford Coppola film The Cotton Club.

Puzo never saw the publication of his penultimate book, Omertà, but the manuscript was finished before his death, as was the manuscript for The Family. However, in a review originally published in the San Francisco Chronicle, Jules Siegel, who had worked closely with Puzo at Magazine Management Company, speculated that Omertà may have been completed by "some talentless hack." Siegel also acknowledges the temptation to "rationalize avoiding what is probably the correct analysis -- that [Puzo] wrote it and it is terrible."

Puzo died of heart failure on July 2, 1999 at his home in Bay Shore, Long Island, New York. His family now lives in East Islip, New York. ...more

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