I read this book after picking it up on the cheap at a local second-hand book sale. Having seen the movie quite a while back I thought it might be worth checking out the book on which it --- and the whole Scorcesi/De Niro/Pacino/Pesci gangster genre that was eventually to follow --- was based. Full disclosure at the outset: I was never a huge fan of the film -- I found it long, slow, dated and just a bit all over the place. I'm very happy to say, however, that none of these criticisms apply to the book. It's long, sure, but it moves along a cracking pace with scarcely a dull moment. It manages that elusive combination of being both a compulsive page-turner and a richly crafted story.
Compared to the film, the book provides a lot more depth on the various characters and their motivations. Thus we get a much fuller and more satisfying description of the evolution of Don Vito from exiled orphan to all-powerful Godfather (including the flashback storyline that was presented the second movie, The Godfather II), while tangential characters such as Luca Brasi, Johnny Fontane, and Lucy Mancini are rendered as more than simple 2D cardboard cut-outs.
Bottom line: highly recommended for anyone with even a mild appreciation of gangster movies. It's the canonical masterpiece of the genre and (unlike the film) doesn't feel like it's aged a day.
Compared to the film, the book provides a lot more depth on the various characters and their motivations. Thus we get a much fuller and more satisfying description of the evolution of Don Vito from exiled orphan to all-powerful Godfather (including the flashback storyline that was presented the second movie, The Godfather II), while tangential characters such as Luca Brasi, Johnny Fontane, and Lucy Mancini are rendered as more than simple 2D cardboard cut-outs.
Bottom line: highly recommended for anyone with even a mild appreciation of gangster movies. It's the canonical masterpiece of the genre and (unlike the film) doesn't feel like it's aged a day.
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