Don’t you love how our minds work? How one thing leads to another? It happened recently.
A couple of months ago, I started a Francis Ford Coppola kick. I re-watched Apocalypse Now, with Marlon Brando brooding in the jungle and all. That led me back to The Godfather, another well-known performance of his. That, of course, meant seeing all three films…
And of course, after revisiting the movies, I had to read the book that the first film was based on.
Mario Puzo’s The Godfather (1969) drew me in, and after I finished it, I wanted more. That’s what I’m sharing with you today.
The Godfather is a gripping story and was a great read. However, I was very surprised at my reaction to The Sicilian!
What astonished me about The Sicilian? How deeply I came to care!
It’s a real trick. You need to get a reader to care so much. When the hammer drops, you feel it in your chest.
The Sicilian (1984) is powerful and tragic.
In structure, it is a classic donut story: Michael Corleone‘s tale of exile frames the novel. At its core is the enthralling tale of Salvatore ‘Turi’ Giuliano—a legendary real-life Sicilian bandit—and his best friend Aspanu Pisciotta.
Turi and Aspanu are childhood friends. They have subtly different motivations. Both are caught in the perilous grip of Sicilian politics, loyalty, and betrayal. Their story is inspiring. It is also heartbreaking. By the end, it’s hard not to feel the weight of the spell Puzo weaves with his words.
The real Turi died at age 27 or 28 in 1950, followed by Aspanu, who died at age 30 in 1954.
The novel also stands out by teaching you a lot about Sicily. It covers its culture and history. The book depicts how the island shapes the people who live there. You feel the island’s pride and pain in every chapter.
Though Michael Corleone’s story isn’t the main focus, it adds real depth. The final scene between Michael and his father is an ironic twist. It gives deep insight into the Sicilian way of thinking that Puzo portrays. This mindset is the very force behind The Godfather.
This is definitely a novel that I will return to for enjoyment. It is also an education in how to write characters.
That’s it for now. Thanks for showing up. It matters.
P.S. I have to admit something. I did not realize until about three-fourths of the way through the novel that it was based on real events. Knowing that made the story’s impact all the more powerful and thought-provoking.1
Reference:
- Wikimedia Foundation. (2025, May 21). Salvatore Giuliano. Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salvatore_Giuliano ↩︎
Veni. Vidi. Scripsi. 