In my own personal opinion, I think that Mario Puzo's The Godfather was one of the best books I have read throughout my school career. I would not say it was quite "school appropriate" due to strong profanity and explicit sexual instances, but the overall plot line was as complex as it was interesting. The story of the Corleone family made me cringe, smile, and mourn all at time same time, and it was nice to read a book that relates back to my own heritage. The characters were memorable, villain or hero, and each death had a meaning to the story and was not simply shot and shoved off the edge of the plot. This book was a bit difficult to write for as it is a novel and not a "high diction" work of literature- written more for entertainment than analysis- but the task was accomplished, so I am pleased. I think what made The Godfather so enjoyable to read was that it wasn't your typical "good guy vs bad guy, good guy wins by default of character". Even after finishing the book, I cannot decide if the Corleone's are heroes or villains... they reside somewhere in the middle. Their flaws make them all very believable and their weaknesses understandable to everyone who reads the book: money, personal and physical attraction, sadness, revenge, betrayal, love, and hate.
Overall, The Godfather was a fantastic read, and a book I would not mind having to read again.
I strongly agree with what you said in your personal review in that while the novel might have been slightly lacking in fruits for analysis, the novel overall was very entertaining. Your account of the emotions encountered as a reader is spot on: the love tales made me happy, the violence was somewhat unsettling, and the deaths of the most loved characters was tragic. Personally I thought the Corleones were clearly the hero's, despite their crime riddled business, because they were ones who were especially generous to the community, especially their family and friends, and did not want to become involved in the heroin market, which was certainly a heroic deed.
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