BookRank

Reading order

The Godfather reading order

Mario Puzo

  1. The Godfather1969
  2. The Sicilian1984
  3. The Godfather Returns2004
  4. The Godfather's Revenge2006
8.58.5 / 10
838 ratings
Score
4 volumes
Volumes
1969–2006
Published
about 40 h
Reading time
Completed
Status
Crime & mystery#1
Genre

Quick answer

The Godfather
Start withThe Godfather1969 · Volume 1 of 4
Open the volume →Buy the first volumeListen to the audiobook

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Publication order

4 volumes1969–2006Completed

  • Mario Puzo wrote only The Godfather (1969) and The Sicilian (1984).
  • The Godfather Returns (2004) and The Godfather’s Revenge (2006) are Mark Winegardner’s sequels filling the gaps between the films.
  • Start with the first novel; the rest is optional.

A plan for the whole series

4 volumes, 2,050 pages, about 40 hours. At 45 min a day that is about 7 weeks.

9%

Share of volume 1’s readers who reach the last volume. Chance of reaching the last volume: low

  • Readers scored volume 2, “The Sicilian”, below its predecessor (7.7 after 8.6). If you slow down there, that is on the book, not on you.

Stages

3 stages, with 2 short books from outside the series between them. You finish around December 25, 2026, 7 days later than in one go.

  1. Stage 116 habout 3 weeksby November 19, 2026
  2. Short breakThe Fire Next Time · James Baldwin · 120 pp. · score 8.82 h, by November 23, 2026. A short book from another shelf, so you come back to the series hungry.
  3. Stage 210 h14 daysby December 7, 2026
  4. Short breakThe Emperor's Soul · Brandon Sanderson · 96 pp. · score 8.82 h, by December 10, 2026. A short book from another shelf, so you come back to the series hungry.
  5. Stage 311 h15 daysby December 25, 2026
  6. The end of the series
    December 25, 2026
In one goDecember 18, 2026about 7 weeks
In stages, with breaksDecember 25, 2026about 8 weeks · +4 h of other books

We count 1.1 min per page, the pace of an average novel reader. Faster? Move the slider.

How this plan is calculated

The plan comes from the pages and ratings of each volume: we split the series into stages of about three weeks’ reading, size each break to the stage before it, and read the chance of finishing from how many readers rate the last volume compared with the first. How we work out the plan →

Every volume in order

Read: 0 of 4
  1. The Godfather
    The Godfather1969 · 772 ratingsStart here
    8.68.6 / 10
  2. The Sicilian
    The Sicilian1984 · 66 ratings · Filmed 1987
    7.77.7 / 10
  3. The Godfather Returns
    The Godfather Returns2004 · Not ranked yet
    –Not ranked yet
  4. The Godfather's Revenge
    The Godfather's Revenge2006 · Not ranked yet
    –Not ranked yet

Order checked by hand · Order and years: Wikidata (CC0). Spotted an error? Tell us. · Data updated October 29, 2026

Frequently asked questions

Which Godfather book is the best?

By reader score, The Godfather (8.6/10). The lowest-rated is The Sicilian (7.7/10).

Which The Godfather book is the longest?

“The Godfather's Revenge” is the longest at 624 pages; the shortest is “The Sicilian” with 416 pages.