Best Puzo Novel

The only MP novel I have read is The Godfather which was just as great as the film. Of his other novels which one would be the best read.

I started The Last Don, but it wasn't very good, and certainly waaaay below The GF.

The Godfather and The Sicilian would be my most favorite
MP novels, after that (in descending order): Last Don, Fools Die, Omerta, Dark Arena.

H.

I have 2 more of his novels to go, but I think that Omerta is his best work that I have read.

I did like the Last Don, and from what I could watch of the movie, the book was MUCH better.

Obviously The Godfather was a very well done story. The Family was a somewhat different take for him, and though he didn't finish it, it was very interesting in a pseudo-historical manner.

It's been awhile since I've read The 4th K, but that was certainly a different path for him.

Puzo is (was) such a great story teller that most of his novels are good or great. He is probably my favorite writer.

I have loved every Puzo novel I have read so far. But I think by far the best is the Fortunate Pilgrim.

I just tossed "Fools Die" into the garbage of the mens room at work havng read the first 70 pages...

reminded me of the stuff I skimmed over in Godfather on speed...

You're smarter than I was--I actually read through the entire damned book.

You're smarter than I was--I actually read through the entire damned book. [/b][/quote]i have read the godfather that was just the nuts....
i have almost finished the sicilian and i am wondering which book to read next any help plz...
and i wuold suggest that all of you should read THE GODFATHER LOST YEARS:MARK WINEGARDNER
great book

Don't get anyone started on Windegarndner's THE GODFATHER RETURNS/LOST YEARS...

I am a little bit of the way through Fools Die and I must say I am enjoying it, although it's true it has it's good bits and slow bits.
The Dark Arena was a book I enjoyed. That is all I have read so far; The Godfather, The Dark Arena and some of Fool's Die.
I do know that Puzo himself considered The Fortunate Pilgrim to be his favourite book.

Winegardner? Trash. I made it to page 22, upon which I found myself to be going in a bad mood. I haven't picked it up since, and I'm fairly positive I could happily live my life not knowing what happened in "The Lost Years" if it's gonna come from his bolshy, unnatractive writing.

i have read 3 puzos books -1- omerta 2-the sicilian 3-the last don.i hate puzos type of writing becous is a meterialistic writer.but my favorite was the sicilian becous was a tru story and emotional.omerta is very good but... and the last don too stupit and not edukative.

i've read 5 puzo novels and here they are in order for me

1.the godfather(just beats omerta but only just
2.omerta
3.the sicilian
4.the last don
5.fools die

I think if they are looking to do another movie based on a book from Puzo it should on the book The Family. I thought it was good and would make a great movie.

Has anybody read the "Fourth K" i brought this a couple of years ago,but not got round to reading yet...

Honestly, I don't think any of his books were particularly well written, however, I think THE SICILIAN was his most thoughtfully written book and THE FORTUNATE PILGRIM was also moving at times.

His constant need to show off his knowledge of Hollywood ruined THE LAST DON and actually made THE GODFATHER a bit tough to take at times, as well.

As far as his worst novel, FOOLS DIE was a horror show. He tried to carry over that same self serving "insider's knowledge" of Hollywood and transfer it to Las Vegas, and ended up with a pitiful excuse for a novel.

I love The Sicilian. I think that Puzo beautifully captures the contradiction that is Sicily, the incredible beauty and the corruption coexisting. Also, I have visited that area of Sicily several times, and my great-uncle hid Giuliano on his farm when the police were looking for him. Perhaps I feel such a personal connection with the story that I enjoyed the book more than I should, but it remains one of my favorites. And I simply love Giuliano's story. Puzo may not have been such a fabulous writer, but he was a brilliant storyteller.

Bingo SB!

That's Puzo in a nutshell. He had a flair for storytelling and a beautiful imagination.

As I said eariler, THE SICILIAN is his most thoughtful book. Your love for it is justified.

