The Godfather is commonly described as one of the greatest films of all time, but what is commonly left unconsidered is the quality of the book upon which it was based. As it stands, I believe the book itself to be one quite worthy of a read, even if it lacks a more sophisticated method of telling a story. While the story of the novel is certainly a compelling one that entertains with great ease, the downfall of The Godfather is in its writing. While Puzo’s writing is by no means unclear or confusing, he also fails to incorporate any real higher-level writing strategies in his writing, instead utilizing fairly simplistic language in his storytelling. The end result of this is that, though the ideas themselves are quite good, the writing feels somewhat bland, leaving the reader somewhat dissatisfied after reading, as they are hardly engaged by the language. Still, the story is quite solid, despite there being a few subplots that ultimately have little bearing on the larger story that is created, and is one that could have escalated the book to a comparable level to the movie if it had been augmented via a more stylistic approach. However, other than the writing and story, there is much to be said for the book. For instance, there are a few themes in the book that are worth mentioning, such as corruption, prominently displayed in the development of Michael Corleone into a crime lord who went beyond what his father had done, and who ruthlessly cut down opposition in his reign. Furthermore, to complement this, there is another prominent theme of immorality and generally questionable actions leading to unhappiness, even if, at first, it seems to be more profitable. Overall, these themes help to tie the book together into a more complete work, and are applied into the story fairly well. In particular, the theme of unhappiness caused by crime is effective, as it is emphasized by somewhat glamorous depictions of crime, setting up the later fall. As a whole, the book is quite enjoyable, and, though it suffers from a few shortcomings, is easily recommendable.
Your personal review was interesting, and I can agree with you on many points. I really think that the author’s unsophisticated writing style took away from the novel. He’s been famously quoted as saying, “If I'd known so many people were going to read it, I'd have written it better." The story is great though, just not because of its literary merit. The prose is basic but the plot is never dull, and Puzo creates dynamic characters that serve as the novel’s greatest redeeming qualities. I liked your comment on the “few subplots that ultimately have little bearing on the larger story that is created.” I noticed the same thing when I read, and apparently, so did filmmaker Francis Ford Coppola; those unrelated chapters and plotlines have subsequently been largely removed from the film adaptation.
ReplyDelete