Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #38403 in Books
• Published on: 1992-09-17
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 301 pages

Synopsis
From the barren farms of Italy to the cramped tenements of New York, the immigrant families struggle with an adopted life - none more so than the Angeluzzi-Corbos. At their head stands Lucia Santa, wife, widow and mother of two families. It is her formidable will that steers them through the Depression and the early years of the war. But she cannot prevent the conflict between Italian and American values - nor the violence and bloodshed which must surely follow...

About the Author
Mario Puzo was born in New York. He is the author of the bestselling novel The Godfather and many other acclaimed novels. Puzo also wrote many screenplays, including those for the three Godfather movies, for which he won two academy awards. He died at his home in Long Island, New York, at the age of seventy-eight.

Customer Reviews

Beautifully Written
When I read this book , I was expecting something more like The Godfather or The Last Don. However, I was pleasantly surprised to find that the book is very different and focuses more on a family and their lives. The book starts off in a slow pace but gradually becomes more and more interesting to the point that you start to really care about the lives of the Angelluzi- Corbos family. The characters become more and more realistic and likable. As Mario Puzo wrote, 'without Lucia Santa (the main character) there is no Godfather.'

Puzo's most underrated book
This is one of my personal favorite books and is, in my opinion, by far and away the best of Puzo's novels including the Godfather. The immigrant experience in America is a personal interest of mine and I have sought out several novels dealing with the subject. I am yet to find one as vivid and evocative in terms of character and setting as The Fortunate Pilgrim. The book is part family saga part social history and stands up to second and third readings.

An engrossing but ultimately disappointing read
Having read "The Godfather" last year I had high expectations when I began to read this novel. Like "The Godfather" it is an engrossing novel which emerses the reader in the dark environment, and is generally hard to put down. However as I came towards the end I was expecting an amazing climax which would blow me away. Sadly the lacklustre ending left me wondering whether Puzo's work is worth considering in the future. Stick to the mafia novels.