The Fortunate Pilgrim: Amazon.ca: Mario Puzo: Books

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Product Description

From Library Journal

A young girl comes to New York from Italy to marry a man she hardly knows, thus beginning the saga of Lucia Santa and her two marriages, her five children, and her struggle to raise her family in Hell's Kitchen in the early 1900s. Her strength sustains her through troubles, tragedies, and the onslaught of American culture pitted against traditional Italian life. Puzo portrays the family and their development with insight in an engrossing narrative. The conflicts of the Old World and the New as experienced by the children bring both tragedy and happiness, tempered always by Lucia Santa's iron will. John Kenneth reads with gentle strength, pronouncing with fluid grace Italian phrases and names. His characterizations are subtle but effective, and through his emotional coloring of the text, the listener becomes involved in this family's story. Recommended for fiction collections.?Melody A. Moxley, Rowan P.L., Salisbury, N.C.
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From AudioFile

This novel, written before The Godfather and The Last Don, uniquely focuses on an Italian family with a powerful woman, Lucia Santa, at its center. The setting is New York just after the turn of the century. Chivalrous and gentlemanly John Kenneth's portrayal of life in Hell's Kitchen is an elegant contrast to the incessant and harsh struggles experienced by Lucia Santa's family. His fluent Italian intertwined with street slang delivers insights into Lucia's first-generation siblings and their emerging American attitudes. Kenneth simulates many family disputes, contrasting the attitudes of Lucia's children with strict Italian tradition. The interpretation of Lucia's husband's tirades and his ultimate committal attests to the absolute strength this character possesses. B.J.P. (c)AudioFile, Portland, Maine --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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First Sentence
LARRY ANGELUZZI SPURRED his jet-black horse proudly through a canyon formed by two great walls of tenements, and at the foot of each wall, marooned on their separate blue-slate sidewalks, little children stopped their games to watch him with silent admiration. Read the first page

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Customer Reviews

30 Reviews

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Average Customer Review

4.4 out of 5 stars (30 customer reviews)

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5.0 out of 5 stars One of, if not the, best Puzo books..., Jan 4 2008

By	Jim Bag (Toronto, ON Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Fortunate Pilgrim (Mass Market Paperback)

This is an amazing story for anyone to read, but i would particularly recommend it for those who have parents or grandparents who are immigrants. You can appreciate the story more so than others, and it is truly amazing. It is clear that Mario Puzo put the most effort and soul into this book, and if you know anyone who is an immigrant the story offers spine chilling resemblance to real life (beacuse it was based on his mother) and you can picture some of the characters as people whom you may know. Amazing amazing book....highly recommended. NOTE: This story takes place while in the states and not in italy or the boat ride over, dont be confused by the cover.

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3.0 out of 5 stars A good and worthwhile immigrant piece, Feb 20 2004

By	Frikle - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)

This review is from: The Fortunate Pilgrim (Paperback)

Many of you will no doubt be attracted to The Fortunate Pilgrim riding on the fame of Puzo's mafia novels, especially the Godfather. The Fortunate Pilgrim is more of a drama in the traditional sense of the word. It tells the story of Lucia Santa - an immigrant widow living in a small appartment in New York and raising her children. This book exposes the reality of the life of immigrant Italians in all it's harshness, with the very tight budgets and subsistent living, domestic violence, a clash between the traditional Italian values and modern American ones, the generation gap and the temptation of crime.

This is characterized in Lucia's children. The daughter is an assertive, educated type determined to become big in the real world. One of the sons is a womaniser and all-round good guy. The other sons are archetypes of kids growing up during the depression. A moving, though at times slow book.

If you want to see and enjoy a different side of Puzo as a writer, this novel is ideal.

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5.0 out of 5 stars Simply a Masterpeice, Nov 26 2002

By	"doctorprp" (Virginia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Fortunate Pilgrim (Paperback)

The book I am reviewing is "The Fortunate Pilgrim" by Mario Puzo. I chose to read Fortunate Pilgrim because I had heard from numerous sources that this book was actually better than Mario Puzo's most known and best-selling novel, The Godfather, which I had read and enjoyed greatly. I found it hard to believe a book so over-looked from the public could be better than the masterpiece, The Godfather, and decided to read "The Fortunate Pilgrim" myself and draw my own conclusion.

"The Fortunate Pilgrim" tells the story of a single mother, Lucia Santa, holding together her split family of six children and no husband. Lucias every day life is a struggle, to make sure there is enough money to feed her children and prosper during WWI and the Great Depression. Lucia's first husband died in an industrial accident, and her second husband ran away, leaving her with his 3 children. I personally found the Mother-Daughter relationship between Lucia and her oldest daughter, Octivia very sad yet interesting to read. Octivia wants to become a modernized American and schoolteacher, and discourages her mother for "living in the past". I find the dialogue between Lucia and Octivia on page 23-26 an important passage in the book, as Octivia denounces her mother and fiercly tells her "He's not my father!" when Lucia brings up the hard topic of her stepfather.

"The Fortunate Pilgrim" is indeed a great book. I still cannot decide whether the Fortunate Pilgrim is "better" than The Godfather, but they are both great in different ways. The Fortunate Pilgrim really makes you grateful for things over-looked by many, such as shelter, health, life, and most of all family. The Fortunate Pilgrim made myself, being Italian, think about the struggle everyday life was to my great grandparents. It makes you think of how, in the end, Lucia Santa overcomes overwhelming odds, but to much heart ache. It is hard to contemplate now what these people had to go through, the hardship of daily life.

I would recommend this book to anyone who wants a good, meaningful read. The beginning starts off slow, but by the end of this book you can have a new perspective on some aspects, if not all of life. This is a book I will remember for years.

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Most recent customer reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars Puzo impresses again
The Angeluzzi-Corba family with its central character Lucia Santa, battles against 'unfortunate' hardships to preserve her strong Italian values. Read more

Published on Sep 25 2002 by leron

5.0 out of 5 stars Best Novel about living in a Italian Life Style.
Great... Can not compare. This book to any other book about Italian Life Style. i like the book so much, Not because i am Half, it is because, It has a very creative story... Read more

Published on Sep 19 2002 by Leone

4.0 out of 5 stars Realistic touching family drama
Mario Puzo's writing style was so wonderful to read because it somehow flawlessly glides from one point of view to another. Read more

Published on April 9 2002 by Retesh D. Shah

4.0 out of 5 stars A Mothers Strength
After reading The Fortunate Pilgrim for one of our book club books, I was surprised to see how much I enjoyed the book. Read more

Published on Jan 31 2002