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The Godfather
- Narrated by: Joe Mantegna
- Length: 18 hrs and 5 mins
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The Godfather
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Summary
Based on the lives of real people and yet so brutal and shocking in places that it's almost impossible to believe, Mario Puza weaves a dark and compelling narrative that climaxes with a blistering showdown.
Tyrant, blackmailer, racketeer, murderer - his influence reaches every level of American society. Meet Don Corleone, a friendly man, a just man, areasonable man. The deadliest lord of the Cosa Nostra. The Godfather.
A modern masterpiece,The Godfather is a searing portrayal of the 1940s criminal underworld. It is also the intimate story of the Corleone family, at once drawn together and ripped apart by its unique position at the core of the American Mafia. Still shocking 40 years after it was first published, this compelling tale of blackmail, murder, and family values is a true classic.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- suze0501@aol.com
- 26-02-15
DO NOT MISS THIS!
I love this book. I first read it back in the early 70s, and have revisited it many times since. It's also one of my all time favourite movies, Coppola clearly realising that it needed no Hollywood-style embellishment in order to make it one of the truly great movies. No sprauncy 'moviefying' for FF-C, just a simple but powerful adaptation of the novel, that stands the test of time, and brought together some of the finest screen talents Hollywood has ever produced.
I've been waiting for this to appear on Audible for a long, long time - and this year Santa brought it to my inbox! Hip-hip-hooray. I've been lost in the world of the Corleone's all over Christmas - and I've loved it!
A powerful portrayal of the 1940s criminal underworld this masterpiece is also the story of the Corleone family, one of the biggest and most powerful families of the American Mafia. It still has the power to shock - even now - with the frightening juxtaposition of old fashioned loyalty and moral values, served up with a spectacularly bloody and unforgiving form of justice to those who fail to respect them.
It's nearly impossible for me to read or listen to this novel without seeing images of the peerless Marlon Brando , the young but powerful acting talents of Al Pacino, the perfectly cast John Cazale and James Caan, not forgetting Talia Shire and Diane Keaton.
My goodness, though, does Joe Mantegna give them a run for their money! Heavily influenced by the voices from the movie he gives a wonderful reading here - with the novel filling in all sorts of interesting gaps that the film could not give us. Lucca Brazzi's back story for example, I simply couldn't tear myself away, and I can see me listening to this unabridged narration often.
In case you hadn't gather, I love this unabridged presentation. Mantegna is absolutely marvellous, and the novel just gets better every time I read/listen. If you fancy spending some time in the murky, romanticised world of the Corleone family this comes highly recommended.
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64 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- jon
- 02-02-15
the godfather
As brilliant as the film. A good listen. The narrative was the best I've heard
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18 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Matty Allen
- 26-01-15
Brilliant Reading
Joe Montano brings Mario Puzo's Classic to life... flawlessly. I would recommend to anyone new to Audible to start here.
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16 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Ren
- 10-12-14
Enlightening
What did you like most about The Godfather?
I have watched the film trilogy a million times. I know the script verbatim! But I never read the book. (I know, bad me). I love all the extra detail that as a film fan. you just don't get! about Vito Corleone and his rise as Godfather
What did you like best about this story?
The detail about Vito Corleone's rise to power, Tom Hagan and Kay's history. It builds their characters so much!
What does Joe Mantegna bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you had only read the book?
Knowing Joe's voice and knowing him from the Godfather III movie just brings it all to life. He has a powerful voice and its a great actor.
Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?
Michael's acceptance that he loved his father and that he had to take control and be a part of something he avoided all his life.
Any additional comments?
Absolutely loved it!!
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15 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Ellen Tebbutt
- 01-02-15
Gripping
This audiobook is very well read in a clear and characterful voice. The story is interesting and the characters are well developed.
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11 people found this helpful
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Overall2 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story2 out of 5 stars
- Christopher Hegan
- 07-12-19
Still great in parts but terribly dated.
