I have posted previous blogs about my favorite book of all time, The Godfather. I expressed my love for it, I found critical reviews of it and disputed them, and I even picked a character from the book to research. Now I set out to find three interesting articles or reviews about the novel. It was somewhat difficult finding them because reviews about the movie dwarf the novel.
Criticism
Kelly, David. The Godfather (Criticism). Notes on Novels. 06 May 2009 http://www.answers.com/topic/the-godfather-criticism
This is an in-depth review of the classic novel. David Kelly talks about how great the book is and goes on to tell how it set sales records and gained popularity. He also says that the novel created the crime novel genre. Kelly says, “This book helped define how the world views organized crime in America, framing the aspects of greed and violence that are inherent in the underworld with an emphasis on family, respect, and honor.”
Short Review
L., Roseanne. The Godfather Review. Matthew’s Branch. 06 May 2009. http://www.plcmc.org/readers_club/reviews/tresults.asp?id=1035
This review of the novel is positive. Roseanne states that it is a “must read.” She also says that this book “remains at the top of its genre.” I completely agree because this bestseller will be enjoyed for many generations to come.
Real World Relations
The Godfather (Novel). 06 May 2009. Amazines.com. https://www.amazines.com/The_Godfather_(novel)_related.html
In this short article, the writer talks about how Mario Puzo got the idea to call Don Vito Corleone, The Godfather. The writer explains that Joe Valachi, a real mafia member that was put on trial, coined the name during his 1963 congressional hearing on organized crime. The writer also explains that many real mafia criminal terms were brought to English such as: consigliere, caporegime, omerta, and whack.
Sum It All Up
To conclude all of my posts about The Godfather, I believe it will always be my favorite book of all time. It was the novel that turned me on to reading. I read it by luck and I am truly glad I did. I have professed my love for it, researched reviews and articles, and everything in between. I really wish there were more articles about the book, but the movie overshadows the book so much. I hope that more people will read the book to help better appreciate the movie. The movie just doesn’t do the book justice.
Wednesday, May 6, 2009
Monday, April 27, 2009
The Youngest Corleone.
You might think that my favorite character in The Godfather would be the godfather himself, Don Corleone. This isn’t true, his youngest son, Michael, is definitely my favorite.
Michael Corleone is the youngest son of Don Vito Corleone.. He is the smartest and most determined of the three kids. He was quiet and soft spoken. Michael never wanted to become involved in his father “business.” It was not for him. He had always planned to become a politician, a senator or maybe even president. Michael attended Dartmouth College for several years and later joined to marines, which his father disapproved. Michael never wanted to impress his father, he wanted to make a honest living.
Michael was somewhat forced into the family business. After returning home from serving in World War II, a man named Sollozzo attempts to murder his father. Michael is known as the cool tempered and easy going person in the family, but deep down he wants revenge. Michael murders Sollozzo and a police captain that was involved in the assassination attempt. He is now a part of the “family business.”
After Michael’s oldest brother Sonny is murder, Michael assumes the role of Don and control all of the families operations. It turns out that Michael is the most suited to run the family business. He is the smartest, most determined, cold-blooded, and ruthless. Michael returns the Corleone family as the most powerful in all of New York.
Michael Corleone was a great leader, even though he never planned to get involved with the mafia. He had values that he didn’t want to give up. He had goals and aspirations that were never reached. He was sucked into a life of crime, just like the rest of his family. It was meant to be for him. I guess you can say that it was in his blood.
Michael Corleone is the youngest son of Don Vito Corleone.. He is the smartest and most determined of the three kids. He was quiet and soft spoken. Michael never wanted to become involved in his father “business.” It was not for him. He had always planned to become a politician, a senator or maybe even president. Michael attended Dartmouth College for several years and later joined to marines, which his father disapproved. Michael never wanted to impress his father, he wanted to make a honest living.
Michael was somewhat forced into the family business. After returning home from serving in World War II, a man named Sollozzo attempts to murder his father. Michael is known as the cool tempered and easy going person in the family, but deep down he wants revenge. Michael murders Sollozzo and a police captain that was involved in the assassination attempt. He is now a part of the “family business.”
