The Godfather [Hardcover]

Mario Puzo (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 10, 1969

When Mario Puzo's blockbuster saga, The Godfather, was first published in 1969, critics hailed it as one of the greatest novels of our time, and "big, turbulent, highly entertaining." Since then, The Godfather has gone on to become a part of America's national culture, as well as a trilogy of landmark motion pictures. From the lavish opening scene where Don Corleone entertains guests and conducts business at his daughter's wedding...to his son, Michael, who takes his father's place to fight for his family...to the bloody climax where all family business is finished, The Godfather is an epic story of family, loyalty, and how "men of honor" live in their own world, and die by their own laws.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

The story of Don Vito Corleone, the head of a New York Mafia family, inspired some of the most successful movies ever. It is in Mario Puzo's The Godfather that Corleone first appears. As Corleone's desperate struggle to control the Mafia underworld unfolds, so does the story of his family. The novel is full of exquisitely detailed characters who, despite leading unconventional lifestyles within a notorious crime family, experience the triumphs and failures of the human condition. Filled with the requisite valor, love, and rancor of a great epic, The Godfather is the definitive gangster novel. --This text refers to the Mass Market Paperback edition.

From Library Journal

Diehard Godfather fans play second banana to no other subculture in their obsession with the minutiae of Puzo's novel and Coppola's films. These dedicated fans will be most disappointed by the new audio version, although perhaps only an hour of material is missing, but casual aficionados will barely notice the abridgment. Missing are the subplot involving Sonny's mistress, Lucy Mancini, and Dr. William Kennedy and the descriptions of the regional Mafia chieftains that precede the commission meeting at which Don Corleone flushes out Don Barzini as his number one rival. Actor Joe Mantegna does a fine job throughout, largely resisting the temptation to put on voices for too many of the characters. However, this cannot be said for his Don Corleone. Perhaps it is vengeance: after all, Andy Garcia, as the late Don's nephew, Vincent Mancini, put the hit on Mantegna's Joey Zasa in Godfather III, but whatever the reason, Mantegna gives Corleone a raspy falsetto-imagine the Pillsbury Doughboy with a tracheotomy-that ranks as one of the worst Brando impressions ever. Also, Puzo's chilling ending in which Kay converts to Catholicism with the hope of saving her husband's soul is inexplicably transformed into a chamber-of-commerce-style bromide about the family's new life in Nevada. Still, the popularity of Puzo's novel 27 years after its publication makes this abridgment a must-have.
Adam Mazmanian, "Library Journal"
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 18 and up
  
• Hardcover: 448 pages
• Publisher: G.P. Putnam's Sons; First British Edition edition (March 10, 1969)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0399103422
• ISBN-13: 978-0399103421
• Product Dimensions: 8.7 x 5.9 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (431 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #45,141 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

68 of 74 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Awaken the DON in you!, September 1, 2002

By 

Vijay Krishna (Chennai, TN, India) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Godfather (Signet) (Mass Market Paperback)

The Godfather is, in many ways, not just a novel - it is an experience, after which your life will never be the same again. I have not the least of doubts in calling it 'the best, most influential and deep-cutting that I have ever read.' In its sheer departure from being just a general, run-of-the-mill tale about idolizing a particular individual, the novel presents to us with a ringside view of the workings of the Mafia, and more importantly, the lives of the people who are involved in it, directly or indirectly.

The novel starts off with a quote from Balzac - "Behind every great fortune, there is a crime." That, in effect, sets the tone for the entire novel. Mario Puzo, the author, ruthlessly captures the travails of a New York Don, Vito Corleone, who is, to quote the words of his son, "not a crazy gunning mobster", and his family.

Puzo presents to us an entire array of different characters - be it the short-tempered Sonny, or the dreary undertaker Bonasera, or the ever-faithful Luca, the cool-headed Tom, the 'Turk' Sollozzo, or the pleasant outsider Kay Adams, each character enters our world, refusing to leave. We are impressed by most of these essentially evil people because the story is told in an entirely closed world (of crime) and so we tend to love characters whom we would, in the normal course, detest.

The novel is, basically, about just two persons, Don Vito Corleone and his son, Michael, who after refusing to accept his father's ways, finally comes to terms with the reality and takes up the 'family business'.

Puzo shows us why he is the great author he really is! The character of the Don pervades our thoughts more than most (or almost all) other fictional characters do. Though the nature of his business is violent, the Don is portrayed as a genial, kind and reasonable man. To say the least, the Don is someone whom `every son will look for in his father, every woman will look for in her husband, and any mortal will look for in an inspirational leader.' In fact, the Godfather is what every man aspires to be - a strong, powerful and wise yet cunning genius and family man.

I have not read a better novel - chances are, you won't either! Do not miss the Godfather movies too.

36 of 40 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Intriguing. Spellbinding., November 3, 2003

By 

D. Mikels "It's always Happy Hour here" (Skunk Holler) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Godfather (Signet) (Mass Market Paperback)

I first read Mario Puzo's THE GODFATHER three decades ago, and the impact it had on me was overwhelming. Here was a rare novel that hooked the reader from the very first page, a novel to be savored and absorbed by the author's grim yet masterful prose.

Through the pages of this book the reader is introduced to the shadowy world of organized crime--more importantly, to the fiercely interdependent workings of the mafia. Deeply embedded in its Italian heritage, it was a culture of unspeakable violence, but it also fostered family, honor, community, loyalty, friendship. Vengeance. If you are downtrodden, or unfairly victimized, all you need do is approach one of the "families" and request a "favor." Proclaim your devotion and friendship, the favor will be granted. And then--even though it may never happen--you must be willing to return the favor.

Or suffer the consequences.

Puzo's novel brings to life the Corleone family, headed by its aging patriarch, Don Vito Corleone. In post-World War II New York, Corleone faces a changing world, but he is still plagued by the relentless "turf wars" with the other major families. Intense pressure is brought to introduce narcotics to the list of "services" provided by his family--pressure that Corleone emphatically resists, to the bleak detriment of first himself, and to those he loves. The subsequent development of the story--of the Corleone's strategy, of the emergence of one of the Godfather's sons to perpetuate the family's power and considerable clout--is spellbinding.

Few novels of the last thirty years have had any lasting effects on our cultural lexicon. THE GODFATHER is one of them. Highly recommended.
--D. Mikels

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Book As Fine As The Film, March 19, 2000

By 

Hank Robbins - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Godfather (Hardcover)

Before I even realized that there had been a book, I was an avid fan of The Godfather and loved the characters of Sonny, Michael, Vito, Lucca Brazzi, Peter Clemenza, and the other unforgettable faces that made the film great. Then, one day I came upon a first edition of the novel at an antique shop and bought it. I read it quickly (the book travels at a breakneck speed) and with much relish, and when I was done I was satisfied. The movie was good, but the novel was BETTER. Puzo's Corleone family is a well-illustrated, clearly defined group, each member with his own strengths and weaknesses. The storytelling is gripping, the dialogue brilliant, the characters charming. Puzo, in addition to the main bent of the story, delves into the shady side of old-school Hollywood and makes an interesting read of it. For any lover of the Godfather saga, this book is a must read. Check it out, and enjoy!