I enjoyed the book immensely. I'd seen the movies first (all 3), so maybe that's why I got into the novel so much. However, although I enjoyed it, I can see how someone else--even a Mafia "fan"--might not appreciate it as a "great piece of literature." Held up to the old, old classics (e.g., Beowulf, The Odyssey, Fall of the House of Usher, Great Expectations, etc.), The Godfather is--literarily speaking--a dime novel. But on its own, I consider it a classic.