The Godfather (The Godfather #1)

A legend is born

Mario Puzo's novel, The Godfather, has dominated the cinema and book culture for years and left behind an unparalleled legacy. The superlatives used to describe the life and times of Don Corleone, a renowned Sicilian mobster and a feared mafia lord of the Cosa Nostra in the 60's New York and his familial ties portray a powerful picture of the mafia world. The characters have been described as gritty and hardened at first; but slowly the novel reveals how greed and ambition transforms a man from a powerful entity to a sad microcosm. Amidst all the violence and chaos, readers are left with the most spine-chilling questions of all: How far would you go to save your family?

Exemplary characterisations and a fast-paced plot

The novel begins with the events that transpire at Connie Corleone's wedding, daughter of Don "The Godfather" Corleone, head of the five greatest mafia clans of New York. As Don is incapacitated by an assassination attempt, the Corleone family must go through a transformation to maintain the power dynamics and progress in the mafia world. Santino Corleone is too brash and spontaneous to be a leader while Freddie Corleone is just basically soft. The book hitherto follows the transformation of Michael Corleone as he realises that although he is an iconoclast who is against what his father represents, blood is stronger than water; and within him lies a true Sicilian who would go to every length to protect his beloved ones. Thus, Michael Corleone sets forth a journey where he faces violence, exacts revenge, experiences love and loss and finally regains the stature that the Corleone family once possessed.