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The Godfather
Mario Puzoâ€s tale of loyalty and revenge follows the fortunes of the Corleone family, torn apart when the shooting of patriarch Vito escalates into a war among New Yorkâ€s Mafia. Michael Corleone reluctantly takes on the business and embarks on a violent plan to save the family.
595 pages, Paperback
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About the author
Mario Puzo
155 books4,843 followersPuzo was born in a poor family of Neapolitan immigrants living in the Hell's Kitchen neighborhood of New York. Many of his books draw heavily on this heritage. After graduating from the City College of New York, he joined the United States Army Air Forces in World War II. Due to his poor eyesight, the military did not let him undertake combat duties but made him a public relations officer stationed in Germany. In 1950, his first short story, The Last Christmas, was published in American Vanguard. After the war, he wrote his first book, The Dark Arena, which was published in 1955.
At periods in the 1950s and early 1960s, Puzo worked as a writer/editor for publisher Martin Goodman's Magazine Management Company. Puzo, along with other writers like Bruce Jay Friedman, worked for the company line of men's magazines, pulp titles like Male, True Action, and Swank. Under the pseudonym Mario Cleri, Puzo wrote World War II adventure features for True Action.
Puzo's most famous work, The Godfather, was first published in 1969 after he had heard anecdotes about Mafia organizations during his time in pulp journalism. He later said in an interview with Larry King that his principal motivation was to make money. He had already, after all, written two books that had received great reviews, yet had not amounted to much. As a government clerk with five children, he was looking to write something that would appeal to the masses. With a number one bestseller for months on the New York Times Best Seller List, Mario Puzo had found his target audience. The book was later developed into the film The Godfather, directed by Francis Ford Coppola. The movie received 11 Academy Award nominations, winning three, including an Oscar for Puzo for Best Adapted Screenplay. Coppola and Puzo collaborated then to work on sequels to the original film, The Godfather Part II and The Godfather Part III.
Puzo wrote the first draft of the script for the 1974 disaster film Earthquake, which he was unable to continue working on due to his commitment to The Godfather Part II. Puzo also co-wrote Richard Donner's Superman and the original draft for Superman II. He also collaborated on the stories for the 1982 film A Time to Die and the 1984 Francis Ford Coppola film The Cotton Club.
Puzo never saw the publication of his penultimate book, Omertà, but the manuscript was finished before his death, as was the manuscript for The Family. However, in a review originally published in the San Francisco Chronicle, Jules Siegel, who had worked closely with Puzo at Magazine Management Company, speculated that Omertà may have been completed by "some talentless hack." Siegel also acknowledges the temptation to "rationalize avoiding what is probably the correct analysis -- that [Puzo] wrote it and it is terrible."
Puzo died of heart failure on July 2, 1999 at his home in Bay Shore, Long Island, New York. His family now lives in East Islip, New York.
At periods in the 1950s and early 1960s, Puzo worked as a writer/editor for publisher Martin Goodman's Magazine Management Company. Puzo, along with other writers like Bruce Jay Friedman, worked for the company line of men's magazines, pulp titles like Male, True Action, and Swank. Under the pseudonym Mario Cleri, Puzo wrote World War II adventure features for True Action.
Puzo's most famous work, The Godfather, was first published in 1969 after he had heard anecdotes about Mafia organizations during his time in pulp journalism. He later said in an interview with Larry King that his principal motivation was to make money. He had already, after all, written two books that had received great reviews, yet had not amounted to much. As a government clerk with five children, he was looking to write something that would appeal to the masses. With a number one bestseller for months on the New York Times Best Seller List, Mario Puzo had found his target audience. The book was later developed into the film The Godfather, directed by Francis Ford Coppola. The movie received 11 Academy Award nominations, winning three, including an Oscar for Puzo for Best Adapted Screenplay. Coppola and Puzo collaborated then to work on sequels to the original film, The Godfather Part II and The Godfather Part III.
Puzo wrote the first draft of the script for the 1974 disaster film Earthquake, which he was unable to continue working on due to his commitment to The Godfather Part II. Puzo also co-wrote Richard Donner's Superman and the original draft for Superman II. He also collaborated on the stories for the 1982 film A Time to Die and the 1984 Francis Ford Coppola film The Cotton Club.
