Lucia Santa came to New York from the mountain farms of Italy because she knew there had to be a better life. But what she finds in the streets of Hell's Kitchen is a life to break a strong woman's heart. Two tragic marriages, six children to support by herself, a fiery-hearted daughter who insists on living and loving as an American, an oldest son who gets involved with the Mafia. And through it all, Lucia Santa--wife, widow, mother, grandmother--endures as a woman of incomparable dignity, courage, and passion.

Filled with laughter and tears, fury and forgiveness, The Fortunate Pilgrim is a spellbinding portrait of a family determined to survive in America.It is a novel that only Mario Puzo could have written.