O is for Once Upon A Time

Reading and Wraps (Jamberry Nail Wraps)

Once Upon A Time and The Fortunate Pilgrim

Once Upon A Time is a great wrap to go with The Fortunate Pilgrim, as it’s like a fairytale filled with trials and tribulations before they can get their happy ending.

I believe this is one of the best books I have read in a long time. Puzo takes us on the journey of a mother who came to American from Italy with a husband she barely knew. The journey is her caring for and raising her children in NY. The stereotypes and prejudices were strong back then even between the Italians themselves. The struggles she endured in trying to keep her family together after her husband dies and her second husband goes crazy.
She is a strong, powerful woman that endured so much grief and struggle but finally made it to Long Island to a house of her own. But at what cost?

You must read to find out, and read this nostalgic journey.

What really struck me were the memories of growing up in an Italian family. All of the crazy, fond, and strong memories came flooding back. Some happy memories of the lingo or expressions, and some sad thinking about the family I have lost that were just like this matriarch.

It truly was an amazing read, and one so worth your time. Puzo is so descriptive that you feel as if you are watching it played out on a movie screen.

The Fortunate Pilgrim by Mario Puzo

Summary:
Before The Godfather and The Last Don, there was Puzo’s classic story about the loves, crimes and struggles confronted by one family of New York City immigrants living in Hell’s Kitchen. Fresh from the farms in Italy, Lucia Santa struggles to hold her family together in a strange land. At turns poignant, comic and violent, and with a new preface by the author, The Fortunate Pilgrim is Italian-American fiction at its very best.