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Showing reviews 1-5 of 396
 THe Wonderful Corleone Saga! August 30, 2010
Emily Placido
by Emily Placido, author of Julita's Sands: A Memoir
I read this powerful book many years after seeing the film. The movie is one of my favorites and I was leery about reading the book after loving the movie so much. I was not disappointed! This book is absolutely terrific!! It takes the reader from the beginning of the Corleone Saga when Vito leaves Sicily and comes to America. The story weaves together the two stories from the films, The Godfather, and The Godfather 11, with much more detail. There are things explained in the book that are not quite fleshed out in the movie, like where the name Genco Oil came from, and intimate details about Sonny. There are parts that aren't even mentioned in any of the movies, but that are important to the storyline. Mario Puzo's writing is real, down to earth, typical Italian American speech patterns. It is easy to read and keeps you glued to the pages. MAfia stories are always a hit but this one is the biggest hit of them all!
Read the book! August 9, 2010
Anthony Bruno (Philadelphia, PA)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
As much as I love Francis Ford Coppola's movie adaptation of this book as well as its sequel--let's not get into the misbegotten Godfather III--I've always felt that his vision was not exactly Puzo's. Though set mainly in New York, the movies have a northern Californian feel for me. The Corleone compound is on Long Island, but it feels more like a Napa Valley vineyard. Many of the settings lack the requisite East Coast grit, and the Mafiosi speak and behave with the gravitas of Borgia courtiers. Don't get me wrong. Godfather I and II are great films, but if you want to know how the real Mafia behaves, this is not prime source material. (Scorsese's mobsters are more on the money.) Puzo had a hand in the film version of his blockbuster, working on the screenplay with the director, and it's hard to imagine that he wouldn't have been pleased with the result. But if you want to experience Don Corleone's saga with authentic New York attitude, read the book. Puzo managed to achieve Shakespearean drama without sacrificing the reality of day-to-day life in organized crime. The book is often passed over as a mere pot-boiler that was transformed into a great film, but Coppola undoubtedly recognized the elements of a grand story when he read the book. If you've seen the films but haven't read the original, by all means do yourself a favor and pick up a copy. You won't be disappointed.
 Overrated, but an interesting read July 27, 2010
Little Jay (Somewhere)
I came to the book first and then I saw the movie. I have to admit, I find both of them to be overrated. I enjoy mob books and films (Goodfellas and Puzo's The Last Don), but I struggled to get into this one. The characters were somewhat wooden and uninteresting, and I never did see how Michael could have transformed from law-abiding son to a cold-hearted mob boss so easily.
However, as another reviwer suggested, this book would have had more potential as a Tom Wolfe-style novel documenting life in the 1940's and 50's. Puzo said that he was "selling out" by writing this book, and I believe that he was never happy with this book or receiving the reputation of a pulp writer. Puzo's best book is Fool's Die. Puzo's best mob book,in my opinion, is The Last Don. It's kind of pulpy as well, but maybe because it was set in the contemporary period, I could identify with and enjoy it more.
Tai's QuickViews: Five Stars July 14, 2010
Taiwo Odunsi (Brooklyn, New York)
Like most people aware of this story, I saw the movie before I read the book. How I wish it were otherwise! Puzo is dark, funny, mean, politically incorrect, and honest at the same time. The mafioso culture is exposed in phrases that tickle the cool sensory parts of the brain (excuse spelling): Omerte (oath of silence), Consigliere (advisor), don (godfather), sleeps with the fishes (dead!), wet one's beak (a cut of the profits). His prose is simple yet speaks to the big words we know yet don't use. The characters are exposition-ed to the perfect point of knowledge relevant to the plot.
p.s.: I admire his use of the role of Destiny to describe Michael's birthright
" The Godfather" by Mario Puzo July 7, 2010
martha fraley (GRAYSON, KY, US)
I had to coose a novel for my AP Language class, to do a report on. I chose this novel. "The Godfather" by Mario Puzo. So I checked out prices and read reviews. I decided to order my novel from Amazon.com. It is an excellent book! I never really knew much about the Mafia until I read this book. They were like regular outlaws, a lot of bloodshed. I know this is a fictional story, but there are still Mafia families around today. They do not obey the law. The author had to do a lot of research about the Mafia. I give my satisfaction with this book an A+, I hope that is what I get on my report. I am going to order another novel from Amazon.com, "The Innocent Man".
Showing reviews 1-5 of 396
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