"The Godfather" is one of the most popular books ever written. The book is not just a novel, it is a statement on the underworld without taking sides whether it is good or bad.
The Plot
The
story revolves around
Don Vito Corleone. The story is about how Don Vito came up from humble beginnings to be the Don of the NewYork
Mafia. The character of the Don is brilliantly depicted as he tight walks between his high levels of moral justice and ruthlessness associated with a Don. The story takes a vital turn when the Don refuses to get into the Drug
Business even after Sollozo (a rival mafia don) promises rich profits. This leads to an amazing series of gang wars, treacheries and backstabbing. The war reaches a high point when there is an assasination attempt at the Don and the Don barely survives.
Till this point in the story, Michael, the Don's younger son refuses to be a part of the
family business. But after this attempt he jumps into the family business. Cool and calculating just like the old Don, Michael goes about and revenges his family and takes over as the Don of New York.
There is
brilliant potrayal of the characters of the Don, Luca Brazzi (the Don's Hitman), Michael, Tom Hagen (The Don's Lawyer), Sunny (The Don's elder son) and the Sollozo. The story is very fast
paced and it is unthinkable to put the book down.
Pros of the book
1) Brilliant plot.
2) Brilliant depiction of the mafia.
3) Potrayal of the human side of the mafia.
4) Fast paced.
5) Puzo's writing style.
Summary
If you are interested in action and fast paced thrillers, this is the one to read. In the following years of the release of this book, lots of successful movies based on this story have been made and remade all over the world.
PS: Taken from my review published earlier at http://www.epinions.com/content_41076362884
More reviews about the The Godfather