Before The Godfather and The Last Don, Mario Puzo wrote The Fortunate
Pilgrim, a novel many believe to be one of the classics of
Italian-American fiction. In this special edition, Mario Puzo's legions
of fans will discover a different side of this legendary author, writing
for the first time about an Italian family in which a woman holds the
power. Lucia Santa has traveled three thousand miles of dark ocean, from
the mountain farms of Italy to the streets of New York, hoping for a
better life. Instead, she finds herself in Hell's Kitchen, in a bad
marriage, raising six children on her own. As Lucia struggles to hold
her family together, her daughter confronts the adult world of work and
romance while her eldest son is drawn into the Mafia. Meanwhile, her
youngest son aspires to American pursuits she cannot understand.