Rating: 
Summary: amazing
Review: now dont get me wrong i love the book. i gave it four stars however because of the incredibly boring excess of parts about johnny fontane,lucy mancini, etc. the rest of the book is an amazing portrayal of the world of the mafia but not only that but their families as well. it illustrates the concepts of honor, loyalty and justice in a setting where if you think about it seem like they would matter little. we are talking about career criminals here. i think thats what really draws our intrest. the fact that we grow to love characters that have such good qualitities and away from the crime setting would be considered wonderful people. just my opinion.
i could hardly put this book down...except i was staying up to early hours of the morning to read and drowsiness overtook me. some aspects of the book are better than the movies...like how it explains the actions and motivations of some of the smaller players more. but the movie i am grateful skipped over many insignificant parts that were unnecessary. both are amazing so check them out!
Rating: 
Summary: A classic
Review: Obviously, it doesn't take much to find out that Puzo's The Godfather is a good book. It is one of the most famous books ever written, and the classic organized crime book. Yet, the beauty of the whole story, really lies in it's simplicity. I'll start off with a small plot summary. Don't worry about spoiling anything; this is simply a sampler. The story is basically the life of Don Corleone, an aging don at the center of New York's most powerful crime family. The story chronicles his life as an established Don, and also goes through the lives of his children. It's broken up into five books (all within the same cover) which are really like large chapters. Puzo's writing is unique in the sense that it keeps you marvelled without the use of really advanced vocabulary or long, winding sentences. His most powerful lines are usually only a few words long, and he replies on the plot and the story, rather than the way the story is told. This is good for a number of reasons, the two main ones being that it makes for a 'lighter read' and the other being it takes a less intelligent person to read it. (No offense to anyone on the last line!) He delivers from back to front a variety of examples of mob business, and introduces a host of interesting and realistic characters. When someone says the characters "jump off the page" this is exactly the kind of book they're talking about. I'm going to finish with a character listing, as I'm trying to give you a feel for the book without spoiling anything. There are some incredible twists in the story, which means just another reason you would want to read the Godfather. Don Corleone: Extremely clever, built the entire Corleone empire, and is now aging quickly into semi-retirement Sonny Corleone: The Don's son, he is aggressive and dominant, most think he will someday run the Corleone family. Fredo Corleone: The Don's middle son, he is somewhat of a comic relief, and doesn't really fit into the family's usual 'business'. Micheal Corleone: Joined the war against his father's will, although rebellious, he is also smart and courageous, possessing some of the traits of his father. Tom Hagan: Adopted son of Don Corleone. He is not Sicillian, but serves as a lawyer to the family. Luca Brasi: (Not a major character, but a personal favorite) The family hammer, Brasi has 'made his bones' long ago and is the family's number one hitman. This is a small selection of a large cast of characters. I'm not going to list other characters, as I'm unsure of exactly how the story begins and what order it flows in, so I don't want to give away anything that would ruin the book. I have also read several other Puzo novels, and although some are better than others, I have found only one I prefer better than the Godfather. That is "Fools Die" which is a similiar story with much less romance and more of the mob deals we all love to read about.
Rating:
Summary: The Godfather Book Review
Review: The 1970's novel and hit motion picture The Godfather by Mario Puzo was quite possibly the best piece of literature in America as of today. It's thorough description of how a Sicilian mafia operates leads one to realize just how organized "organized crime" is. Puzo showed ohw much family is worth through his book an movie by his skillful use of the third person objective point of view. In every paragraph Puzo gives the reader a chance to feel like they are a, Don Corleone, Luca Brasi or a Tom Hagen. The plot was exceptionally good because after every page turn the plot thickens. One page could be describing a wedding reception and the next would portray two adulturers in lust. Puzo modeled the book to have a series of climaxes before the major plot line climax. This was done to pump the reader up and stretch one's mind so one could comprehend the situtaion. The conflicts also were many. Michael Corleone's internal conflict with himself was the biggest in the book. When he went off to college and then to World War II it was planted by society that his family's business was the most immoral work one could do. Besides Michael's internal conflict there is a big conflict with the Corleones and the Tatalias. After the Corleone's Don was shot the plots conflict thickened from water to syrup. Overall Mario Puzo worte an American Classic, which was true in the 1970's and will remain true always and forever.
Rating:
Summary: A Book You Can't Refuse!
Review: With the publication of "The Godfather Returns" I decided to read it's predecessor. I was amazed at the character study that this book represents and the fact that it was written 35 years ago further adds to the intrigue. This is the story of the Corleone Family and their existence in the N.Y. Mafia. The story covers a time span of the early 1900's until the late 1940's and it is an amazing work.
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