So a month or so back, when I was
thinking of books to take up my time during the summer, The Godfather
seemed like an easy choice. I already knew it was famous for winning
several Academy awards, and who doesn't want to read a book about the
mafia? I sure did, so I checked it out.
After a few weeks on the waiting list
at the library I finally held all 443 pages of Mario Puzo's
critically-acclaimed masterpiece in my hands. I read it when I could,
while babysitting or during boring lectures in class. At times I was
absolutely engrossed in the book; other times...not so much. Puzo
lost me in the long chapters about the Godfather's past (necessary to
the plot or not, it was boring. Maybe that's why they didn't include
it in the movie) and Michael's first few months in Italy.
But if I could say three words about
this book, I wouldn't be able to because I'm pretty sure I can't
swear in this blog. I'll give you two: it's amazing. Most of it
completely blew me away. Who knew that lying, manipulating, killing
mafia-men could be so likable? All I want to do is have dinner with
them and be recruited into the family business (and no, I don't mean
the olive oil one). Of course, my non-Sicilian heritage might cause a
problem.
The movie, though, well that's a
slightly different story. Marlon Brando's Vito (the Don) Corleone
couldn't instil fear in a mouse, although he won the award for Best
Actor the same night his movie won the top prize. I can almost see
why he became the second man in history to refuse the award for Best
Actor (another piece of information that I found on my endless
journey to find a life on the internet). Maybe the book was just too
fresh in my mind to be interested in the movie. For me, the book is
much better and, while time consuming, definitely worth it.
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