Goodreads helps you keep track of books you want to read.

Start by marking “The Godfather” as Want to Read:

Other editions

Enlarge cover

Rate this book

Clear rating

1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

Open Preview

The Godfather

(The Godfather #1)

Mario Puzo,

Robert Thompson (Introduction)

Peter Bart (Afterword)

4.37 · Rating details · 310,945 ratings · 8,008 reviews

The Godfatherthe 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

Get A Copy

Paperback, US, 448 pages

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

More Details... Edit Details

Friend Reviews

To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up.

Reader Q&A

To ask other readers questions about The Godfather, please sign up.

Lists with This Book

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by J.K. Rowling

Best Books Ever

49,581 books — 195,856 voters

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson

And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie

Best Crime & Mystery Books

5,880 books — 13,687 voters

More lists with this book...

Community Reviews

Showing 1-30

Average rating 4.37 ·

Rating details

· 310,945 ratings · 8,008 reviews

More filters

Sort order

Start your review of The Godfather

Jun 16, 2017 Brina rated it it was amazing

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

flag 274 likes · Like · see review

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

flag 265 likes · Like · see review

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!)

flag 249 likes · Like · see review

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

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

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 1992 میلادی
عنوان: پدر خوانده 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 1992 میلادی
عنوان: پدر خوانده؛ نوشته: ماریو پوزو؛ ترجمه: آذرمیدخت بهزادی؛ تهران، نشر علم، 1370
عنوان: پدر خوانده - ویتوکورلیونه - دن ویتونه؛ نوشته: ماریو پوزو - فرانسیس فورد کاپولا؛ ترجمه: علیرضا شمیرانی؛ تهران، پارینه، 1376
عنوان: پدر خوانده؛ نوشته: ماریو پوزو؛ ترجمه: حجت الله سلیمانی؛ تهران، جاده ابریشم، 1377، در 40 ص؛ شابک: 9646225322؛
عنوان: پدر خوانده؛ نوشته: ماریو پوزو؛ ترجمه: محمد پورفر؛ تهران، نشرگستر، 1388، در 465 ص؛ شابک: 9789645544896؛
عنوان: پدر خوانده؛ نوشته: ماریو پوزو؛ ترجمه: جبیب الله شهبازی؛ تهران، نشر افق، 1388، در 748 ص؛ شابک: 9789643695729؛ چاپ دیگر: 1395، در 600 ص؛
عنوان: پدر خوانده؛ نوشته: ماریو پوزو؛ ترجمه: منیژه اذکایی؛ تهران، نیلوفر، 1395، در 580 ص؛ 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. ...؛ ا. شربیانی ...more

flag 179 likes · Like · see review

Apr 07, 2015 Matt rated it it was amazing

Shelves: classic-novels

Im sure youve had the timeless book-verses-movie argument before. Everyone has. Youre standing at the water cooler at work, and a coworker comes up to you and says Boy, The English Patient is an excellent movie! And maybe you say something back like Michael Ondaatjes Booker-Prize winning novel is far superior. At that point, your coworker calls you a pretentious snob and you respond with sewer-dwelling ignorance peddler. There is some cursing. Maybe someone throws water on the other. Thats the ...more

flag 125 likes · Like · see review

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 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

flag 114 likes · Like · see review

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

Shelves: modern, school, seen

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 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

flag 104 likes · Like · see review

Dec 20, 2008 Manny rated it really liked it

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

flag 105 likes · Like · see review

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 ...more

flag 98 likes · Like · see review

Oct 07, 2017 Mizuki rated it it was amazing

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

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.

(2) The storyline is intensive, believable and it can keep you at the edge of your seat for almost a whole book.

(3) It's ...more

flag 86 likes · Like · see review

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

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

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

flag 79 likes · Like · see review

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

Shelves: abandoned, novels

Heres 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 thats happened.
2. I did not even make page 30! I mean, I even gave Darconvilles 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

flag 78 likes · Like · see review

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

Shelves: audiobook, 5-star, year-2018

Actual Rating: 4.5 Stars

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

flag 59 likes · Like · see review

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

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

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.

flag 55 likes · Like · see review

Mar 25, 2019 myra rated it it was amazing

Shelves: favorites

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

flag 53 likes · Like · see review

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.

flag 51 likes · Like · see review

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 ...more

flag 44 likes · Like · see review

Mar 02, 2008 Roxanne rated it it was amazing

Shelves: already-read, favorites, re-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

flag 43 likes · Like · see review

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.

flag 43 likes · Like · see review

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

flag 42 likes · Like · see review

Apr 05, 2019 Erin rated it it was amazing

Shelves: movie, april-2019, best-of-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).

flag 41 likes · Like · see review

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

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

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!

flag 40 likes · Like · see review

Sep 18, 2018 Chris rated it it was amazing

Id 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. Its a classic, and deservedly so. ...more

flag 39 likes · Like · see review

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

Shelves: adapted-to-screen, june-read

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

flag 38 likes · Like · see review

Dec 26, 2014 Em Lost In Books rated it it was amazing

Recommended to Em Lost In Books by: Srividya

Shelves: 5-star, 2015, recommendations, 1960-69

I saw the movie few years ago and loved it. I was unaware at that time that its an adaptation of a book of same name. Courtesy Goodreads I finally came to know of this fact. But still I was in no mood to read the book until my friend Srividya recommended it to me.

