Rating: 
Summary: A Look Into The Godfather
Review: The Godfather, by Mario Puzo, is an epic masterpiece that is still read and enjoyed today, some thirty years later. The Godfather, Vito Corleone, is the Don, or head, of one of the five main gangster families in New York. Don Corleone is a force to be reckoned with, with the many connections, vital politicians, and dangerous hit men in his pocket. When he turns down a deal with one of the leading drug lords of the city, Sollozzo, he is shot down by Sollozzo's men. However, the Don is not killed this easily. When the word gets out that he is still alive, the Corleone family knows that Sollozo will stop at nothing to finish the deed. So the youngest son, yet most fit for the heir to the family, Michael, agrees to kill Sollozzo and the police Captain that Sollozzo pays off for protection. When the job is done, Michael must flee the country to Sicily, near his father's home town, because, after the killing of the important Sollozzo, a full fledged war brakes out within the "five families." When Michael returns, the Godfather is well again and back on top, but not for long.
Sonny, the Godfather's eldest son, goes out to visit his sister after he receives a terrified call from her after her husband beat her. On the way, he is shot down by men hired by the sister's husband. The husband was secretly working for the head of an enemy family who was trying to get on top and control the five families. This hits the Corleone family hard and they vow to seek vengeance.
A year later, the Godfather dies in his Long Island home from a heart attack. With the Don and Sonny gone, the Corleone family is very weak and knows that the other families will take advantage of the situation and eliminate the Corleones once and for all. However, Michael is now the head of the family and has turned very hard and unfeeling, as he had to in his line of business. He prepares to eliminate anything that stands in the way of the Corleone family's complete domination. He murders all the heads of the leading four families and his sister's husband. Michael then becomes the ultimate head of the mafia in New York.
I would most definitely recommend this book to anyone. It is high paced and filled with action. It is all engrossing yet terrifying in its power. Although very graphic, you feel compassion for the most immoral of characters. It is the chilling yet incredibly real story of the horrors this nation tolerates. This sensational story's heroes are laced with evil and corruption which makes them all the more believable. This novel makes you feel one with the "family" and you become sucked into the violence and unlawfulness of New York City crime.
Rating: 
Summary: Fascinating
Review: This book has a fame of "man's bible". I have read it in my second year during my university career and up to now, the book has been finished more than 10 times. Although it has such a fame, it produces the same narcotic effects in girls or women. My wife now read at least one chapter everyday. She likes reading it more than making love with me these days, to my sadness. :P
Rating:
Summary: A Book You Can't Refuse!
Review: Here is a rarity - a book and film of the same name that both equal a powerful and passionate mix of family, loyalty, murder, corruption, and rich characters! THE GODFATHER, written in 1969 by Italian novelist and Mafia afficionado Mario Puzo, who also wrote the screenplay to the 1972 film with Francis Ford Coppola. The movie draws you in like no other film can do. But I admit that I watched the movie MANY times before even reading this book. And you know what? I think that's better. Because I can see who's who in the parts without having to take up my time in picturing what the characters look like due to Puzo's epic description of each character! (That is my only complaint of the book; although Puzo tends to keep calling the characters Don Corleone instead of just The Don, or Sonny Corleone instead of just Sonny, or even Tom Hagen instead of just Tom, the book usually calls him Hagen, that tends to get very frustrating!) The book has nine parts. Most of them deal with certain scenes from the film, others have been altered. (Honestly, the film version is better suited than some of the book's scenes. I guess that's because I'm used to the film.) We learn more about the characters who grace the screen for five minutes before disappearing forever. We get to know more of Johnny Fontane (who, in my opinion, was obviously based on Frank Sinatra), Carlo Rizzi, Clemenza, Tessio, Lucy Mancini, Luca Brasi and his dangerous past, the Five Families, Amerigo Bonasera (the first face we see in PART I), and others who appeared in THE GODFATHER, PART II (i.e. Rocco Lampone, Al Neri, etc.) All stories told with detail and backstory as to where they came from and what made these people tick. All I can say is that this is excellent! Mario Puzo, though his only schpiel Mafia and gangsters, is very literate when it comes to storytelling; though, he needs to spell his words better. (You'll notice there are many misspelled words in the book.) Even though Puzo is gone, the heart and spirit of THE GODFATHER will forever be felt. As long as we have the book and the films, even PART III, we will never forget the Corleones.
Rating:
Summary: One of the best books in the world
Review: I never read another book like this. Basically, it's the only book I read multiple times (4 or 5 I guess) enjoying it every time again and never getting tired of. The last time I read it was on a plane to Italy and I can only tell you: if you ever want to travel to Sicily, read this book first. It will change your experience completely, actually seeing all the places you just read about. Imagine you see the characters from the book walking around, acting, talking...I just can't forget it. A word about the movie: Without doubt, Coppola did a great job. But I would strongly recommend to read the book BEFORE watching the movie. However, I also know many people who read it just AFTER seeing the movie. And they enjoyed it, too, but after reading they wanted to see the movie again, because they thought having missed something when they saw it the first time. So take my advice - read first!
