A fantastic read. Mr. Puzo did a wonderful job. The plot and characters are intriguing. ( )

Like most of the time the book was better than the film. Filled in the missing gaps left out in the film. Excellent read. If you have seen the film read the book! If you havn't seen the film go straight to the book. ( )

O Poderoso Chefão é um romance de ficção escrito por Mario Puzo, originalmente publicado em 1969, sobre uma família de mafiosos de origem siciliana que imigra para os Estados Unidos da América.

Mario Puzzo tornou-se um escritor conhecido mundialmente com este livro, seu terceiro romance. Ele faz uma biografia imaginária de um cappo da máfia nova-iorquina, desvendando o submundo do crime organizado. ( )

I think what made me want to read this books was because my father’s barber. He told my father that when he was younger, he lived in New York and used to cut the hair of men who were involved with the Mafia. This novel was also in my basement and it seemed like it hasn’t been read for years and I wanted to challenge myself for reading something so adult. I was a little nervous at first because I don’t know anything about the Mob and gangsters; I thought I wouldn’t be able to follow what was happening in the storyline. Thankfully, I read this book with ease and this will always be a memorable book.
From what I know about the Mafia, you definitely don’t want to get caught up or stir up trouble with men who will hunt you down until they know for sure you are not living anymore. I always believed that the Mafia lived for killing and killed people for no reason. Innocent or not innocent, if you get in the way of the Mafia, you are done for. Puzo examined the lifestyles and morals of men who are involved with the mob a lot more closely than I expected. Before I started reading this book, I thought it would be bloody and terrorizing, but instead of focusing on “the who kills whom,” Puzo decided to focus on the drama, family relationships, love, and how business operates in the Mafia.
There were many characteristics that made me enjoy reading this. For one thing, I appreciate a book that has beginning paragraph that sucks me into its story. In The Godfather, I was completely consumed in the story with the first sentence. The storyline, the characters, the relationships between the Don Corleone and his sons, and the romantic relationships between the men and their wives were genuine and realistic. I especially thought it to be interesting how these grown men (who kill but also help those who need help) know how to be gentlemen and know how to respect one another. For a young reader, I can’t grasp on the thought that even though these men who are willing to kill, are taught how to respect one another. It’s a very interesting concept especially in this novel were their business is mostly dirty work.
I feel weird for saying this, but even though this lifestyle is haunting and it’s scary to think about, as I was reading through this book, a part of me wouldn’t mind being the daughter of “The Godfather.” As I said before, I was surprised that Puzo decided to focus on the relationships of characters more than murder. While reading how those relationships work, Puzo twisted my first impression of how the Mafia operates. After reading about the Godfather, the novel described Don Corleone to be a very respectable, trustworthy, modest man who cares for people. There was also a part of the story were the Don’s daughter was beaten by her husband, and her family was there for her and made sure she was taken care of.
I think the most interesting part of this novel was that it made me to sympathize and made me want to “like” the people who are in this sort of business. It made me want to like the “bad guys.” This is by far one of my favorite novels. ( )

The Godfather is every bit the classic as the movie and one of the few where I like both the book and the film. In my opinion, this is the heart of all Mafia type novels and I think there can be nothing better than this book.

The book starts off with an introduction on what kind of a person Don Corleone is. He oozes respect and class. The first few lines you read about him, you know that although he's the type of person you would turn to and someone you can trust, there's another side of him you wouldn't want to see and better off not knowing. Throughout the book you get mini stories in between the actual real plot. You get the inside-out of other characters and their background stories. It does aid the plot in some areas, in others, it's just a way of knowing some extra information - which still makes it a great read. Yes, you do get the classical Mafia wars that's an automatic requirement to make this a "mob novel" but it's done in such a way where it's classy and although it's unfortunate to happen to some characters in the novel, you're left thinking: "Well..you should have known better in the first place".

The characters are rich and filled with life throughout the book. I think it's thanks to these "mini stories" you have throughout the novel and it gives the characters more "flesh" so to speak. I like how they're all connected somehow with the Corleone family either through family relations, friendship, or the "favour" being done so the debt is being repaid. There's not too many characters to make it confusing, and there's even a specific part in the book where Puzo takes the time to explain to the reader which Don is which and of which family he is leader of, also he explains the ranks of Mafia as well to help the reader understand. He does a great job with explaining carefully that you're not left lost or wondering who is who. It may feel like there's a lot of characters but there's really just a group of central characters that you have to focus on which makes it less confusing and a much enjoyable read.The plot is very well done. There are certain parts where the plot "takes a break" and it may bother some readers, it didn't bother me I actually enjoyed the mini stories and in some cases it helps you understand how a certain character's relationship with the Don came to be.

Things that may bother some readers, some gory details, naturally this is a Mafia book so there will be blood. There are racial slurs and moments of misogyny and sexism. If you can read through that without bothering you, then this book will be a great read. I think it's a classic. The only real beef I have with this particular edition of the book is there are a lot of grammatical and spelling errors. I don't know why there's so many errors but it does get in the way of certain phrases and some spelling errors are so blatantly obvious.

Overall a great Mafia read and although it's a whopping 500 plus page book I don't regret it. It's definitely worth the time. I like both the movies and the book and will probably put this book among my favorites. ( )