Vito Corleone, a Sicilian immigrant, has built the most powerful of New York's five Mafia families through loyalty, favours and calculated violence. At his daughter's lavish wedding in 1945, he grants requests from those who seek his help. His youngest son Michael, a decorated Marine who has kept away from the family business, attends with his American girlfriend Kay Adams.
When the Don refuses to support a rival's move into narcotics, an attempt on his life plunges the families into war. The hot-headed eldest son Sonny takes charge, adopted son and lawyer Tom Hagen advises, and Michael finds himself pulled in. A period in Sicily and the brutal logic of power gradually transform him, while the book also follows figures such as the singer Johnny Fontane in Hollywood.
Puzo presents the Mafia as a parallel society with its own codes of honour, family and justice, a portrait that shaped how the world imagines organised crime. The novel was a massive bestseller and became the basis of Francis Ford Coppola's 1972 film, co-written with Puzo, often ranked among the greatest films ever made.
Book details
| Author | Mario Puzo |
|---|---|
| First published | 1969 |
| Original language | English |
| Genre | Thriller |
| Type | Fiction |
| Pages (approx.) | 448 |
| Setting | New York City, Las Vegas, Hollywood and Sicily, 1945-1955 |
Themes
- Family loyalty
- Power
- Corruption
- Immigrant experience
- Violence
Who should read it
Readers who want a gripping crime saga about family, honour and the price of power.