The Godfather: A Review

If there was ever a book that hasn't fallen short of my sometimes-unreasonably-high expectations, it would have to be The Godfather, one of the most widely read and revered books of all time. The plot of the novel is intriguing, the conversation and the plots so involving. The author, Mario Puzo, an American with Italian roots lays bare the strong Sicilian spirit coupled with the supreme importance given to family values and unity. The protaganist's life is a testimony to the fact that circumstances go a long way in shaping the life one lives.

The novel spans several generations of the Corleone family, going as far back as the turn of the century in Sicily. The book is a riveting page-turner, with little plot lines jutting out from the principal one - Don Vito Corleone, with three grown sons, struggles to keep the Corleone "Family" together and strong. Don Vito is a fascinating character to both the novel's internal characters and to its readers. He is a family man, a man of honor, brave, intelligent, and loved. He is also the leader of one of the strongest mafia clans in the world. The book is inter-sparsed with instances where the Don pulls strings to help his faithful. He has three sons and a daughter- Sonny, the eldest, Fredo, Michael, the youngest and Constantia Corleone. Elder brothers Sonny and Fredo are soldiers in the organization and Sonny is the most feared enforcer in New York. His adopted brother Tom Hagen is the lawyer who handles the financial details of the family business. Young Michael was different from the others in his family. He wants a queit and an honest life with Kay Adams, with whom he falls in love at college.

The story starts with Constantia's wedding reception. Scattered around are such luminaries as legendary hit man Luca Brasi, world-famous singer Johnny Fontane, and Mafia capo Dominic Clemenza alongwith scores of people who literally worship the Don. After the reception, Don Vito, Sonny, and Tom, meet with Virgil Sollozzo, a drug smuggler who wants them to become partners in his business. Though Sollozzo offers attractive terms, Don Vito, who considers drug trafficking to be too dangerous and against his morals, rejects the offer. When, a few days later, the Don is cut-down and seriously wounded by a pair of assassins, the violent Sonny is tapped to take the reigns of the family and vows to avenge his father.

In the midst of the resultant gang-war, "college-boy" Michael, to the surprise of all, volunteers to kill Sollozzo and Captain McCluskey, his police protection. Meeting with the two in a small restaurant, Michael slays them both with a hidden pistol. Michael is then exiled to Sicily by his own father to protect him from the police. And this is where Michael undergoes a complete transformation.

Meanwhile, all the five "families" of New York are engulfed into a war that leads to widespread bloodshed. One of the sons of the Tattaglia family is killed and very soon, Sonny too gets killed while he, in a fit of rage, decides to set his erring brother-in-law right. This forces the Don to call truce and in the bargain, arranges for Michael's return to America.

When the Don is finally felled by a heart attack and Fredo is sent to consolidate the family's power in Las Vegas, Michael is called upon to take control of the family business and take revenge on his enemies.

And the rest as they say, is history..

In every crevice of the story, the reader finds patterns of betrayal causing tragedy to make for a rich buildup of plot and suspense. This marriage of two dark themes makes a story that is a must for any serious reader.