Wow, this was a really grand book. It was philosophically amazing, as well as vast and penetrating in character development.
I enjoyed reading about how the Godfather (Don Corleone) runs an empire that’s so powerful and self sustaining. He will help almost anyone who comes to him, no matter how difficult the task. The only thing he asks for in return, is their friendship, where he can call upon their help in the future. Truly I was so fascinated by such a high-level, grand-scale social maneuvering. Yet, I find myself liking the Godfather as a person too, despite everything he did. This is a story that talks about a mafia empire in a sympathetic light, that you can’t even bring yourself to hate the Don, even though he is technically a formidable, unscrupulous crime lord.
However, Don Corleone isn’t completely without scruple. He does have some personal moral values; for instance, he disapproves of promiscuity and adultery. He also disapproves of the drug trade and prostitution. Interestingly, he’s okay with gambling. It’s also intriguing and counter-intuitive that he has a pretty good relationship with his wife. Some may even see Don Corleone as a family man…He certainly values family (and friendship) more than the average person does, all of which go against your expectations of a mafia crime lord. I love seeing unconventional characters!
Some of the character names really evoke a strong, apt feeling. “Corleone” sounds momentous and sombre, something you have to take seriously, even if you dislike Don Corleone and his family. In addition, the name “Tattaglia,” which is one of the New York rival families, sounds memorable, foreboding, yet somehow flippant and childish at the same time.
The characters were all very complex, where no one was totally admirable or despicable. Mario Puzo uses multiple POVs to tell the backstory of each main and secondary character, so there is no lack of depth. I especially like how he uses these POVs and character histories to reveal each person’s beliefs, attitudes, and worldviews. However, I have to admit that some of the backstories (Vito Corleone’s in particular), were so long that I grew impatient and went to read another book instead. The backstories were all engaging and relevant, but they were still a travel back to the past, and I was eager to get back to the present.
Also, although I enjoyed the complexity of the story, with its multiple points-of-view, tunnelling deep into every character’s backstory, I sometimes thought that the complexity was too much, and I was losing interest, especially as I’m not equally interested in all of the characters. I used to be a more patient reader, but I find that the older I get, the less patient I become. Nevertheless, I appreciated that we got to know many characters in depth. In fact, there was a particular character I found very intriguing, and I felt that we didn’t get enough backstory on him.
It was fascinating as well to read about the Sicilian mafia logic. The police and the law fail to support the common people, especially the poor, and so the people go to the mafia for justice. We got to read from some of the police officers’ points of view too, which made you empathize with them; the justice system failed them too. It makes you wonder how anyone in that society could avoid breaking the law.
I found the betrayals and the motives behind them intriguing too.
It was also more interesting than I thought to read about Johnny Fontaine and Virginia. Hmmm…
Even though Freddie Corleone isn’t much talked about, I felt bad for him. Nobody respects him, so what could you even expect from him? As for Sonny Corleone…sorry, I didn’t like him that much.
Tom Hagen was an interesting character as well. It struck me that he actually has a happy marriage. I had held the stereotypical belief that powerful men, especially powerful men who are lawyers, are doomed to have miserable marriages. I’m sincerely very glad for Tom. He’s an underrated ally for sure.
All in all, this was a lovely book! No wonder it’s so popular. I’m happy that I finally got to read it.
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Top reviews from other countries
Steve
Saw the film now read the book.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on May 20, 2017Verified Purchase
Adisha
"Life is so beautiful..."
Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on January 7, 2019Verified Purchase
Adisha
Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on January 7, 2019
I would say that this is Mario Puzo's most significant and recognisable work - and with good reason. At its core are family values, respect for tradition, trust, honesty and misplaced loyalty. At its periphery are the impact of jealousy, competition in an ever-changing world, tragic circumstances and the inevitable downward spiral of revenge.
This book is nothing short of a masterpiece despite even Francis Ford Copolla, the celebrated genius director of the oft-quoted movie adaptation at one time dismissing parts of the novel saying that, "Much of the book — about a third — is about Lucy Mancini's anatomy!”
Though I personally think this is a perhaps a trifle unfair as the plot and characterisations are on the whole, detailed and masterfully executed and this, for me, makes the novel memorable and 'unputdownable'.
I actually recommend readers that are not familiar with the saga to watch the Godfather I and II films first - but be warned they are at times graphically violent. It is like a well-crafted Greek tragedy. In contrast, the beautiful cinematography will give you a real feel for the evocative backstory and then come back to the book, which ought to be read multiple times as on each reading you will note something new.
As a bonus, if you get a chance, have a listen to the unabridged audio version of the book. It is superbly voiced by Joe Mantegna and very professionally rendered.
A timeless classic indeed!
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Amazon Customer
Disappointing
Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on June 4, 2020Verified Purchase
Ruju
Classic tale not for the PC mafia!
Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on July 5, 2021Verified Purchase
Betseylee
Amazing
Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on April 29, 2022Verified Purchase
