More than forty years ago, Mario Puzo wrote his iconic portrait of the Mafia underworld as told through the fictional first family of American crime, the Corleones.The leader, Vito Corleone, is the Godfather. He is a benevolent despot who stops at nothing to gain and hold power. His command post is a fortress on Long Island from which he presides over a vast underground empire that includes rackets, gambling, bookmaking, and unions. His influence runs through all levels of American society, from the cop on the beat to the nation's mighty.Mario Puzo, a master storyteller, introduces us to unforgettable characters, and the elements of this world explode to life in this violent and impassioned chronicle. 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.
The Godfather 1 & 2 are arguably the greatest movies “EVER”. The book was better than the movies because it goes into detail not included in the movie. The Godfather audio-book is even better than the book or movie. Joe Mantegna narrates the book to perfection. I usually listen on my hour drive to work. For the first time in my life I could not wait to go to work so I could listen to the next chapter of the Godfather. Amazing, read the book seen the Godfa..
After having watched the movies I and II about 20 times, I finally read the book. Wouldn't be mistaken for great literature but solid enough and different enough from movie to hold interest. Expands on characters and their motivations. Have to say that multi-page technical description of vaginal reconstruction for one of the characters seemed an odd insertion to overall story line.
The Godfather is probably one of the greatest film trilogies out there! The novel adds additional insight to where the movie did not fully explain everything in its three and a half hour long film. This is a great novel for any Godfather fan!
