"The Godfather" isn't a polished work. But Puzo was a great storyteller in the Italian tradition, and the Bocchiccio story was the best "backstory" in the novel. Other excellent "backstories" were: how Neri came into the family; Sonny and the "boiler inspectors"; Luca and the Capone gunmen; Dr. Taza and his stories; Vito's rise after killing Fanucci. He could have dumped all of Johnny Fontaine after Connie's wedding; everything about Nino and all that Hollywood BS, and everything about Jules and Lucy.