Reviews tagging 'Alcoholism'

The Godfather by Mario Puzo

24 reviews

falibat's review against another edition

dark slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Gun violence, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexual content, and Violence

Moderate: Domestic abuse and Abortion

Minor: Alcoholism

verpissdich's review against another edition

fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

2.75

The book derives it's intrigue almost entirely from the implicit intrigue of the Mafia. The plot is weak, and does not have a compelling hook. The numerous subplots are sometimes tied together in a compelling way but sometimes left as loose threads, leaving the reader to wonder why they were introduced in the first place.

Johnny Fontanes story comes to mind as largely superfluous, and Jules the doctor has an extensive introduction but basically does nothing

It is merely a chronical of a fictional Mafia over the span of a decade. It is often overly and unnecessarily sexual. The plot is not compelling because tensions are usually resolved very quickly. Each "book" within the book reads as its own distinct story which unfortunately kills the overall flow and intrigue of the whole.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, and Murder

Moderate: Alcoholism and Drug abuse

kerrence30's review

dark mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Domestic abuse, Gun violence, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Violence, Blood, Police brutality, and Toxic friendship

Moderate: Alcoholism and Medical content

Minor: Antisemitism

kate_has_book_thoughts's review against another edition

dark tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

1.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Body shaming, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Gun violence, Infidelity, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Violence, Xenophobia, Police brutality, Murder, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Pedophilia, Rape, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Terminal illness, Blood, Antisemitism, Abortion, Suicide attempt, and Pregnancy

Minor: Ableism, Child abuse, Cursing, Homophobia, Forced institutionalization, Kidnapping, Grief, Death of parent, War, and Deportation

tiernanhunter's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional funny sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Addiction, Alcoholism, Animal death, Death, Domestic abuse, Gun violence, Infidelity, Mental illness, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Police brutality, Medical content, Trafficking, Grief, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, Injury/Injury detail, Classism, and Deportation

Moderate: Ableism, Body shaming, Cursing, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Excrement, Antisemitism, Kidnapping, Abortion, Suicide attempt, and War

Minor: Cancer, Hate crime, Forced institutionalization, and Vomit

martine3's review against another edition

dark reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Death, Domestic abuse, Gun violence, Infidelity, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexism, Violence, Police brutality, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Alcoholism, Animal death, Racism, Medical content, Kidnapping, and Pregnancy

ploominator's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Gun violence, Sexual content, and Murder

Moderate: Pedophilia and War

emnzl's review against another edition

challenging dark informative tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Gun violence, Racial slurs, Sexism, and Sexual violence

peachmoni's review against another edition

dark tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Gun violence, Violence, Police brutality, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Ableism, Alcoholism, Homophobia, Infidelity, Mental illness, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Racism, Sexism, Sexual content, Xenophobia, Blood, Excrement, Medical content, Medical trauma, Car accident, Death of parent, Alcohol, and Classism

Minor: Animal death, Body shaming, Cancer, Fatphobia, Racial slurs, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Forced institutionalization, Trafficking, Abortion, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, and Abandonment

thecriticalreader's review against another edition

dark tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Synopsis:

The Corleone Family is one of the most powerful Mafia families in New York, headed by the powerful Don Corleone, also known as the Godfather. When Don Corleone’s power is threatened by rival mafia families, he and his family must use all of the resources at their disposal to reclaim their position. 

 

Review:

 

Of course, most people know The Godfather as the classic 1972 film by Francis Ford Coppola but not everyone might know that the movie is based on the 1969 book of the same name by Mario Puzo. I started reading the book with a bit of skepticism. I am not someone who believes that the book is always better than the movie, and as a fan of the film, I was not sure that the book would live up to Coppola’s masterpiece. Fortunately, Puzo’s novel is entertaining and captivating source material.

 

One thing Puzo excels at is drawing the reader into the world of the Mafia and making the Corleone come alive. Don Corleone and his family commit countless heinous acts, but Puzo writes them in a way that compels the reader to root for them on some level. They are admirable, sympathetic, impressive, greedy, cruel, pitiful, honorable, terrifying, and deplorable: somehow, in Puzo’s story, these qualities co-exist rather than clash, resulting in a psychologically fascinating and entertaining story. 

 

The Godfather contains many instances of extreme misogyny and sexism. On the one hand, Puzo seems to adjust the level of sexism and objectification depending on each character’s point of view, suggesting that these deplorable perspectives belong to his characters rather than himself. On the other hand, one can detect a strong undercurrent of the male gaze that pervades the novel that threatens to tip the scale from “a story about sexist characters” to “a sexist story.” Similarly, some of the racist views expressed seem congruous with the characters who espouse them, but Puzo’s choice to include them is slightly distasteful since they are unnecessary for the story’s development. 

 

I did not find that my love for the movie prevented me from enjoying the book. The book encompasses a much wider cast of characters and perspectives than the movie, which remains tightly focused on the story of Michael Corleone’s role in the family dynamic. Puzo spends time exploring the lives of many people connected to the Corleone family, from the Don himself to the people who come to him for favors. All of these stories are well told and entertaining, although at times Puzo strays so much from the central story that it becomes slightly bizarre (anyone who has read the book will have surely puzzled over the part about Lucy Mancini’s surgical procedure). The book in no way detracts from the movie, and the movie does not detract from the book: on the contrary, they complement each other nicely. One does not need to read the book to appreciate the movie or vice versa.

 

The Godfather takes place in the years immediately following World War II, but it was a highly relevant story in 1969. The Mafia remained a powerful presence in the United States, especially in New York City, and newspapers reported frequently on their crimes. Trials of Mafia bosses were of particular interest. The Godfather played into this public fascination, and in doing so catapulted the story of the fictional Corleone family into the fabric of the national culture.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Death, Domestic abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Racism, Sexism, Sexual assault, Violence, Blood, Police brutality, Death of parent, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail