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I feel I need to be careful when writing a review of this book because it could be easy to subconsciously mingle it with a review of the movie. This is because of how remarkably closely the movie followed the book. This is a truly unique book replete with vivid characters and incredibly intense conflict. What I enjoy most about The Godfather as a mob story is the emphasis it places on family. Coming from an Italian family (though not a Sicilian one!), I know how important family is to the Italian culture, and in fact, I encountered lines of dialogue that reminded me of some of my older relations. I was fascinated by the parallel structure of the Corleone mafia Family and the actual Corleone family. The complications wrought on the "family business" by the familial love the Corleones share for one another highlight the very real dangers of mafia/gangster life without being overtly corrective. I enjoyed the overall tone of the book, though there were (as many people have pointed out before me) some subplots that seemed unnecessary. Specifically, I am glad Johnny Fontaine and Lucy Mancini were downplayed in the film. I thoroughly enjoyed the omniscience of the narrator, though. The glimpses into the characters' minds were extremely intriguing. I think that the major aspect of the film that makes me prefer it to the book is the presence of displayed affection. The characters in the book are decidedly colder: Tom more of an outsider, Sonny and Michael at times barely tolerant of one another, and the Don much less a caring father. I think this serves to keep the reader from overly-romanticizing the mafia, but the characters in the movie are more endearing for their obvious love of one another. It's a very subtle distinction, though, and I found both works to be expertly crafted.

Prefer Maisie Dobbs (Winspear), but scratches a historical mystery itch