Rating: 
Summary: Top of my list.....
Review: This was by far one of the best books I have ever read. I am a avid reader and of all the books ive read this has to be in the top 5. I highly reccomend this book. -Eric Ahlport
Rating:
Summary: Enjoyable book even though you have already seen the movie
Review: This book was put at an incredible disadvantage considering that I already saw the movie more than once and I knew everything that was going to happen. That's a tremendous handicap for an adventure story. But it was still a very good read. The movie makes my short list for greatest movie I've ever seen, so far superior to that horrible Citizen Kane which was voted, inconceivably, the greatest movie of all time. The book is not the greatest book ever written but it deserves five stars here.Advantages of the movie over the book: First, that amazing finish, when Michael Corleone settles everyone's hash. It plays a lot better in the movie than in the book. Second, the portrayal of Don Corleone by Marlon Brando wins my All Time Oscar Award for greatest acting performance by anyone ever. Brando makes a selfish, violent mafia leader into a magnificent and wonderful character. Advantages of the book over the movie: The women in the book, particularly Don Corleone's wife and Michael Corleone's American wife, are so much better in the book than in the movie. The women are much smarter, much stronger, much more interesting, and in the older lady's case, immensely funny, in the book. The movie gives the don's wife almost no attention at all, thus losing my favorite character of the book, and it makes Michael's girl a bit weak, credulous, stupid. In the book, both the don and Michael have nothing but respect and honor for their wives, and don't in the least look down on them as Michael certainly does in the movie. I'd much rather see, or read about, an intelligent and strong woman who isn't being fooled for more than a second, than a dope who is excluded and successfully lied to. Another advantage of the book is that it makes the case against society a lot stronger than the movie does. The book makes it clearer just how corrupt society is, how corrupt our national leaders are, and how little difference there is, when it comes to virtue, between the mafia and the government. In some ways the mafia is more attractive and offers more justice than our courts and our government does. Let's not forget, though, that the mafia in the real world isn't Marlon Brando. It really doesn't pay to idealize either the mafia or the government, because selfishness rules both, and you don't add up to a hill of beans in the eyes of either one.
Rating:
Summary: Triumphant...
Review: "The Godfather" is a staggering triumph, an incredible work of art, and (in my opinion) the greatest work of fiction ever written. The movie was also great, but it doesn't compare to the book or even come close (if you enjoyed the movie, PLEASE do yourself a favor and read the book). Claiming this as my favorite (fictional) book is an amazing thing, given that I've been reading since I was a young child, and have read many of the classics as well as popular literature. "The Godfather" truly outshines them all. But don't take my word for it, buy the book and read it for yourself. It's a book that can be read again and again... in fact, it can be read immediately after the first reading, and it all seems fresh every single time.
Rating:
Summary: Not just a gangster story - a philosophical exploration
Review: Yes, that sounds very lofty for a description of the most celebrated gangster novel ever. But, if you were to only look at its crisp characters and detailed account of the mafiosa lifestyle, you would be missing out on what makes this book so incredible. This is a story of how one man is set upon the bottom rung of the ladder and decides that he will leave this rung and never return - no matter the cost. He begins a calculated ascent to power. He learns very early that true power is not about money or stature. It is about the ability to cause physical or mental pain or literally eliminate the person you are in disagreement with. But where this book begins to go beyond just being a story is that this man does not use this power the way you would think. He only uses it when his ability to influence through other means stops. It is his worldview and how he uses his mind to beat the system that makes it so intoxicating. As you witness the events that take place, you find yourself torn between fearing this power and being overcome by envy. You do not approve of some of the means, but the brilliance with which it is manipulated is fascinating. Whether a philosophy major or lover of crime noir, you should read this book. But do not just absorb the gritty accounts of mob life. Look at the formula for success the Don has developed and follows. It is the element that makes this book unforgettable.
Rating:
Summary: Godfather Great For Adults
Review: The Godfather by Mario Puzo is an excellent adult read. I really enjoyed discovering information that i assume is true about the mafia. I recommend this book to any adult who is interestid in conflicts and questionable killing, and does not get squemish with gory details. Puzo is an excellent author and I am looking into more of his books to read. I simply love the way he describes every detail in words that are understandable to the common ear, yet words sophisticated enough to really illuminate a picture in the readers mind. I am very glad i read this story and I plan on watching the movies soon as well as reading more Puzo novels in the near future.
Rating:
Summary: The height of Greatness!
