Plus, it was a very interesting story. GF wasn't an elegantly written novel (to say the least), but Puzo was a wonderful storyteller in the great Italian tradition--and the Bocchicchio family and how they made their living was a great story. IMO, their story, and Neri's background and how the Corleones recruited him, are the best backstories in the novel.
Ntra la porta tua lu sangu � sparsu, E nun me mporta si ce muoru accisu... E s'iddu muoru e vaju mparadisu Si nun ce truovo a ttia, mancu ce trasu.