The Godfather movies are regarded as some of the best movies to ever be made. I wanted to read the book and the inspiration behind the best ganggser movies of all time and I was hooked by the amazing writing by Mario Puzo.
The Godfather: Summary
The novel is about the Corleone family and the war between the Five Families that run the crime world in New York. Vito Corleone is shot and it leads to an all-out war in which Corleone’s two sons Sonny and Michael have to run the family business.
As the power dynamic changes with the death of Vito Corleone, Sonny and Michael keep the Corleone family’s reign. A full scale war breaks out when Michael kills a rival and his bodyguard at a restaurant. But an unexpected murder leads to more crime and the struggle for survival for the Corleone family. Who can Michael trust and who will remaining standing when the dust finally settles?
Conclusion
Writing a crime novel is difficult because it is hard to justify the crime. In The Godfather, Puzo does an amazing job making us sympathize with the characters and while we don’t always agree, we realize they didn’t always have a choice. Puzo was a journalist and had heard stories about the mafia and was able to use that to write an amazing book.
Published in 1969, the novel became a huge hit and was on the The New York Times Best Seller list for 67 weeks and went on to sale over nine million copies in two years. It was turned into a movie afterwards and Puzo helped with production and writing even though he had no prior experience.
If you have seen the movie, then you have to read the book. If you haven’t seen he movie and like crime novels, then I do recommend it. This book may not be for everyone. I thoroughly enjoyed it and would definitely read it again.
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