Category Archives: Novels

The Godfather is a book published in the year 1969 by Mario Puzo an italian-american writer which also made one of the biggest editorials of the country in the same year.

This is a 100 percent mafia book, we can say there has not been a better mafia book in history, many books may be similar or got similar ideas, but none of them made the impact that The Godfather made. Tough there are two movies based on this book which are classified as one of the greatest movies of all time.

There are a whole bunch of characters in this book due to it’s length. I am just going to name the most important ones like the whole Corleone’s family which is formed by Don Vito Corleone, Michael Corleone, Sonny Corleone. There is also some other mafia members and others like Tom Hagen, Sal Tessio, Virgil Sollozzo… All this characters have something in common and that is the corruption and mafia deals around them, they certainly represent the mafia in the USA in the 40’s and 50’s.

This book is very long, which makes it impossible to make a short plot summary due to the many ”parallel” stories inside the book, so i am just counting on the principal plot (the Corleone’s story). The story is in the middle 40’s and starts in the wedding’s party of Don Vito Corleone’s daughter Connie. All the family is in the celebration as well as the ”friends” of Don Vito. Don took some people into his office to accomplish some desires of the party’s people, because Scicilian men always accomplish the desires of their people in their daughter’s weeding. The Don listened to the people and met a mafia man called Sollozzo. The Don sent his loyal people to accomplish those desires, and he meets with Sollozzo, the man wanted to make a drug net with the power of the Corleone, but they didn’t agree, it was to risky for the Don. Sollozzo got angry because he felt was betrayed, and tried to kill Don Vito making a huge anger in Vito’s son Santino aka Sonny, this made a huge thing because it was the mafia war. Other son killed Sollozzo and his corrupted police officer that was helping him out against the Corleone. Sonny was still angry and killed other mafia members, he made everything harder and bigger in the war. Sonny was killed and The Don tried to fix the things, making a meeting in his home. Don Vito knew there was some inflitrated who was a traitor(Emilio Barzini) he said to his son Michael that he was the traitor and he should be prepare because they would love to arrange a meeting between them two, Michael listens to his father and when Don Vito died there was a funeral where some Sal proposed the meeting, Michael sent him to death. Michael decided to retire from the mafia life after being the most powerful Don and only one, he killed the other Dons in the mafias of New York while Cony’s son was in his baptism. Michael was already an Las Vegas business man because of his brother Fredo who was sent there after Sonny’s death, before many of this happenings so he decided to be just a casino man. Just as extra stuff: Michael was a soldier in the 2WW. He was protected by the mafia in Sicily. Something interesting is that at the beginning and one of the people who asked help from Don Vito was Frank Sinatra aka Jonny Fontane, it is said he had some stuff under the water going on with the mafia.

This book is basically omniscient narrator, and in this book we can find many words that made a huge impact like La Cosa Nostra. Some words are in italian of course, also there are quite epic quotes all around the book, in my opinion specially from Don Vito.

In my opinion this book is one of the best books ever, truly recommended for everyone, even if it is long and talks about mafia and quite old stuff, is interesting, exciting and very complete of course this is a real book and not overrated at all so it might be hard to get it at the beginning if you are totally new in the mafia stuff. A book that everyone should read.

This novel is written by Agatha Christie and it’s been published in 1939. Her career was long and productive: over 60 novels, short stories, scripts… Agatha’s works are very widely known, and respected. Her books have been sold over 2 billion copies. She really deserves her title: Best detective story writer in the 20th century.

And Then There Were None is detective story, and a very good one. It became classic right away it was published. Review of the book was positive and it became immediately best-seller. The reputation of the book travelled fast among people and they were excited about it, and they still do. The book amazes its readers over and over again, because the plot of the book is so unique and addictive. This kind of plot is called “Shutter Mystery”. It means that the criminal is one of the limited persons. These kinds of books are intense and absorbing. And Then There Were None is excellent case study of this theme.

I don’t want to ruin anyone’s reading experience, so I won’t tell detailed plot. I want, it surprises and overwhelms you just like it did for me. The main idea is well-known though not as simple as you might think. Eight persons are invited in the private Island. They don’t know who invited them. Everyone is blamed in murder. They got stranded in island. They start to die one by one or more closely murdered. One of them is the murderer and no one knows who. The plot of murders is based on old children poem and all the murders follow its verses.

The atmosphere is very tense, everyone is guilty. No one can be trusted. As an experience, the book is very distressing, but without its unique anxious tone, it wouldn’t be this addictive. Frog in one’s throat, heart beating like there wouldn’t be tomorrow, you just keep reading. One of most important factors is that you don’t know who the murderer is. Personally I love books and movies, where pieces click in right places and little by little you start to perceive a bigger picture. Well this is not one of those books. When there are only 2 persons left in island, and you still can’t figure out who is the murderer, you know that the book was successful.

But what the book wants to say? Maybe it wants to warn about concealed danger of a human mind. The main idea is too simple. What goes around comes around. Honestly I don’t know… But what I know is, it provokes huge flood of sentiments. You start to think how well organized the whole story was! First you feel astonished, then you understand genius of the story and last you feel huge appreciation towards the writer. What an imagination!!

I warmly suggest this book for adventurous persons. Warning! Don’t start reading this book during a school week because you will read it in one fell swoops. But that risk is worth taking!  If you dare, don’t read the last 30 pages. I wished I wouldn’t have. Without those pages this book would have been perfect.  So open your mind for this classic book and realize why people all over the world fell in love with it. ’Cause no great story has best before-date.

The title of the book: Horrid Henry Rocks

The name of the author: Francesca Simon

The book`s main character is Henry. He is an adolescent. He hates everybody and that is why he fights and screams almoust all the time. Henry doesn`t respect neither adults nor teachers. He doesn`t have manners. He doesn`t seem real and I think that he is merely stereotype. He doesn`t grow or develop during  the novel.

The novel contains a four separate and different stories. The first one tells about a crossfire between big brother and his little brother. Henry smudges Peters drawings and hides Peters stuffed animals. The second story tells about a crossfire between Henry and the girl next door. Henry steals Margaret`s biscuits and disturbs Margaret`s and her friends sleepover. In the third story Henry`s teacher asks the pupils to write an autobiographys. Henry hates writing and that is why he steals and spoils Margaret`s autobiography. The fourth story tells about the evening when Henry and his family go to ”The Daffy and her Dansing Daisies” show. Henry hates Daffy. In the show Henry wins in the raffle and he has to go on the stage with Daffy. It was Henry`s worst nightmare. Everyone was looking at him and of course he didn`t  know any stupid Daisy songs. Henry sang as loud as he could The Killer Boy Rat`s song. Two security guards ran on the stage and grabbed Henry. I think that the story take place in the town and the events took perhaps one week. The stories are disconnected with each other.

The narrator in the story is an outsider but in the some parts of the story Henry tells his story himself.

The main theme of this novel is a difficulties of the puberty. Henry`s life is very lonely because he behaves so badly. He hasn´t got friends for example. I think that he is depressed and distressed. The message of this novel is that the adults will have to understand their kids better and help them if they have problems in their manners. The adults have to give time for their children.

The first story in the book is the best one because it tells about quarreling between siblings. It is an eventful part of the book. I recommend this book to you and everybody. The language is quite easy to read but it isn`t too easy.  I learned new words and I notised that I undestood the book very well.