Review: "Behind every great fortune ther is a crime". With these great words by Balzac, one of the greatest novels ever(certainly one of my favourites) begins. The book begins by showing a few characters in terrible despair ranging from the abuse of their daughters to the problems of the husbands of the daughters. To cure these problems they all decide to approach Don Vito Corleone(played by Marlon Brando in the movie): a rich, honourable, just Sicilian who is also the leader of the biggest crime organisation in New York. Don Corleone is a great man, he helps the poor without placing a heavy burden upon them and is also a great family man("A man who is not a father to his children can never be a man" says the Don at one point) but has a problem: He is growing old and when retirement comes who will take up the mantle? The reins of a crime organisation aren't strictly hereditary but Vito being the family man that he is would prefer it to be. He has three sons: Santino Corleone, his eldest and the one with a fiery temperament, his temper being so bad that he is unable to even think while having a tantrum. No, he is ruled out. The second one, Fredo, is a very dutiful, obedient but also a very emotional man and not ruthless enough. He also is ruled out. Then there is the third one, Michael(played by Al Pacino in the movie(s)) would have been the perfect choice except that he has made it clear he has no interest in the family business and loaths it. If not him then who? That is the question troubling Vito. Throughout the book, the question gets answered for him when he gets shot. The reason being that he refuses to take part in a drugs deal but Santino shows interest in the deal, the drugs dealer, a clever man named Solozzo, knows that if he removes the Don, Santino(nicknamed Sonny) will take the chair and will agree to the deal and so Solozzo sets out to kill the Don, but only injures him. Sonny takes the chair but gets stuck when his main henchman, the great giant Luca Brasi, gets killed. Michael hatches a brilliant plan to kill Solozzo and a crooked police captain as well, this he does and goes to his native Sicily in hiding. I won't tell you the rest as that defies the object of encouraging you to read the book. This book is great because of its humanness in that everyone here is just a normal person only in very different circumstances, but they still think like us. The Mafia here aren't the monsters we ecpect them to be, they are the salt of the earth, great people, nice people who just have to kill people sometimes. It also explores the relationships in a family and in a way is also satirical(in the chapter where Jonny Fontaine thinks about life in the 40's Hollywood). It is a story of friendships, love, betrayal, honour and most importantly: family. The only way in which this book is possibly flawed is where Puzo talks about irrelevant things like Lucy Mancini's life and Jonny Fontaine's career. That apart this book is perfect, it is a true masterpiece. A must read.
Rating:
Summary: A book I would like to keep with me forever
Review: _The Godfather_ is the novel who introduced me to the reading of Anglo-American books in the original language.
For the first time, I felt it was worthwhile to do such an effort...because I'm Italian, and I was used to read only translations.
But Puzo's language is so beautiful and intense that you cannot give up....you must read his books, just the way he wrote them!
_The Godfather_ is an absolute page turner. The characters are extraordinarily vivid and true. Maybe, my favourite is Santino Corleone -a very amazing mixture of violence and tenderness- but I loved the other personages as well, especially Tom Hagen.
They say: beware, this book teachs you to love the mafia. In my opinion, it teachs to love mankind, in good and evil.
The movie was very good indeed , but I think that the book is even much better.
Rating:
Summary: One Of The Greatest Books Ever Written
Review: This book is definately better then the movie. Mario Puzo doesn't have a charcter for no reason, they all tie into the over all plot. If you liked the movie you'l love the book. The book should have won every possible award it could get, it's so good. It's got part of the Godfather II in it.You learn more about the charcters in the book then You do in the movie. And at about 490 pages it's a very quick read once youcan't stop.
Rating:
Summary: A great Book!!!!
Review: The Godfather was a great book and I Couldn't put it down. I was very sorry when it ended. I think that Mario Puzo did a great job writing this book.
Rating: 
Summary: A "quality bestseller"
Review: Certainly a good book, The Godfather is one of those commercial bestsellers that stay popular, thanks to the quality of its main features: the plot is intriguing and gripping; the characters are well developed, and the world of the mafia is always fascinating. But the most important characteristic of this book is that it inaugurated a sub-genre that romanticizes the world of the mob. The bosses are no longer vulgar thugs in the streets. They are refined people, with wonderful houses, good manners, who listen opera and conduct business in a sophisticated fashion. And yet, they remain extremely violent people, capable of cruel atrocities and treasons. The Godfather is a book that slips easily through your hands, because there is not much to reflect upon: it is a truly good action book. Things happen one right after the other, establishing a chain of violent events that lead to the transformation of the New York mob amid violent fighting. It makes you want to be a mafiosi (though not one of the dead ones). Of course, the films derived from this book are excellent, true classics of cinema.
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