The Godfather - Mario Puzo

By
⭐8/10

I think like a lot of people, I didn't realize this was a book before it was a movie, but I'd become interested after Tim's glowing review. I recently came across it at a thrift store and flipped through a few pages while I waited for someone, and then I couldn't put it down! I think that's a pretty rare feeling, but I simply couldn't leave the store without it -- and I feel like that's something a Don would say. 

I mostly had that same feeling all through reading it. I think Puzo is a super talented writer and has a bunch of timeless lines here. As Tim mentioned, the movie is a super faithful adaptation and most of the best lines there were here first. The story is of course super compelling and then there are those great literary elements, the classic tale of the fall of man. I mean yeah, it's well-written, it's got plenty of sex and violence, has some literary strength and an examination of the human condition. This is the quintessential boy book! 

I think the boy book qualities are also it's greatest weakness and what turned me off from it often. It's always hard to know in these types of books, where all the characters are deeply flawed, if their deplorable acts are character revelations or kinda just the innermost thoughts of the author. Tons of super gross, weird, unnecessary chapters, often from the POV of women where I couldn't help but just think, ya know, I don't think women are like this. I hate to do this paragraph for every older novel I read that's written by a man, but this one was one of the most prime examples of this. There is a long chapter near the end of the book about very, very minor characters and their sex life and a weird pelvic surgery. I don't think this is just me being prudish but I was genuinely confused as to why I was reading about them at this point in the book. It was just so weird and uncomfortable and baffling as these characters are never seen again.

I think that aside from that chapter, I could have mostly forgiven the rest. I enjoy an examination of dangerous, hyper masculinity, even when it often glorifies it because I too can appreciate the allure of this storytelling while recognizing the acts as toxic. I also don't want to evaluate every book by my agreement with an author's ethics, but I do believe there has to be some common understanding. I think this book mostly did that, but that chapter I mentioned kinda threw everything into question and made me rethink my relationship to the book. I think it's an awesome book for 95% of it, but that other 5% looms large. 

I'm not sure I'd actually totally recommend this book simply because I think the movie is so much better. It cuts the silly stuff and then adds all that style. I also had the distinct feeling that the movie told the story better, a rarity in my opinion, focusing more on Michael and his ascent. It's obviously a good book, and fills in a ton of context and detail, and of course perfect for fans of the movie who want more, but it was not perfect for me. 




Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Philosopher in the Valley & My Reflections on Leaving Palantir

By
Image
This book was perfectly timed to my paternity leave, a time where I was not actively working and could reflect on my job. The post will be a short review of the book, followed by a much longer section where I will attempt to verbalize all my thoughts on Palantir. Thoughts on my time there, what I did and didn't like, and why I am leaving. I am not writing this as some manifesto. I have been explaining to a bunch of people in my life why I have been considering leaving, and my thoughts never feel coherent, the reasons change day to day. This is for myself to reflect, and I might even continue to edit it as I remember things. I thought this book was excellent, a biography of Alex Karp, but also a tale of Palantir's history. The author was around Karp for an extended period of time, providing a lot of details that even I did not know. It lays out all the Palantir milestones over the years, many of which I remember quite clearly, but hearing about it with a bit more distance is co...
Read more

My Favourite Books of 2025

By
Image
    I read a lot of books this year as usual, and spanning a ton of different genres and categories. That's pretty evident in my favourites as well, as I have a book or two from most of the genres I read, and I loved them all for different reasons.     Most of these will be repeats from some of my monthly favourites, but these are the ones that really stood the test of time! Here they are, in no particular order.      This fantasy book from an underrated author is about Maeve, whose hands were badly burnt as a child, and so she has lost the use of them. She has spent the last ten years with her aunt and uncle, who were healers, but now she's finally returning home to the family she barely knows anymore. She feels misplaced as they're still adjusting to how she needs to do things now, but she finds solace in her youngest brother and the stray dogs she adopts. When they all disappear into the forest one day, she goes after them, and adventures begin....
Read more

July Reading Favourites

By
Image
Look at that cover! This is a YA horror book written by a trans Canadian author that knocked my socks off. A small town has secrets it's trying to hide, and after the death of a boy and a newcomer arriving, things start slipping out of control. It's a book about being trans or queer and living in a small town, and how a community creating a facade of a perfect town can backfire. Also maybe closing your eyes to anything that's "not your business" is not good actually! It's violent and full of rage, and I loved the way it played with time and perspective. Check the triggers, but if you're interested in reading it, I'd recommend going in blind without looking at reviews or a longer description! This is a short book of essays about ableism and disability justice, specifically relating to technological advances for disabled people. Most of the essays focus on a different type of technology for different disabilities (prosthetics, hearing aids, cures for aut...
Read more