Holy Godfather, THIS WAS EPIC!!!

Goosebumps and jaw drops. I could’ve listened to this for hours more and was genuinely sad when it ended.

This must be the next best thing after reading The Godfather and watching the film itself. Mark Seal’s storytelling is absolutely top-tier, and Phil Thron’s narration brings it all to life.

While I’ve been lucky to stumble upon some truly great books over the years, that elusive “BOOK HIGH” doesn’t happen often. So when it does, it feels like a moment that needs to be marked and savored. Ironically, it’s also when I find it the hardest to write a review—because how do you explain that feeling?

So, I’m giving myself a bit of a break here and not overthinking it.

What I will say is that Mark Seal takes us right back to the roots—starting with Mario Puzo and how the novel came into being, moving through the key players at Paramount like Robert Evans and Charlie Bluhdorn, to producer Albert Ruddy, director Francis Ford Coppola, and, of course, the iconic cast: Al Pacino, James Caan, Robert Duvall, Diane Keaton… the list goes on.

Seal covers it all—lives, movie history, politics, pop culture, even the societal undercurrents of the era—and does it in a way that hooked me from the very first sentence. I was completely absorbed, from start to finish.

I loved every second of it.

If you’re a fan of The Godfather, filmmaking, or just behind-the-scenes stories told with real passion and detail—this is a must. But the best thing is that you don’t need to be a movie buff to enjoy it, either; the storytelling is just that good. Total book high. 10/10 would recommend.