After Michael’s oldest brother Sonny is murder, Michael assumes the role of Don and control all of the families operations. It turns out that Michael is the most suited to run the family business. He is the smartest, most determined, cold-blooded, and ruthless. Michael returns the Corleone family as the most powerful in all of New York.
Michael Corleone was a great leader, even though he never planned to get involved with the mafia. He had values that he didn’t want to give up. He had goals and aspirations that were never reached. He was sucked into a life of crime, just like the rest of his family. It was meant to be for him. I guess you can say that it was in his blood.
Thursday, April 9, 2009
In my opinion, good writing is difficult to define. So instead of actually “defining” it, I will attempt to describe it.
Good writing above all should have a purpose. This is a necessity. You do not want to be rambling on about who knows what without some purpose behind it. If writing has no purpose, it is most likely not worth reading.
Also, good writing needs to be organized properly. You should have a central point that is clearly stated early in the writing. Following that, the point should be elaborated on and supported by using details to back it up. Everything needs to relate and have good structure. Your writing should flow well and be easy to read. Do not jump back and forth in your writing or change your stance, this will inevitably confuse the reader.
Using the proper grammar and punctuation is imperative for good writing. Misspelling even one or two words will ruin your credibility to the reader. Always use spell check to find misspellings and read over the paper several times to find run on sentences and other errors. It is also good to get someone who is competent to read over your paper and critique it.
I believe most of my writing is good overall. I don’t always have a good purpose for my writing, but this is not always my fault (prompts). Luckily, if a teacher gives me a prompt without a good purpose, they are forced to read it anyway! If I have a good prompt to write about I believe that I can create good writing. I have decent structure to my writing because I try to word and organize a paper to flow properly. I do not think any of my writing is difficult to read or understand. I always use spell check in my writings but I rarely get anyone to proofread my work unless it is a really important assignment. This isn’t a huge deal because I can read through and catch most of my mistakes. I am not perfect by an means. I will also never be publishing anything.
Edgar Allan Poe, in my opinion, is a good writer. His stories have a good purpose, to entertain and thrill the reader. His writings keep you interested and overwhelmed with suspense. Poe’s stories flow very well and are not at all difficult to follow. The only problem with his works are the language. The language is sometimes hard to understand because it was writing in the 1800s. If you overcome the language barrier then his stories are amazing!
This quote from The Pit and the Pendulum is a classic example of his writing style and use of language.
“Arousing from the most profound of slumbers, we break the gossamer web of some dream. Yet in a second afterward, (so frail may that web have been) we remember not that we have dreamed,”
Poe has such a unique style of writing. It’s hard not to enjoy it.
Good writing above all should have a purpose. This is a necessity. You do not want to be rambling on about who knows what without some purpose behind it. If writing has no purpose, it is most likely not worth reading.
Also, good writing needs to be organized properly. You should have a central point that is clearly stated early in the writing. Following that, the point should be elaborated on and supported by using details to back it up. Everything needs to relate and have good structure. Your writing should flow well and be easy to read. Do not jump back and forth in your writing or change your stance, this will inevitably confuse the reader.
Using the proper grammar and punctuation is imperative for good writing. Misspelling even one or two words will ruin your credibility to the reader. Always use spell check to find misspellings and read over the paper several times to find run on sentences and other errors. It is also good to get someone who is competent to read over your paper and critique it.
I believe most of my writing is good overall. I don’t always have a good purpose for my writing, but this is not always my fault (prompts). Luckily, if a teacher gives me a prompt without a good purpose, they are forced to read it anyway! If I have a good prompt to write about I believe that I can create good writing. I have decent structure to my writing because I try to word and organize a paper to flow properly. I do not think any of my writing is difficult to read or understand. I always use spell check in my writings but I rarely get anyone to proofread my work unless it is a really important assignment. This isn’t a huge deal because I can read through and catch most of my mistakes. I am not perfect by an means. I will also never be publishing anything.
Edgar Allan Poe, in my opinion, is a good writer. His stories have a good purpose, to entertain and thrill the reader. His writings keep you interested and overwhelmed with suspense. Poe’s stories flow very well and are not at all difficult to follow. The only problem with his works are the language. The language is sometimes hard to understand because it was writing in the 1800s. If you overcome the language barrier then his stories are amazing!
This quote from The Pit and the Pendulum is a classic example of his writing style and use of language.