Giuliano was loved and the whole "Robin Hood" analogy with him is justified, whereas with Mafiosi, it is not. The good people of Sicily adore Giuliano, they despise the Mafiosi. That says it all.

Someone needs educating

I KNOW you're not making fun of someone else's second language, right?

RIGHT??

Oh shit!!!I didnt know it was his second language.My apologies.

I have read the following and would rank them in the following order:

1. The Godfather
2. The Sicilian
3. Fools Die
4. The Fortunate Pilgrim
5. Omerta

I think TFP was his best written book, but the novels listed above that one were more interesting and fun to read.

Like others, I have a really hard time deciding between The Sicilian and The Godfather. Also, I haven't read Fortunate Pilgrim (I tried to once but couldn't finish), Dark Arena or Fools Die. Here is my ranking.

1. The Godfather
2. The Sicilian (sometimes I like it better then The Godfather)
3. The Last Don
4. Omerta

In Omerta it was obvious that Puzo, may he rest in peace, was slippin'.

Parts of it were excellently written, and then other parts were terrible... felt like a made for tv movie.

Alot of people in the publishing world feel that Puzo didn't actually live to complete Omerta. That it was finished by a hack just to make a few more dollars from the Puzo name. Same goes for The Family.

Well I heard that The Family was finished by a close friend of Puzo who supposedly knew Puzo's work and plans for the book. Omerta, I'm not so sure.

I believe it was only the Epilogue that was written by his close friend. I cannot remember the name off the top of my head, I believe she came by on the boards a few years ago. However I may be mistaken there.


Sicilian gets my vote.

I'd rank them of the ones i read

Fools Die
Omerta
Godfather
Dark Arena
The Family
The Sicilian
Fortunate Pilgrim (only one i didn't really care for)

The Godfather is Epic. A Classic.
The Sicilian, my favorite, is romantic violence at its best.
The Family is tragically beautiful.
The Fourth K?! Talks about terrorism in New York, way before.
The Dark Arena. The first. Pretty good.
Fortunat Pilgrim. Awesome!
Omerta. I think I know a Rosie or two.

1.The Godfather
2.The Last Don
3.The Sicilian
4.The Fortunate Pilgrim
5.The Family
6. Omerta

I loved GF.Its story and characters are perfectly written.

Which book is similar to GF? I'm thinking of reading the last don or Omerta.

Which one would u recommend?

The problem with "Fools Die" is that its starts out in Gronevelts Casino and then you keep reading for 403 pages hoping the book gets back on that topic, it doesnt, it just keeps on blabling about a noobs life..

I finished both Winegardners. Must say I can understand that people here dont like it, it alters the Corleone saga very much. But it is a hell of a lot better then Puzo's "Fools Die"!

Classic literature is usually marked by its popularity and longevity or by a large enough number of of erudite scholars saying that it is so. Take, for instance, Mario Puzo's The Godfather, Jane Austen's Emma, or even William Faulkner's Sound and the Fury. Each one of these novels fits someone's definition of a classic novel, even if some of us can't stand one or more of the novels I've just mentioned. I, for instance, can only stomach Jane Austen novels for more than three pages at a time before I start to get nauseous, think Puzo's books made much better movies, and understand people when they tell me that Faulkner's just too convoluted for their tastes. I don't know what makes a novel a classic, at least not definitively. Furthermore, I charge that anyone who does is probably lying to themselves and, consequently, to everyone who asks the question. There are, however, some universal factors of commonly recognized classic novels that can be used as a bell weather for finding out which novels should or should not be considered so.
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The goal is not to change your Photo on Canvas or Photo to Canvas , but for the subject to change the photographer. ~Author Unknown

The only books of Puzo's that I've read are The Godfather and Omerta, though that was many years ago. I do know that I enjoyed them both about the same, though I remember really really being inspired by Omerta. I own the Sicilian and read the first 20 pages, but it never sparked an interest with me!

I've just read three books, and i think the best is Omerta, second place The Sicilian, third place The Last Don. But Omerta... that's something amazing