The novel and film are perfect companions. The novel is a great, quick read--sprawling, coarse, plenty of rough edges, but humming with energy and action. And Puzo, although he wasn't a polished writer, was a great storyteller. Plenty of wonderful stories in the novel never made it to the screen. But the film is a masterpiece, a flawless gem, with nearly all the energy of the novel, none of the rough edges--but with some of the stories and background of the novel missing. Taken together: unbeatable!