The Godfather, by American author Mario Puzo, was published in 1969 by G.P. Putnam’s Sons. It was an immediate success, remaining on the New York Times Bestseller List for 67 weeks and selling over nine million copies in two years. The book was lauded for its authenticity, despite the fact that Puzo had no real-life experience with the Mafia, though he did grow up in Vito Corleone’s Hell’s Kitchen neighborhood. In 1972, Francis Ford Coppola’s film adaptation, starring Marlon Brando and Al Pacino, was released and won three Academy Awards and five Golden Globes. Puzo worked with Coppola on the screenplay for the original adaptation, as well as the two movies that followed. Three Godfather sequels, written by Mark Winegardner and Ed Falco, have been published by Random House and continue the Corleone family story.

This study guide refers to the eBook edition of the text, published by Berkeley, an imprint of Penguin Random House, in 2005.

Content Warning: The source material features depictions of murder, physical assault and abuse, sexual assault, and infanticide. In addition, the source material uses racist terms and stereotypes, which are replicated in this guide only in direct quotes of the source material.

Plot Summary

The Godfather is the story of the Corleones, a fictional Mafia family operating in New York City. The novel focuses on the time directly following World War II, from 1945 to 1955, and opens at the wedding reception of Carlo Rizzi and Connie Corleone. The event is held at Connie’s parents’ house, and her father, Don Vito Corleone, is the head of a New York Mafia family. Don Corleone’s three sons, Sonny, Fredo and Michael, are all at the reception. Michael has come with his girlfriend, Kay Park, and sits apart from the family. Now an outsider, he has purposely removed himself from his family and its business. Throughout the evening, Kay comes to understand the true nature of the Corleone family business, even if she finds it a little hard to believe. Johnny Fontane, a famous singer and Don Corleone's godson, comes to ask the Don to help him get a role in a movie, and the Don agrees.

Later, Don Corleone and Tom Hagen, his acting consigliere or adviser, meet with Virgil Sollozzo of the rival Tattaglia family, who wants the Don's cooperation on a narcotics operation. The Don refuses Sollozzo's offer. Three months later, Tom Hagen is forced into a car by Sollozzo, and on the same night, Don Corleone is shot in the street. Sollozzo wants Tom to bring his narcotics proposal to Sonny, who will be running the Corleone family now that Don Corleone is believed to be dead. Tom agrees, but then Sollozzo finds out that Don Corleone has only been injured and is still alive. Tom is released, and he, Michael, Sonny, and the Don's two caporegimes, Clemenza and Tessio, meet. They decide that Sonny will negotiate for time until the Don recuperates and can address the situation himself. Meanwhile, Sollozzo and the Tattaglia family kill Luca Brasi, Don Corleone’s most loyal soldier.

Michael visits his father in the hospital and finds him unprotected. Sollozzo has paid off the police, and when Michael moves to protect his father, Captain McCluskey of the police punches him so hard that he suffers lingering bruising and sinus issues until he can have surgery. Michael decides to kill Sollozzo and McCluskey for revenge but also because their family will not be safe until Sollozzo is dead. Michael is the only one who can get close enough to the two men to kill them. After he does, he will have to escape to Sicily, possibly for several years. When Michael kills McCluskey, the police declare war on the Mafia, who declare war on the Corleones.

At this point in the novel, Vito Corleone’s personal history is revealed. His name was originally Vito Andolini. He changed it to Corleone when he was sent to America, to protect him from the men who killed his father. He was a quiet boy who worked at the grocery store and married a nice Italian girl. One day, he got involved in a truck robbery and was subsequently told that he owed a percentage of the job to a man who “protected” the area. Rather than pay him, Vito Corleone killed him. In the neighborhood, he then became a true protector, helping people in exchange for future undefined favors. His influence expanded, and over time he became the Don Corleone that readers see at the beginning of the book, at the height of his power.

The book now continues in the present day. The Corleones are still in a war with the other families, but the police begin to relax their attacks once they realize that McCluskey was involved in "dirty graft." The Don is still recovering, and Sonny is waging war on the other families, attacking their low-level employees. One night, Sonny drives to Connie's house, and on the way he is assassinated by members of the Barzini family. Don Corleone reassumes control of the family and tells everyone that nothing is to be done, and all business will be suspended. Everyone expects the Don to declare war, but instead he organizes a meeting with Mafia dons from major families across the country to declare peace. He vows that, on his honor, he will never seek vengeance for Sonny's death, and stipulates that Michael will be brought home safely.

Michael, meanwhile, has been in Sicily, staying at the home of a local Mafia chief. While there, he falls in love with and marries Apollonia, a local girl. One day, she is killed by a car bomb that is meant for Michael. Michael decides to go home and join the family business. Once back in the United States, he reconnects with Kay. He is honest with her about the family business and the fact that he is joining it, and she agrees to marry him. Michael flies to Las Vegas because he is working towards moving the family into legitimate business out West.

Three years later, Michael has a full grasp of the family business. Kay has converted to Catholicism and attends daily mass with her mother-in-law, Carmella. The Don has announced his semi-retirement, and Michael is telling everyone that the family is moving operations to Las Vegas. It seems as though they are getting out of the business, and that their family’s power is waning. Michael and the Don talk about Michael's plan to avenge Sonny and Apollonia by killing Barzini and the accomplices who betrayed him.

Then Don Corleone dies of a heart attack. Michael and Tom know that someone will betray Michael and try to kill him. Tessio sets up a meeting with Barzini, and the family realizes that Tessio is the betrayer. The Corleone family packs up their homes with the intention of moving out west. The women and children go ahead to Las Vegas, while Michael, Tom, and Carlo, among others, remain. Finally, the Don and Michael’s plan goes into effect. Rocco Lampone kills Phillip Tattaglia. Albert Neri kills Barzini. Carlo Rizzi is killed for working on behalf of the Barzini family, and Tessio is killed for his betrayal. At the same time, the Corleone family begins taking back control of areas that had slipped away from them. The Corleone family has, in one day, become more powerful than ever, and Michael Corleone has truly become the Godfather.