Finished Fr 11/19/21
This is one of my ancient paperbacks that I had never read and when I bought the book is not mentioned.
It's 'background' on the GODFATHER films and Puzo's novels of those characters. None of 'THE SICILIAN' takes place in New York, all the action is in and around Palermo and the northwest corner of Sicily.
The book is mostly about a Sicilian bandit named Salvatore 'Turi' Giuliano on the island of Sicily during the 1940's and early 50's.
He's a kind of 'Robin Hood' hero. A violent and cruel man that puts his men and the rural people of Sicily above his personal needs and desires.
Turi's best friend and second in command, Gaspare 'Aspanu' Pisciotta is the downfall of the gang. Pisciotta betrays and kills Turi before he can escape to America.
These two characters are based on real Sicilian gang leaders.
The political and social situation of rural Sicily is the most interesting part of the book. The aristocrats and the mafia rule the land and the powers that be are terrified of anything that smacks of socialism.
Legally peasants can use land unused by the aristocracy, but if they try to enforce their rights the aristocrats will have them killed.
A link to the book's page on Wikipedia:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Sicilian
I was surprised to learn that Mario Puzo wrote the original screenplay for the 1978 Superman film and its 1980 sequel.
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