Its gruesome. Its gory. And its all personal.
The Godfather is a phenomenal book. It was very difficult for me to find flaws in this book but it certainly isn't for everyone. Its a book you pick up if you believe in revenge and justice being served no matter what the cost.
The story revolves around two main characters: Don Vito Corleone and his son, Michael. Don Corleone is the head of one of the five “Families” In New York. The families each being a division of the American Mafia. The story gives an outsider insight on the workings of the mafioso. Its explained how the chain of command is unbreakable because of the Italian tradition of Omerta. It gives us a peek through the veil of smoke surrounding the world of the mafia.
"The Godfather” is the story of organized crime in the 1940's which revolves around the Corleone family. Don Vito Corleone is the head of a New York Mafia "family". Problems arise when a gangster supported by another Mafia family, Solozzo, announces his intentions to start selling drugs all over New York. Don Vito hates the idea of drugs as he is quite happy with his hotel and gambling business.The Don is shot by Solozzo's men. Solozzo then kidnaps one of Don's advisors, Tom Hagen and tries to make him force Don's eldest son, Sonny to agree to sell drugs, but the plan goes wrong when Sollozzo finds out that Don Corleone is still alive.
The Godfather is a book like no other. Not just for its story but because of the way the story is told. The whole book is divided into six. Each part deals with an aspect of the Don’s career and shows the reader exactly how he operates. The Don creates a need for his interference as well as interferes when needed.
The book traverses at an alarming pace; leaving you with many questions. All questions are answered at the end as a few surprise are also thrown into the mix.
The main reasons why i absolutely adore this book is because Michael and the Don carry out their plans with chilly rationale. I envy their ability to execute a ruthless plan without flaw
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Mario Puzo doesn't waste time describing too much scenery. He gives you plenty of room for you to stretch your imagination and create a scene. He gives you the paints and allows your mind to form the picture. The dialogue in this book is well written. It is very easy to imagine each character saying each word.
The characters in the book are well rounded. Even the villains. Mario Puzo understands that no man is evil for evil's sake and neither is anyone selflessly good. The lines between good and bad, personal and business are blurred by this story. It shows you that sometimes you have to fight to survive but you have to fight malevolently so that the threat doesn't recur.
The only flaw in the book (and yet i’m unhappy with calling it a flaw) is that it is a gruesome tale. If you cannot stomach a story full of blood, guns, torture and murder then this book is not for you. Absolutely not.
But if you can work your way through the stomach churning scenes, you’ll probably enjoy The Godfather for all that it has to offer. It will show you family values, how fickle trust is and how business and personal are not too different after all.
Definitely one of the books that tops my list of must reads!!
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