“Arousing from the most profound of slumbers, we break the gossamer web of some dream. Yet in a second afterward, (so frail may that web have been) we remember not that we have dreamed,”
Poe has such a unique style of writing. It’s hard not to enjoy it.
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
My first encounter with my favorite book of all time, The Godfather, came when my eleventh grade English teacher assigned a reading project for my English 3 Honors class. She first gave the class a list of books to choose from. We signed up in alphabetical order so I was one of the last people to get to choose. With only a few books left on the list, I chose the one with the fewest amount of pages. This probably was not the best factor to make my decision upon, but boy was I in for a surprise.
Later that day I journeyed out to the nearest books-a-million to purchase the book. It wasn’t difficult to find because I learned that it is a best-seller. Hmm might not be so bad after all.
My teacher wanted our books read in one week, so I hurried home to get a few chapters done. I really dread reading. I thought to myself, “I cant believe this witch is making me read 496 pages in one week!”
I started reading this best-selling book and barely got through the first chapter before falling asleep. What a boring book I thought. The next day I read a little more into the book and it began to get interesting. All the murder and scandals really started to grab my attention. Not to mention all the tales of sex! What teenager isn’t interested in that?
Before long I was on chapter 6 and I couldn’t put the book down. I read until I couldn’t hold my eyes open any longer on the second night. By the third night I was completely finished with the book. I couldn’t believe that I had read almost 500 pages in 3 days. This book really makes it tough to stop reading. There are so many twists and surprises that you want to keep reading.
The moral of this story is: Don’t judge a book by its cover, or the first chapter.
This book started out really slow and boring. A few chapters in it becomes enticing. You want to read more. You won’t be able to put it down.
See for yourself.
Later that day I journeyed out to the nearest books-a-million to purchase the book. It wasn’t difficult to find because I learned that it is a best-seller. Hmm might not be so bad after all.
My teacher wanted our books read in one week, so I hurried home to get a few chapters done. I really dread reading. I thought to myself, “I cant believe this witch is making me read 496 pages in one week!”
I started reading this best-selling book and barely got through the first chapter before falling asleep. What a boring book I thought. The next day I read a little more into the book and it began to get interesting. All the murder and scandals really started to grab my attention. Not to mention all the tales of sex! What teenager isn’t interested in that?
Before long I was on chapter 6 and I couldn’t put the book down. I read until I couldn’t hold my eyes open any longer on the second night. By the third night I was completely finished with the book. I couldn’t believe that I had read almost 500 pages in 3 days. This book really makes it tough to stop reading. There are so many twists and surprises that you want to keep reading.
The moral of this story is: Don’t judge a book by its cover, or the first chapter.
This book started out really slow and boring. A few chapters in it becomes enticing. You want to read more. You won’t be able to put it down.
See for yourself.
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
Love or hate The Godfather
In my first post regarding my love for The Godfather, I only gave my opinion of the novel. I understand that everyone did not enjoy this novel, but I’m certain that many people did. So I set out to find someone who shared my love of the novel- and someone who didn’t.
It was not hard at all to find a fan of the book. A quick Google search located many positive reviews, as it is a timely classic and best seller. I felt that the book had a fantastic story line with many colorful characters. Anupam Purkayastha says “The author has very meticulously interlinked various characters to give the book a wonderful structure.”
Mario Puzo’s unique writing style uses several different stories that branch off from the main idea. He told stories in The Godfather that almost seemed pointless and unrelated. Simmoril had this to say: “One major criticism I had of the book, however, were the plotlines regarding Johnny Fontaine, and Lucy Mancini, and their fit into the overall picture of the book. Johnny’s story, albeit a nice addition, in my opinion didn’t really add anything to the overall plotline.”
I could not disagree more. I feel that the stories Puzo use in The Godfather add so much to the plot. They seem unrelated at the time but they all get tied in later in the novel. I believe that it makes me novel that much better. Mario Puzo has created a fantastic story line that is full of surprises.
I believe that the positive reviews far outweigh the negative ones. I must say that this is a great novel. If the book was so bad then why would it go on the be so successful? It has developed a cult following, numerous awards, an Oscar winning movie, and countless other achievements.
This is a novel that everyone can love.
