“Puzo’s genius was to create a world so thick with personality and acknowledged rules of behaviour, along with its crime and violence, that reading his books becomes a seriously guilty pleasure.”
NO MAJOR SPOILERS
The all time cult classic bestseller which needs no introduction whatsoever and I’m delighted that for once, I found a popular book justifying it’s lofty credentials.
Now, I’ve seen the movies a long time ago and just as well because apart from the epic images of Marlon Brando and Al Pacino, I didn’t remember too many finer details about the plot. After reading it, watching the movies again will be even more insightful as I can picture so many background stories which become almost impossible to incorporate in a movie because of the constraints of time.
I had also heard an opinion that it is a rare case in which the Novel became famous because of the movie and not the other way around; implying that the Novel wouldn’t have become a modern cult classic if not for the brilliance of the movie. I strongly disagree with this view. The Novel in itself is an absolute gem. A water tight plot, sublime pace, vivid descriptions, well constructed characters and a simple language make it one of the best books I’ve ever read. Of course, the perfect star cast while making the movie means that it’s indeed a wonderful case where both the Novel and movie are absolutely perfect.
5/5.
Reviewed by:
Aditya Singh
Added 11th September 2017