There are so many aspects of the book that I loved but characterization simply blew me away. Puzo has given his characters so much depth. Don Corleone, Michael, Tom Hagen, hot-headed Sonny and every other character was brilliant. ...more

flag 36 likes · Like · see review

Sep 09, 2018 Loretta rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: fiction, my-2018-reading-challenge, the-great-american-read

Having seen the movie so many, many and did I say many times before actually reading the book, the actual reading of the book has left a lot to be desired.

flag 35 likes · Like · see review

Mar 27, 2013 ❄️ Propertea Of Frostea ❄️ Bitter SnoBerry ❄ rated it liked it · review of another edition

Recommends it for: No one actually :/:

Recommended to ❄️ Propertea Of Frostea ❄️ Bitter SnoBerry ❄ by: Priya's Mom

Shelves: 2013, movie, classics, yawn, the-meowzer-reviews

The Godfather by Mario Puzo...

Gimme one reason why there was NO CAT IN THE BOOK???
But they added one in the movie, huh.

So, the Godfather is this guy:

Most loved him, I didn't so I'm not going to talk about him. But his ideals are kinda cool.
Friendship is everything. Friendship is more than talent. It is more than the government. It is almost the equal of family."
Revenge is a dish that tastes best when served cold.
A man who doesn't spend time with his family can never be a real man.
"Every man ...more

flag 34 likes · Like · see review

Apr 06, 2019 Dean rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

This is a literary masterpiece, a modern classic, a soap opera for men, a family saga, and written so grippingly and powerful that for the most time I keep forgetting that I was reading at all..

Mario Puzo in his astonishing good novel, introduce the reader to the Corleone family and the American mafia..

Well, I wonder why it has taken me so long before reading this masterpiece..
Yes, I loved it very much indeed!!!
The characters are drawn with such accuracy, the Dialoges so believable, and the ...more

flag 36 likes · Like · see review

Aug 04, 2016 Sidharth Vardhan rated it it was amazing

Shelves: europe, list-guardian-1000, list-1001, bestest, questioning-norms, crimanal-friends

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.

"Behind every successful fortune;There is Crime.

"The lawyer with the briefcase can steal more money than the man with the gun.

We are all honorable men here, we do not have to give each other assurances as if we were lawyers.

"Time erodes gratitude more quickly than it does beauty!

The novel 'The Godfather' leaves a ...more

flag 34 likes · Like · see review

May 15, 2019 Saadia B. || Hustle, Bustle and Hurdles 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 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 ...more

flag 42 likes · Like · see review

« previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 … next »

new topic
Discuss This Book

topics	posts	views	last activity
YA Buddy Readers'...: The Godfather (The Godfather #1) by Mario Puzo, Robert Thompson (Introduction), Peter Bart (Afterword) - Starting April 6th 2020	1	5	Mar 15, 2020 07:16AM
Classic Trash: The Godfather - Finished (Spoilers)	8	12	Feb 03, 2020 10:23PM
The Rory Gilmore ...: The Godfather	16	108	Jan 31, 2020 11:31PM
A light-hearted book recommendation after godfather	1	9	Dec 01, 2019 02:45AM
Crime, Mysteries ...: The Godfather by Mario Puzo - November 2019	3	40	Nov 22, 2019 06:03PM
What are some good mafia fiction?	1	9	Sep 29, 2019 04:34PM
Classic Trash: The Godfather - In Progress (No Spoilers)	13	12	Sep 07, 2019 03:52PM

Readers also enjoyed

See similar books…

Genres

Fiction

3,612 users

Classics

1,776 users

Mystery > Crime

1,320 users

Thriller

744 users

Historical > Historical Fiction

456 users

Mystery

416 users

See top shelves…

About Mario Puzo

Mario Puzo

3,180 followers

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 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

Other books in the series

The Godfather (7 books)

Books by Mario Puzo

More…

Dean Koontz on the Humorous Suspense Writer You Need to Read

Dean Koontz has been a long-time master of the suspense, with his bestselling Odd Thomas and Jane Hawk series as well as his many standalone h...

Trivia About The Godfather

25 trivia questions
4 quizzes

More quizzes & trivia...

Quotes from The Godfather

“I'll make him an offer he can't refuse.” — 1613 likes

“Friendship is everything. Friendship is more than talent. It is more than the government. It is almost the equal of family.- Don Corleone” — 1111 likes

More quotes…