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A review by mkmcelroy
The Godfather by Mario Puzo
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
I want to start with the things I enjoyed. As stated in the book, the Don created the Family to act as a proxy society capable of serving its people better than the US’s larger society cared to do. The break down of those values and how it fueled the thought process/actions of each character was really interesting to read. The presentation of the mafia world and the characters’ interactions with it varied based on the degree of their status as outsider or insider. I appreciated having that variation in characters to allow the reader to view the world from various angles. Additionally, I thought the pacing of the plot was decent (excluding Lucy’s chapter and parts of Fontane’s plot line).
Now for the aspects I didn’t like: the casual sexism and racism. Of course this book was written in 1969 and supposed to take place in the 1940s-1950s. Not to mention that I didn’t start the book with the impression that I’d be reading about virtuous people. So I expected to see some of those themes. But the degree to which these things were present exceeded my expectations and impeded my enjoyment of the book. Lucy’s entire chapter for example was entirely unnecessary to the plot and felt shoehorned to serve as a guy’s savior fantasy. And Neri’s backstory is an excellent example of the racism present as well. These are just a few of the occurrences that felt forced in by the author’s personal preferences which made for an uncomfortable reading experience.
I picked up this book specifically to learn and explore more about mafia themes in literature. The book definitely served its purpose in that regard. But if I had picked it up just to see what the Godfather hype was about and to enjoy a “modern classic”, the cons would have made it a DNF.
Given that it served my goal when picking it up, I’m giving it a 2.5 star rating. But I definitely think it has the capacity to be lower than that to the average modern reader.
Now for the aspects I didn’t like: the casual sexism and racism. Of course this book was written in 1969 and supposed to take place in the 1940s-1950s. Not to mention that I didn’t start the book with the impression that I’d be reading about virtuous people. So I expected to see some of those themes. But the degree to which these things were present exceeded my expectations and impeded my enjoyment of the book. Lucy’s entire chapter for example was entirely unnecessary to the plot and felt shoehorned to serve as a guy’s savior fantasy. And Neri’s backstory is an excellent example of the racism present as well. These are just a few of the occurrences that felt forced in by the author’s personal preferences which made for an uncomfortable reading experience.
I picked up this book specifically to learn and explore more about mafia themes in literature. The book definitely served its purpose in that regard. But if I had picked it up just to see what the Godfather hype was about and to enjoy a “modern classic”, the cons would have made it a DNF.
Given that it served my goal when picking it up, I’m giving it a 2.5 star rating. But I definitely think it has the capacity to be lower than that to the average modern reader.