Mrs. Penngelli and the Pirate — Thomas Steinbeck

By any standard one would care to apply, Mrs. Penngelli had survived the "slings and arrows" of misfortune with most of her courage, faith, and good sense intact, and many wondered how she did so. " In Mrs. Penngelli and the Pirate, we meet Sarah Penngelli, matriarch of a family that always seemed to keep their course. Among their colorful acquaintances was a salty Russian whaling captain, Sergei Markovitch. As Captain Markovitch and Mrs. Penngelli's lives intersect over the years, we learn the truth about the Captain's brush with one man from Sarah's remarkable life.