Rating:
Summary: Incredible Story
Review: After reading the reviews that lean toward "negative", I'm amazed. This is one of the best examples of pure storytelling ever printed. Yes, it gets VERY in depth about the lives of characters and events that shape the body of the novel. That is the novels strength. The first movie and the pre-quile part of the second are excellent, because they follow the story telling to the letter. I did see the movie before I read the book, and after reading the book......it was the difference between reading Cliff Notes and reading the actual classic. I enjoyed the movie so much more the second time I saw it, because I understood things that the director could only hint at. An excellent, excellent novel!
Rating:
Summary: Better than the movie.
Review: The first time I watched the Godfather I was 5 years old. Now I am 16 and I just read the book for the first time. The book is so great. If you are a Godfather movie fan, then you have to read the book because it will make you appreciate the movie even more, because you will know the full history of every character, and it explains so so much more than the movie. I know you might think I'm only 16 and that I don't know anything yet, but trust me, this book is the best ever.
Rating: 
Summary: What is not so good of this pageturner:
Review: Read this book. It's delicious. My rating of 1 star is to attract your attention, but also to look more closely to the cristicism of people who didn't like Puzo's bestseller. Let's review this book, as Don Corleone would: let us 'reason' about it. As a rule, bestselling novels must have something special; like a cliché can not become a cliché without earning it. The average high rating of this book indicates it's power and quality, giving you a reason and justification to read it. Therefor, it's more interesting to give you reasons NOT to read it. If one claims that something is good, one has to try proving the contrary, and if that fails, the quality claim is justified. The criticism can be summerized as follows: * 'The film is better than the novel' - In most cases, a book is preferred over the film. If a director doesn't capture the images that a reader had imagined, the reader gets frustrated and dissapointed. In The Godfather, this process is turned around: most people have seen the pic before they read the book. Ofcourse the novel lacks the fabulous acting, music and fotography of the movie. The quality of the film can have so much impact on the mind, that it obstructs the imagination needed while reading. It does not mean that the novel is no good. * 'The novel contains too many unimportant details about uninteresting characters' - This is a matter of taste. Personally I loved the storylines about Lucy Mancini's 'big box' and Johnny Fontane's declining stardom. But also, they provide another perspective on the Mafia-world. These people live 'normal lives' in the 'normal world', but even they are partly controlled by the Don. Their lives show us precisely the borderline of the Don's influence. * 'The characters are too flat' or 'The characters suddenly change to become totally different flat charachters' - This is true. I was surprised to see Michael suddenly become a cold mobster. But, let's be honest, from the very beginning of the novel we all knew that was going to happen. It's not clear how it happened, and maybe that is also the power of the story. The characters maybe flat, but flat in a mysterious way. You do not understand exactly why they do what they do. I was mostly shocked and surprised about Michael lying to his wife, when she asks him to tell the truth: did he really kill his sister's husband? He gives it to her straight: "I'll tell you about my bussiness for once: I did not do it". It's a lie. If the characters are flat, they would be completely predictable, and they are not. You suspect their actions, but you don't know precisely why or how yet. And it's clear why you don't understand: you are not from Sicilly.
Rating:
Summary: Even Better than the Movie
Review: As is usually true of books which have movies based upon them, The Godfather is better in print form, but this surprised me since I would rank The Godfather as one of the best movies ever. This book about the Corleone Family, really defines the mafia genre and has not been equalled in the 32 years since it was written. The character development is phenomenal, the story lines are very well woven together and conceived, and the ethical lessons contained within the text are sometimes complex, but fascinating. It shocks me how little Coppola had to alter the story or the characters to create his masterpiece and it will be apparent to all who read it, Mario Puzo's Godfather, is a classic in its own right. You will be disappointed when the story is over, because you are so caught up in the lives of the Corleones that you just want to follow them further. I really can not say enough about this book, but I would recommend it to everyone.
Rating:
Summary: A Masterpiece beyond compare
Review: As a teenager who constantly looks for a means of escape from a dreadful life, when I picked up this book I read it in hopes of reading a book that had everything! Action, romance, humor, death, and despair. Not to mention an awesome story line. At the time of reading my mind was uncorrupted by the famous film. I suppose because of that I can be considered lucky because I was able to devour every word from the genius Mario Puzo without relating to the events in the movie. Anyway, the book is very exciting with plenty of action and an excellent plot line. The characters are developed nicely from the hot-tempered Sonny to the strong, silent Michael. With all the easily related to characters in the book you just can't help but feel excited when all of the parts come into play. I wish we got read books like this for school!
Rating:
Summary: Great book of families, history and crime!
Review: This is a great book on many levels. Firstly it is a fascinating and detailed book of an Italian family living and loving in the land of opportuntity. It is historically accurate, richly detailed, and utterly believable. Secondly it has wonderful characters. The Don himself and his family; the different people from varied circumstances who are driven to ask him favours for whatever reasons; and the people of rural Sicily. Finally it is a great crime story. Who can forget the horse's head in the bed? The shooting in the cafe? The revenge wreaked on a daughter's rapists? This is really powerful stuff, and so well written that you forget the horror of it all. This is a truly great book, of difficult times, driven people and how they evolve into what they are. It is a classic that should be on everyone's reading list.
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