The novel The Godfather is written about the influence of the Italian mafia in New York during the period from the 1930s to the 1960s. It is the story of one crime family in particular, the Corleones. This great story of the Corleone kingdom is a realistic fiction novel written by Mario Puzo. The story itself is set in New York, where the Five Families run pretty much everything, from who fishes in the ocean to the clothes available to you in the store. The Corleones at the time are the most powerful family controlling many policemen and politicians. It all starts when a Turk named Sollozzo shows up and tries to get legal protection from the Corleones for his new narcotics operation. Sollozzo already has the Tattaglias behind him and secretly the most powerful family of all, the Barzinis. But the greatest man alive, Don Vito Corleone, politely rejects Sollozzo's offer and tells him that they should have no problems because their activities do not interfere with each other. Well, that leads to knocking the Don down on the street. He was shot 5 times in the back, but continues to live to resolve the mafia war that soon breaks out. It's an all out war between the remaining families against the Corleones. The Don goes through a series of misfortunes, his eldest son is shot dead, his second son is sent away from home with fears that he might be hurt, and his youngest son Michael Corleone spends three years in hiding in Sicily after committing the murders of Police Captain McCluskey and the Turk Sollozzo. Months later, when the Don has fully recovered, he soon learns of his son's death and calls a meeting between the Five Families asking for peace. Not only does he invite the Five Families, but every crime family in the whole country...middle of paper......told how Don Vito Corleone ended up dying because the story really went downhill after that. I think my novel is a classic because it gives an accurate account of what it meant to have mafia influence in the world even in the time it was written, so in that way it's timely. Furthermore, the book is timeless because it was published for the first time in 1969, and 42 years later it is still selling like hot cakes, it holds the record for best-selling copies, it is a story that is still talked about. And beyond that it has a theme that touches every culture throughout life, being loyal to your friends and family. In this story, loyalty is everything, and having friends is the greatest power of all. Those with friends will always be better off. And everyone has at least one friend. So overall this book is one of the best and I think everyone should read it.