Puzo never saw the publication of his penultimate book, Omertà, but the manuscript was finished before his death, as was the manuscript for The Family. However, in a review originally published in the San Francisco Chronicle, Jules Siegel, who had worked closely with Puzo at Magazine Management Company, speculated that Omertà may have been completed by "some talentless hack." Siegel also acknowledges the temptation to "rationalize avoiding what is probably the correct analysis -- that [Puzo] wrote it and it is terrible."
Puzo died of heart failure on July 2, 1999 at his home in Bay Shore, Long Island, New York. His family now lives in East Islip, New York.
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
April 1, 2025
What can I say, the book came first so it has to be good. However, this is one of those rare times that I cannot honestly say the book is always better than the movie, unless we are comparing it to the 3rd movie. The first two movies will capture you and possibly turn you into someone with an obsession. I have returned to the book at least three times always finding something of importance that I missed the first time. I cannot count the number of times I have returned to the movie, in particular the first one. The first Godfather movie came out when I was a teenager and I went to it on a date. It was unforgettable for many reasons. I had already read the book and fondly remember these years as some of my best times before I had to grow up. I expect to read it at least one more time, if not more.
February 19, 2025
The middle was too slow for me. It was a good read, but the middle wasn’t for me.
July 12, 2025
This book presents a captivating story about the Italian mafia of New York by following the activities of the Corleone family. In contrast to other people who read this book, I enjoyed the fleshed out arcs many of the side characters (Johnny Fontane, Lucy Manzini, Kay Adams) received. I will admit however, that it was excessive in some cases. In the story, when things are happening and big decisions are being made, it is incredible gripping. Unfortunately, this is not the case all that often, especially not after around the first third of the book.
Besides this, I have three main gripes that make the book a 3/5 (I realize some of these issues may simply arise from the time period in which the book was written, however they did lessen my respect for the book and author as a result). 1. The author employs derogatory terminology when referring to black people, black people were also portrayed as disorganized and unintelligent; this felt like racist and lazy writing. 2. Many of the characters were slightly to extremely misogynistic; I'm not expecting Puzo to be the bastion of change, but some positive representation would have been nice; the normalization of domestic abuse was not pleasant.
Finally, my main issue with the story is that the action really fell off after . Puzo repeatedly switched to side stories without addressing the main plot satisfactorily. This is incredibly evident when right before the end of the book, , Puzo chooses to tell us about the irrelevant backstory of Albert Neri.
In conclusion, this book is a classic fictional story that, while somewhat dated, has a really interesting and captivating story that mostly keeps you on the edge of your seat.
Besides this, I have three main gripes that make the book a 3/5 (I realize some of these issues may simply arise from the time period in which the book was written, however they did lessen my respect for the book and author as a result). 1. The author employs derogatory terminology when referring to black people, black people were also portrayed as disorganized and unintelligent; this felt like racist and lazy writing. 2. Many of the characters were slightly to extremely misogynistic; I'm not expecting Puzo to be the bastion of change, but some positive representation would have been nice; the normalization of domestic abuse was not pleasant.
Finally, my main issue with the story is that the action really fell off after . Puzo repeatedly switched to side stories without addressing the main plot satisfactorily. This is incredibly evident when right before the end of the book, , Puzo chooses to tell us about the irrelevant backstory of Albert Neri.
In conclusion, this book is a classic fictional story that, while somewhat dated, has a really interesting and captivating story that mostly keeps you on the edge of your seat.
June 18, 2024
A powerful family saga of blood loyalty that I won't forget for a long time...4.5 stars. Completely engrossing, but there are a couple 'books' of extraneous characters that are so unnecessary to the story/story arcs that it irritated me. Multiple pov's and timelines woven together brilliantly, however, ultimately it is Michael's, the Don's, Tom Hagen's and Kay's stories which are the best told. The movie was more streamlined and slick, but the opening and closing chapters of the book far surpass the film. Looking forward to reading The Sicilian...
July 9, 2025
It's an excellent novel! The story is compelling and moves through the pages effortlessly. The scenes flow, and it seems that you are there! While at times violent and shocking, the world of the Mafiosi is spellbinding and dramatic.
August 20, 2025
thoroughly enjoyed but the middle bit felt long af
November 21, 2025
Might be the greatest book I’ve ever read.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews