The Godfather

Trovato sepolto nella libreria di famiglia dà le sue soddisfazioni. Partendo da un assunto inverosimile, l'esistenza di una mafia "umana" e corretta contro una mafia sanguinaria e sleale costruisce la saga della famiglia Corleone tra il declino del vecchio Don (Vito) e l'ascesa del giovane Michael. È uno scontro epico tra bande sanguinarie con principi di onestà e rispetto assurdi. La posta è il controllo di tutte le attività criminali di New York attraverso le intimidazioni, la violenza e la corruzione di giudici e poliziotti. Sulla sfondo là Sicilia terra di incredibile bellezza ma genesi di tutta la ferocia presente nel nuovo mondo.Come romanzo poliziesco sicuramente, tenendo conto che è un testo datato, è gradevole rispetto all'inflazione dei romanzi gialli e noir oggigiorno,Chi ha visto il film Il Padrino di Coppola lo troverà assolutamente delle al romanzo.

I admit I was very prejudiced about this book. I'm from Sicily, I live abroad and I'm sick and tired of all the mafia cliche... it's the very first thing that comes to everybody's mind when talking about Sicily. And everyone and his dog has read this book or watched the movie so I said "OK, time to read this and see what it's all about".
The story spreads over a broad period of time, but it doesn't prevent it from being thrilling all the time. There are tons of characters in the book, and each one of them is efficiently described in a few words and there's no way you'll mix them up or forget their names. On the other hand, you'll enjoy having so many stories interlaced and you'll be eager to follow each one of them.
It's as catchy as it's easy to read, so it's a perfect choice also for non-native English speakers who want to practice their reading skills and comprehension...
Finally, it can be useful also to catch a glimpse of the Sicilian culture and mentality; but please, don't think everybody is still reasoning and acting like that in the island. There are of course some cultural features that are still there and always will be... and maybe the book actually describes in a thoroughly accurate way what was happening in the middle of last century. But remember it's a work of fiction, and it's not based on current facts. It can help understanding Sicilian culture, but it's not a handbook, nor it is a chronicle: it's just a (great) novel.