THE GODFATHER - BOOK REVIEW BY VISMAYA VENUGOPAL

AUTHOR: Mario Puzo

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED: 10 March 1969

            ''I am going to make him an offer he can't refuse'' is one among the many lines that keeps a reader captivated by the novel, The Godfather, a brilliant work by Mario Puzo.

            The novel is a Crime fiction which is about the Italian-American crime family of Don Vito Corleone. The other main characters include his three sons. The oldest, Sonny, is a hot-headed and violent person. The second son is Fredo who is weak willed and insecure. The youngest is Michael Corleone, who is not involved in the family business at the beginning, but situations put him to test and things end up differently for him. Vito Corleone also has a daughter Connie, who has an abusive husband, Carlo Rizzy. Their marriage function is how the story actually begins. Tom Hagen who was adopted by Vito Corleone is his Chief Advisor (Consigliere) and is intricately involved in the family business. The other characters include Clemenza, Tessio etc. who work for Don Corleone. The story is basically about how the tensions between the five major mafia families of New York city is dealt with. 

             The story depicts the theme of family criminality. It also shows a mindset of revenge backed up with the famous quote of Don Corleone,''Revenge is a dish that tastes best when served cold.'' Even with all the criminal backgrounds, Vito Corleone remains a family man with a loving and loyal wife by his side. He quotes, ''A man who doesn't spend time with his family can never be a real man.'' My favorite character would be Tom Hagen for being the calm man in moments of crisis. His love, respect and loyalty towards the Corleone family can be seen throughout the novel. 

              The Godfather is a page turner with many incidents which give no place for boredom, as the suspense clicks in, followed by moments of shocks and surprises. The language used is simple, yet powerful in conveying the story in the best possible way. I highly recommend this as a must read novel to all the crime thriller enthusiasts out there.