I have a hot take. I don't think Puzo's version of The Godfather was great, either. Francis Ford Coppola had to clean out about 3/4 of the book in order write a good movie adaptation. I've tried re-reading the Godfather, several times, out of loyalty to the cause. Just to see if I missed something, if for no other reason. And I can't get through a second reading. There are entire chapters about Johnny Fontane and irrelevant showbiz stuff, which to me only reveals Puzo's bitter little hard-on for Sinatra. Francis Coppola and a bevy of brilliant 1970's actors made The Godfather what it is.

"...the successful annihilation of organized crime's subculture in America would rock the 'legitimate' world's foundation, which would ultimately force fundamental social changes and redistributions of wealth and power in this country. Meyer Lansky's dream was to bond the two worlds together so that one could not survive without the other." - Dan E. Moldea