by Mario Puzo
First published 2004
Lucia Angeluzzi-Corbo arrives in America with nothing but fierce determination and two young children. As a widowed Italian immigrant in Depression-era Manhattan's Hell's Kitchen, she battles poverty, prejudice, and urban violence to keep her family intact. Her children grow up in a world of constant struggle—where survival means navigating treacherous neighborhood politics and protecting each other at all costs. When her son becomes entangled with local criminals and her daughter faces impossible romantic choices, Lucia must summon every ounce of her immigrant resilience to prevent her family from unraveling. More than a survival story, this is a raw portrait of one woman's unyielding spirit in the face of America's unforgiving landscape.
Genres: literary-fiction, american-fiction, historical-fiction, 20th-century, family-drama
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: found-family, resilience
Setting: New York
Period: 20th-century
304 pages · Mass Market Paperback · Ballantine Books
Content warnings: violence