The Godfather book: reader reviews, critics' opinions, author and plot

2024 Author: Leah Sherlock | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 05:25

There are such literary works that without any doubt can be called a mirror reflecting one or another stage of the era. One of them is The Godfather. The events described in it date back to the middle of the last century. It was then that mafia clans acted at the peak of their strength and capabilities, being in the shadows, but at the same time actually ruling the world.

The topic of criminal organizations has always excited the minds of readers. After all, she was a kind of forbidden fruit, which, as you know, is very sweet. This, according to many critics, is the value of The Godfather. Its author showed the real world of one of the mafia clans in America, represented by the Corleone family.

Famous novel

The author of the book "The Godfather" is an American writer Mario Puzo. His famous novel is a classic example of a political action-packed detective story. On the pages of yourPuzo's works acquaint readers with the customs and mores of the Sicilian and American mafia, with its social roots. The book reveals the secret connections of criminal families with law enforcement agencies and government officials.

Author biography

Pyuzo, who wrote the book The Godfather, was born in Manhattan, New York, in the fall of 1920. Mario spent his childhood and teenage years in the ugliest district of the city, which was called Hell's Kitchen. In the 2000s, this area, located between 34th and 50th streets, has already become a fairly safe place. But in the 20-30s of the last century, gang fights with skirmishes took place here, which was considered quite common. The mafia clans that ran Hell's Kitchen controlled shops, restaurants, and pubs. It was not easy for the parents of Mario Puzo. These Italian immigrants, who had come to America from the province near Naples, had to take special care of their large family.

After graduating from high school, Puzo planned to join the military. However, his eyesight failed him. During World War II, the 19-year-old youth volunteered for the army. However, he never got to the front, as he was assigned to work in the hozblok. After the end of hostilities, the young man was educated at the private University of New York, and then entered the prestigious Columbia University, located in Manhattan.

Mario began his career as a clerk in a government office. Here he worked for20 years old.

Literary biography

Already in the early 1960s, Mario Puzo tried his pen as a freelance journalist. It was then that he became interested in fiction. This marked the beginning of his creative biography as a writer and screenwriter. In Russia, his first works were published in the 1990s. This happened after the triumph of the book "The Godfather" and the trilogy, which included all three sagas of the same name, telling about the mafia. For the first time, Soviet readers got acquainted with the famous work on the pages of the Znamya magazine. In 1972, the full version of The Godfather was published in this edition.

After the release of his cult novel in 1969, Mario Puzo woke up we althy and famous. In the 1970s, his book became a bestseller. However, according to the novelist, he did not even imagine that readers would like his work so much.

Screening

Reviews of The Godfather book indicated that readers liked it very much. This was confirmed by the numerous editions of the novel, which were instantly sold out by the Americans. 3 years after the release of the book by 32-year-old director Francis Ford Coppola, this work was filmed. The movie drama of the same name turned Mario Piezo into a legend.

The film was released in 1972. Subsequently, the film drama received three Oscars, as well as five Golden Globes. The film's budget was $6 million. Subsequently, the film earned 268.5 million for the film studio and its creators. This allowed the director, screenwriter,cast and author to become we althy people. After such a triumph, Mario Puzo bought a huge mansion on Long Island, where he moved with his large family.

In 1974, the movie "The Godfather 2" was released. Mario Puzo's book also formed the basis of his plot. Only this time director Francis Ford Coppola took the third part of the novel. Many critics spoke of this film as the best film that surpassed its predecessor, shot two years earlier. The sequel to The Godfather won eleven Oscars.

In 1992, Francis Ford Coppola created a film-special project “The Godfather. Trilogy. 1901-1980 . It became a film adaptation of all three episodes of the saga of the same name.

Book series

Mario Puzo did not complete his stories about the mafia with this famous novel. A series of books came out after The Godfather. All of them were continuations of the first novel.

Let's get acquainted with the books about the "Godfather" in the order of their publication. All of them are novels by Mario Puzo, as well as Mark Weingartner and Edward Falco, telling the reader about the laws, honor and roots of the Italian mafia, violence and corruption, as well as the noble gangster Corleone:

1. "The Godfather". This 1969 novel, according to critics, is written by the author with stunning authenticity. The reader can, without any risk to his life, get acquainted with the world of the mafia.
2. "Sicilian". This novel was written by Mario Puzo in 1984. The work iscontinuation of "The Godfather" and tells its readers about the fate of the youngest son of Corleone - Michael. Critics praised this book, which raises the issues of enmity and friendship, hatred and love.
3. "The Return of the Godfather". In 2004, Mario Puzo co-wrote this novel with Mark Weingartner. It transports readers to 1955, when Michael Corleone was able to win a war waged by five New York gangster families. Now his task is to strengthen his power, legalize business and save his family.
4. "The Godfather's Revenge". Together with Mark Weingartner, Mario Puzo wrote this book in 2006. It tells about the events of the 60s of the 20th century, when the Cosa Nostra destroyed all those who stood in its way. It is difficult to correct the situation even for the President of the United States himself, because in his family there are people who are closely related to the Corleone relatives. And they, as you know, are representatives of another American mafia.
5. The Corleone Family. This book was written by Mario Puzo with Ed Falco in 2012. The novel tells about the rise and rise of Corleone. Moreover, the events of this book precede those described in The Godfather (1969). This book, no doubt, interested not only fans of the popular saga, but also a new generation of readers. She suffered them in 1933, when the country was suffering from the Great Depression.

As many books about The Godfather were written by Mark Puzo, the same number of them aroused high interest of readers. The author was able to very realistically show the underworld and raisethemes that excite people at any time.

