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Summary: Sicily, Sicily, you destroy your best & bring them to dust!
Review: "We all loved Turi Giuliano: But how could we live with him? He wanted to change the world, turn it upside down. He loved his fellow man and who killed more of them? He believed in god and kidnapped a Cardinal!"
Well, Don Croce's words towards the end of the novel pretty much wrap up the story of Giuliano, the man who rose against thousands of years of tradition, against a mixture of interlaced political and economical interests, of local and foreign politicians and barons of crime (for the sicilians, every italian born anywhere outside Sicily is considered a foreigner).
This work is vintage Puzo: it has many similarities to other works of the great writer, a wide range of complex characters, a detailed study of these characters and the relationships between them, all these entwined in a bloody web of violence and vendettas, life and death, loyalty and betrayal, friendship and sexual exploits of the main characters, very similar to those you find in "The Godfather", "The last Don", "Omerta", "The family", "Fools die", etc. Through this novel though, Puzo takes the reader in the land of mist-shrouded mountains and ancient ruins, when "children more beautiful than the angels spring from the earth and turn into demons, where the evil florish in the soil like the bamboo and the prickly pear". He also gives the occasion to the readers to learn something about the history of Italy in general and of Sicily in particular during and right after World War Two (to those who are interested in it, anyway).
All in all one of Puzo's best works, at least as far as storyline and writing style are concerned. One major critical remark though, not for the writer, but for the editor: his name was Salvatore Giuliano and not Guiliano, as you repeatedly find the name mistakenly written at least five times in every page of the book. Maybe I'm nitpicking a bit here, but this "little" error changes completely the pronunciation of his name in italian. Maybe it's not that important, but how would you like to read a book about George Woshington, Elvis Preesley or Martin Luther Kong?
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Summary: Mario Puzo's epic tale of friendship, deceit and love
Review: 90 out of 100 have heard of "The Godfather", but not many people know of "The Sicilian", Mario Puzo's epic tale of friendship, deceit and love and follow-up to "The Godfather". Set during the middle of GODFATHER, Michael Corleone must help legendary Salvatore Guiliano, a Robbin Hood-esque bandit trying to escape to America. Excellent, dramatic, action-packed, clever and at times extremely sad; a highly recommended read.
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Summary: second only to the godfather
Review: a great book by Puzo, very believable characters, a great description of the scenic and mood of sicily and sicilians.
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Summary: Another Masterpiece of Puzo!
Review: A great story of a legendary hero's fight for justice and for the poor of Sicily in a web of deceit, treachery and corruption of the Mafia.
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Summary: Outstanding
Review: A wonderful wonderful book. Perhaps even better than The Godfather. Long live Guiliano!
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Summary: a classic novel with little/no accolades
Review: after reading the godfather, i wanted to read more of mario puzo's work. and, after being told that there was a sequel to the godfather, the sicilian, i decided to purchase it. To my surprise, this book had absolutely nothing to do with the movie - the godfather part 2 - and barely did it follow the story of michael corleone. It instead re-told the story of a real-life hero - salvatore guiliano - the troubles he encountered and the daily adventures he had to endure. Dont pick this book up expecting a godfather sequel, because it is far from it... but it is truly a classic novel in my eyes. Im sure you'd like it if you liked the godfather. Buy it fashizzles
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Summary: READ IT TO BELIEVE IT!
Review: ANOTHER GREAT BOOK BY PUZ
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Summary: A different history
Review: As Puzo says in his book-'But life is a different history'-the sicilainas have carved a different history for themselves.
The theme is not impressive,but the dialogues are catchy-words that can be stored in heart and taste it when it is 'cold' by bringing it back to memory.
Towards the end there are two heroes-Guiliano and his evertime friend Pisciotta.As the author says,only one hero will become a legend,not his friend,but a villian can put his shoulders alongside the hero when the history is written for them.
And the biggest lesson is 'Live to keep you alive,'death of a hero' and 'legendary' -just ephemeral memory for the generations.........
-Good for a one time read
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Summary: In a league of its own
Review: At the risk of irritating prospective readers, I will not describe this book. All I can say is that it is the best book I have ever read, and I'm well read. Clearly Mario Puzo's best work. In fact it can hardly be compared to any of his other works; this is literature, art, enrtaintainment and most of all, a dear lesson in life.This is my only book review as I am more keen on reading points of view than giving them, but on this book, my favorite, I could not hold back. It is a treasure that not many people know about... All I ask is that you read the first ten pages and see if you can stop.
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Summary: What Can I Say -- WOW!! Just Awesome...
Review: Before I say anything I would like to mention that I will not give anything away concerning the book's ending in my review...P>I recently saw The Godfather for the first time earlier this summer. (I am only 19, however that is no excuse). I picked up The Sicilian before a vacation to Lake Tahoe. Every beach trip meant a dive into Sicily and the life of Sicilian bandit Turi Guiliano! This book cannot be touched. By far my favorite book ever read. I am partial to mafia books and especially Puzo, but this is my favorite! A Must Get!!!
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