For if we honour that commitment, we will never be vanquished - but if we falter in that loyalty, we will all be condemned. We must learn from each other, protect each other, and be bound first and foremost to each other. The Offer review the making of The Godfather makes for hit-and-miss TV The Godfather: how the Mafia blockbuster became a political handbook. 'And the loyalty of the family must come before everything and everyone else. _ A tale of brutality and betrayal that crowns Mario Puzo's remarkable career _ 'We are a family,' Alexander told his children.

The Borgias face immense opposition from all quarters of Italy, but their deadliest foes may be far closer to home. Scheming and plotting for their own ends are his children: Giovanni, the much-favoured golden boy his younger brother Cesare, jealous and vicious and Lucrezia, cunning, calculating and passionate. Headed by Rodrigo Borgia, better known as Pope Alexander VI, this tight-knit family is fighting to keep its iron grip on Italy - but theirs is a lethal game, and the cost of failure is surely death. But where there is gold - and power - there are those who are willing to do anything to get their hands on them.

Others it ripens toward an Olympian wisdom. The Renaissance is in full swing, heralding a new golden age for Europe. Mario Puzo, Author Random House Inc 25.95 (0p) ISBN 978-3-8.

_ From the legendary author of THE GODFATHER comes a novel of the original Italian crime family Fifteenth-century Italy. This book is a good read, gains momentum as it goes and gives us a look into the lives of the privileged families of Italy long before the kingdoms were united.

The family mario puzo review