The Family - Mario Puzo

The Godfather. A huge hit of all times. Marlon Brando and Al Pacino, not to forget Robert Di Niro, it is one of the classics of Hollywood. My brother bought me a DVD of the movie and asked me to watch it. But I couldn’t. Because it was a little tough English spoken in an unusual accent of Marlon Brando. But I watched it after I got some subtitles and enjoyed every part of it.
Many may not be aware that the creator of the Godfather was also a novelist and has depicted the life on many dons. I have read his novel, The Last Don and liked it a lot. But the recent novel I read of Mario Puzo, left me speechless. It was the Last novel written by him before he expired. And as his friend Carol Gina, who was responsible to complete the final parts of the novel told that it was his novel he wanted to write for almost thirty years. He started writing its parts before The Godfather but nothing materialized.

The Family, a book based on Rome during the Renaissance Period. Pope Alexander VI, or Rodrigo Borgia was a Spanish who was made the Pope of the country. He had three sons, Caesar, Juan, Jofre and a daughter Lucrezia. Rodrigo wanted to unite the Rome as well as the other states and provinces. He gave his sons important positions in the church, and dealt with the non-surrendering states with different tactics. But during all these years making a united kingdom, he made many enemies, some of whom were distressed by him made the Pope, while some were dissatisfied with his ways of governing.

But what really amazed me is that he made a tyrant ruler look a good human being. I searched the internet when I got to know that these characters are not fictions and got to know that they are depicted as the worst rulers of those times. For all those who know about these and have a perception as the same as the web, I would tell them to read this novel. Although, Rodrigo Borgia made some strict and inhuman decisions, you won’t find his life cruel or insensitive.