ðə nˈɑːvəl ɹᵻsˈiːvd mˈɪkst ɹᵻvjˈuːz ænd wʌz nˌɑːt ˈɔːθɚɹˌaɪzd baɪ pˈæɹəmˌaʊnt pˈɪktʃɚz, hˌuː ˈoʊn ðə kˈɑːpɪɹˌaɪt tə ðə ɡˈɑːdfɑːðɚ fˈɪlmz, ðˌoʊ ɪt wʌz ˈɔːθɚɹˌaɪzd baɪ ðɪ ᵻstˈeɪt ʌv mˈɑːɹɹɪˌoʊ pjˈuːzoʊ, ˈɔːθɚɹ ʌvðə fˈɜːst nˈɑːvəl ɪnðə sˈɪɹiz, ðə ɡˈɑːdfɑːðɚ.
The novel received mixed reviews and was not authorized by Paramount Pictures, who own the copyright to the Godfather films, though it was authorized by the estate of Mario Puzo, author of the first novel in the series, The Godfather.