Works Cited
Purkayastha, Anupam. Review of "The Godfather" by Mario Puzo.The Godfather Book Review. 15 January 2008. Shvoong.com. 17 February 2009. http://www.shvoong.com/books/1746596-godfather/
Simmoril. Book Review: The Godfather. 15 May 2007. Simmoril.com. 17 February 2009. http://www.simmoril.com/blog/?p=243
It was not hard at all to find a fan of the book. A quick Google search located many positive reviews, as it is a timely classic and best seller. I felt that the book had a fantastic story line with many colorful characters. Anupam Purkayastha says “The author has very meticulously interlinked various characters to give the book a wonderful structure.”
Mario Puzo’s unique writing style uses several different stories that branch off from the main idea. He told stories in The Godfather that almost seemed pointless and unrelated. Simmoril had this to say: “One major criticism I had of the book, however, were the plotlines regarding Johnny Fontaine, and Lucy Mancini, and their fit into the overall picture of the book. Johnny’s story, albeit a nice addition, in my opinion didn’t really add anything to the overall plotline.”
I could not disagree more. I feel that the stories Puzo use in The Godfather add so much to the plot. They seem unrelated at the time but they all get tied in later in the novel. I believe that it makes me novel that much better. Mario Puzo has created a fantastic story line that is full of surprises.
I believe that the positive reviews far outweigh the negative ones. I must say that this is a great novel. If the book was so bad then why would it go on the be so successful? It has developed a cult following, numerous awards, an Oscar winning movie, and countless other achievements.
This is a novel that everyone can love.
Works Cited
Purkayastha, Anupam. Review of "The Godfather" by Mario Puzo.The Godfather Book Review. 15 January 2008. Shvoong.com. 17 February 2009. http://www.shvoong.com/books/1746596-godfather/
Simmoril. Book Review: The Godfather. 15 May 2007. Simmoril.com. 17 February 2009. http://www.simmoril.com/blog/?p=243
Monday, February 2, 2009
My favorite book
My favorite book of all time would have to be The Godfather, written by Mario Puzo. Although, I was not thrilled about reading this book at first, my eleventh grade English teacher forced us to pick from a list of books to read and complete a report on it. It was the book with the fewest number of pages so I chose it. I am very glad that I did because it turned out to be an amazing novel.
The book is about a famous crime family located in New York City in the late 1940s and early 1950s. The novel covers “Don Corleones” life and his family. The book was very entertaining and full of surprises. The novel also has a certain allure to it because it is loosely based on actual events that occurred in New York during the 50s.
It is hard to imagine that the world was once like this novel. Organized crime is not as big as it used to be, but I still find it interesting that the mafia was so widespread just a few decades ago. The crimes that were committed are unbelievable. Not to mention that most of the guys got away with them. The mafia had politicians and police on their payrolls. Once you read about all this it will astonish you. It will draw you into the book even more.
The Godfather is jam-packed with murder, lies, sex, and betrayal. It will most definitely keep you attention and make it difficult to put down the book. It is one of the first books that I wanted to keep reading to find out the outcome. Luckily I read the book before I saw the movie. The movie is no where near as good as the book and The Godfather the movie is recognized as one of the greatest movies of all time. So I recommend that everyone should read this book. It will be well worth your time.
The book is about a famous crime family located in New York City in the late 1940s and early 1950s. The novel covers “Don Corleones” life and his family. The book was very entertaining and full of surprises. The novel also has a certain allure to it because it is loosely based on actual events that occurred in New York during the 50s.
It is hard to imagine that the world was once like this novel. Organized crime is not as big as it used to be, but I still find it interesting that the mafia was so widespread just a few decades ago. The crimes that were committed are unbelievable. Not to mention that most of the guys got away with them. The mafia had politicians and police on their payrolls. Once you read about all this it will astonish you. It will draw you into the book even more.
The Godfather is jam-packed with murder, lies, sex, and betrayal. It will most definitely keep you attention and make it difficult to put down the book. It is one of the first books that I wanted to keep reading to find out the outcome. Luckily I read the book before I saw the movie. The movie is no where near as good as the book and The Godfather the movie is recognized as one of the greatest movies of all time. So I recommend that everyone should read this book. It will be well worth your time.
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