Mafia story

Consider the complete book The Godfather, which is a trilogy that makes up the novel. This work tells about the life of the Don Corleone family, which is one of the most powerful American mafia clans. However, the author of the book "The Godfather" touched upon in his work a topic that concerns not only the underworld. Because of this, his novel was not like other stories about mafia families created at that time.

Reviews about the book "The Godfather" say that it does not have the gangster gloss that other authors liked to talk about. The author describes the relations that exist within this organization, which can be called warm, almost family. Puzo's images of those people who were at the head of the mafia clans are quite realistic. The writer portrays his characters as ordinary people who try to help others and themselves.

Reviews of the book "The Godfather" indicate that everything that the mafia leaders did was rather like a mixture of politics and business. And it was all based on power and strength.

Mario Puzo's books about The Godfather are not the first to touch on the subject of the mafia. However, the author was able to show the structure of this structure, its hierarchy, continuity, as well as schemes of influence. And he did it, judging by the reviews of the book "The Godfather", quite realistic.

Storyline

The Godfather novel introduces the reader to a time span spanning the periodfrom the beginning of the twentieth century to its middle. The main story is built around the Corleone family, headed by Don Vito. This is a former emigrant, forced to flee Sicily as a teenager, who took his last name in honor of the settlement where he was born.

In order to earn his livelihood, he and his friends decide to rob. This was the beginning of many events that subsequently led to the fact that the emigrant from Sicily became one of the most influential people in New York. In his power were judges and politicians, policemen, as well as most of the businessmen. Vito built his system on mutual assistance, promoting the people he needed to higher authorities. Judging by the reviews of critics, the image of this hero has become one of the strongest in the literary activity of Mario Puzo.

The novel tells about Vito's three sons - Santino, Fredo and Michael. The first, the eldest of them, became an accidental witness to the murder. His father de alt with one of the local authorities who wanted to get his share of the loot. This event had a strong impact on the boy. He became quick-tempered, arrogant, preferred to use force to solve problems. This behavior upset Vito, who himself was a supporter of diplomatic methods.

Fredo, the middle son, is dedicated to the cause of the family. However, it is too soft. That is why they are trying to remove him from family affairs. The youngest, Michael, chose his own path altogether. Against the will of his father, he signed up as a volunteer and went to the front during the Second World War. After herAfter graduation, he returned home a hero, entered the university and intended, having married, to live in peace. However, circumstances forced him to take over the family business, and later even to take charge of the business that he had always shunned.

After leading his family, Corleone Jr. began to take action to legalize her activities. At the same time, the new head of the mafia structure made plans for the next few decades. Michael is prudent and able to think things through several moves ahead.

Themes raised in the work

The book "The Godfather" is not only about the mafia. The author raised in it the themes of friendship and devotion, love and betrayal, betrayal, loy alty to the word and determining the path of life, overcoming difficulties and choosing one direction or another under difficult circumstances.

Each reader who picks up this book will be able to find something new for himself, while receiving answers to the most pressing questions for him. It is no coincidence that this novel became so popular and brought fame to its author.

Family Saga

What does The Godfather tell its reader about? It is written primarily about the family. And it's not just about next of kin. The author considers the whole community as a family, where they experience and love each other, where they do not pay attention to trifles and where you can always find forgiveness and mutual understanding. Moreover, the family can forgive everything, but not betrayal. In all this, the reader should not see romance or something touching. In this case, it's just a matter of howsurvival.

The head of the family, who ran away from the persecution of the Sicilian mafia as a child, has to raise his own children in America. And in this society, everything is bought and sold, from a policeman to a senator. Is there any difference between life in America and life in Sicily? No. Here, one might say, even more dangerous.

How to raise your children in a corrupt world? To do this, they need to instill the right ideas about the family, creating their own code of honor. Vito Corleone embarked on this path.

Crime as art

Vito Corleone aspired to be an honest citizen. He was sure that, once in America, it would be possible to live in peace and earn money for bread. However, this did not happen. Emigrants who came to this country took with them the way of life from which they fled. Together with trunks and bags, people brought with them the unwritten laws that they later established in urban areas.

However, few people managed to climb to the heights that were conquered by Vito. And rarely did anyone become such a criminal genius as Corleone.

Each of the crimes described by the author suggests that they are part of the life of this family. However, they do not revel in violence at all. For the Corleone clan, people's weaknesses are just a tool that leads to the fulfillment of their desires. Killings are seen as moving pieces that take place on a giant chessboard created by life itself.

Business and nothing personal

Vito Corleone started out in the Italian slums of New York,where he committed crimes against the law. As a result, he was able to build a gigantic empire, the main trump card of which was the "bought" politicians. Vito's strength turned out to be such that other members of the mafia clans were forced to bow to him on every issue. When making certain decisions, Corleone always adhered to his moral rules. For example, he forbade the sale of drugs. This led to his mortal enemies.

While acting according to his moral principles, Vito made a mistake, because being a criminal is only half impossible. No matter how wonderful the mafia representatives had their thoughts and goals, sooner or later they still had to give up. The same thing happened with Vito. He surrendered and signed a treaty with other clans. This allowed him to save the lives of loved ones and his business. Even with all his might, Corleone was defeated. His dreams of sailing through a sea of mud and staying clean were thwarted by a harsh reality that turned out to be stronger.

Mafia immortality

In Mario Puzo's book, the continuity of generations is visible. In the plot of the novel, the reader sees Don Vito, who is at the peak of his fame, and his sons next to him. One of them is devoted to his father with all his heart. The second is an obvious opportunist, and the third does not want to deal with family affairs at all. The don also has a daughter. She marries a man she loves, but does not want to know about her father's affairs. However, life does not manage the way the children of the head of the family want. The reader sees that the keepersDon Vito's testaments become a daughter and his youngest son.