Knowing the plot diminished my enjoyment of this great tale somewhat, but what made it a really hard slog at times was Puzo’s positively CroMagnon attitudes to and beliefs about sex. Honestly, just skip all the sexual exploits of Sonny, Johnny and the others entirely. Mario Puzo literally has no idea whatsoever about female sexuality. He trots out purple passages of women gagging for it and being sated by the most absurd goings on imaginable. He also has an annoying habit of stopping on the verge of a major plot advance and delving deep into the personality and history of some minor character. Not a bad device, used judiciously but here heavily over-indulged. Finally the complete absence of any flaw in the character of Don Corleone makes him appear, finally, like one of the plaster saints that adorn so many walls in the story.
Having experienced the book, I say “Hats off” to Coppola for making a a much greater work of art out of such flawed material.
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10 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Jobo
- 01-01-15
Superb and gripping story. It deserves respect.
Beautifully narrated and excellent characterisations made this reading of the Godfather one that I couldn't turn off. I listened to it over four days and was completely involved in the world described by Mario Puzo. I can thoroughly recommend this audiobook for anyone to listen to - do this as a favour to yourself.
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10 people found this helpful
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- ShaunMc
- 11-12-14
A movie classic in audio
Would you consider the audio edition of The Godfather to be better than the print version?
With such a great performance this book comes to life far more than it could by simply reading it.
What did you like best about this story?
I liked how B-plots in the movie were explored more in the book.
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9 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Richard
- 23-01-15
The Best Audiobook I've listened to
I was s little worried the book would have dated, but it was fresh and exciting. Knowing the films only increased the pleasure. I regret having it on my wish list for so long now.
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7 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- RB
- 25-01-15
Fantastic classic brought to life
The story is great and so involved that the relationship between the key characters comes to life. The book covers the first two films approximately but gives more life and context.
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5 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Beru
- 29-05-17
Amazing Book and Narration
Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?
The book is already really good and the narrator really makes a good job with the speed and the different voices for the different characters.
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2 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- christal
- 02-10-16
The greatest
Easily the best audio book I've ever listened to. Id never read The Godfather before, and im so glad I came to it via this medium. The narrator was a perfect choice. Loved it. Sad it's finished. Nothing else will be this good from now on.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Duhaney
- 02-07-23
It filled in the blanks
alot of the stuff not mentioned in the movie was filled in the books. some chapters I found unnecessary but the book still didn't disappoint
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Peter Eisen
- 26-05-23
Excellent
Gave me a whole new outlook on the movies. There’s so much more in the book and I understand the movie better
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 14-06-22
Best Book Ever
No other book to match this, unbelievably woven together each little story to form a masterpiece
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 02-03-21
Such An Amazing Masterpiece!
Such an Amazing Masterpiece; such captivating story requires a great narration and so did the narrator. I became addicted to the story.
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance2 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Daniel
- 14-12-20
Narrator’s performance worse that Godfather 3.
The story is good, but the performance by the narrator is extremely underwhelming. The narrator, just doesn’t have what it takes, to bring the characters and story to life. Scott Brick, or a narrator of that caliber should be performing a masterpiece like this.
In the movie, during the hospital scene, you felt the urgency of Michael trying to save his father. It felt like the narrator was reading from the back of a shampoo bottle.
In the meeting after Michael gets out of the hospital, and proposes killing the police capstan, was meant to shadow the man Michael grow onto. The narrator ruins that scene, and captures none of what the author was trying to communicate. 5 hours into it, and extremely disappointed,
A good narrator would have made this better than the movie. Unfortunately, this narrator made this about as disappointing as Godfather 3.
I should have just read the book myself.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 30-06-20
Great experience all round
Loved it; great experience all round.
Did my expectations justice and found so much more backstory that put some things in a new frame after the movies.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Ben O'Neill
- 24-07-18
Fantastic performance and an epic story
I loved Joe M’s performance. His voice tweaked to deliver Connie and Mrs Corleone were fabulous and true to character. I found myself wishing for more appearances of the Godfathers wife just to hear the voice.
After only seeing the movies and never reading the book I was surprised by the saucy and provocative sex stories. But it truely was unabridged.
Well done.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Dedre
- 21-03-18
Simply the best
Excellent plot. Intriguing. Mysterious. Narrator fantastic. Thanks for a most exciting book. I do wonder how much is fact vs fiction though.
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