Household Saints A Novel [Paperback]

This tale of a family in Little Italyis “a minor miracle . . . documenting the madness and the grace of God in everyday life” (Newsweek).
 
On a 1950s September night so hot that the devout Catholics of Little Italy wonder if New York City has slipped into hell, the butcher Joseph Santangelo invites his friends to play pinochle. At the end of a long, sweaty, boozy evening, his friend Lino Falconetti, addled by wine and heat, bets the hand of his daughter, Catherine—and Santangelo wins.
 
Santangelo’s modern new wife clashes immediately with his superstitious, fiercely protective mother. But years later, it is Catherine who is horrified when the daughter they raise turns out to have more in common with the old world than the new.
 
From aNew York Times–bestselling author, this story of two generations of an Italian-American family is imaginative, evocative, funny, and warm—and was made into an acclaimed film directed by Nancy Savoca, starring Tracey Ullman, Vincent D’Onofrio, and Lili Taylor.

“A marvelous, lovable novel.” —Joyce Maynard

“From the very first sentence of Francine Prose’s fifth novel, you know you’re under the spell of a first-rate storyteller.” —The New York Times