If you are a fan of the Godfather movies you will undoubtedly love this, because the film adaptation did not stray very far from the book upon which it was based. It's all here: the saga of the Corleone family passing the baton from one generation to the next, and of 'good son' Michael's unexpected ascent to leader of his family business. I shouldn't have to tell you that said family business extends far beyond the reaches of the olive oil company the Corleones use as a front for their mob activities, the film being one of pop culture's cornerstones since its release in 1971. But we're here to discuss the book, which is surprisingly well written for what essentially amounts to a potboiler filled with sex and violence. I expected it to be exciting, and it is, but the quality of Puzo's craftmanship was a welcome surprise. He has a deft touch for shading the characters into complex beings, and he is certainly smart to allow the violence to serve the story instead of vice versa (all too often novels like this think that an excess of blood and gore will lend an air of drama or credibility to it, and the genius of the Godfather is that we get that from the characters instead). The Godfather is, after all, about the complexity of a family whose livelihood is steeped in murder, but whose loyalties are deep and whose love for each other is palpable. Puzo does a great job laying bare the inherent contradictions in this set-up, and just like in the movie you may find yourself respecting them despite your better reasoning.
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If you are a fan of the Godfather movies you will undoubtedly love this, because the film adaptation did not stray very far from the book upon which it was based. It's all here: the saga of the Corleone family passing the baton from one generation to the next, and of 'good son' Michael's unexpected ascent to leader of his family business. I shouldn't have to tell you that said family business extends far beyond the reaches of the olive oil company the Corleones use as a front for their mob activities, the film being one of pop culture's cornerstones since its release in 1971. But we're here to discuss the book, which is surprisingly well written for what essentially amounts to a potboiler filled with sex and violence. I expected it to be exciting, and it is, but the quality of Puzo's craftmanship was a welcome surprise. He has a deft touch for shading the characters into complex beings, and he is certainly smart to allow the violence to serve the story instead of vice versa (all too often novels like this think that an excess of blood and gore will lend an air of drama or credibility to it, and the genius of the Godfather is that we get that from the characters instead). The Godfather is, after all, about the complexity of a family whose livelihood is steeped in murder, but whose loyalties are deep and whose love for each other is palpable. Puzo does a great job laying bare the inherent contradictions in this set-up, and just like in the movie you may find yourself respecting them despite your better reasoning.
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