A Flavour of the Book: “He
heard his mother start to say her rosary and a chill gripped his heart. She only said the rosary when they were
all in bed or if something was wrong.
His mother still didn’t understand English. He did. Over
the last few days he’d heard the children in the stair whispering ‘The Tally
bairn’s going to crop it…’”.
The Authortrek View:
This is a warm and authentic history of
one Italian family’s settlement in Scotland. Unable to make a living in his home village of Fontitune, Alfonso
Crolla sets off to start a new life in Edinburgh, leaving his new wife, Maria,
behind. Six months later, Maria
follows with their new baby, still very anxious about setting up home in a
foreign land. Unfortunately,
Alfonso’s timing is bad, for it isn’t long before he and his fellow compatriots
are called up to fight in the First World War. When they return home from fighting with the allies, they
discover to their dismay that they are subject to a new Alien’s Order that
means that they will be under police surveillance and could be deported if they
break the law… This is the first injustice that will eventually lead to
tragedy… At first, I wasn’t sure
what to make of Dear Olivia, as it seemed to be such an intimate family
portrait that it would only have full impact on current family members and for
other Italian immigrants – I
wasn’t sure what the ‘bigger story’ was.
There are a few recipes in the book, but not really enough to make the
text into a more culinary endeavour.
However, then I read the tragic ending, and it was only then that I
began to appreciate Mary Contini’s great skill at bringing her ancestors to
life. There is also great drama
within the book, as you sense that Maria is right to be apprehensive about
Alfonso’s business dealings and his admiration of Mussolini. Alfonso is a man whose heart leads his
head, a generous man, who sometimes does not make the best decisions… As Mary
Contini writes, he was a man that left a great legacy, which could have been
even greater if it had not been for his tragic and unjust fate, which will move
even the most stoical of readers.
Press Reviews: “The
book bursts with flavour” – Financial Times
“She mingles admiration, mirth
and tears” – The Sunday Times
“Mary Contini has given her ancestors
words and tears and awkward relationships, fear and love and hope. She has done so with remarkable
tenderness, skill and bravery” – The List
“Filled with colourful stories
it’s an enchanting, delectable read” – Sainsbury’s Magazine
“Dear Olivia not only
contributes to the recodifying of a particular historical period but also –
like all good literary works – to the exploration of important questions about
human beings and human life” – Sunday Herald
“Dear Olivia is
essentially the story of one man’s journey, but is also a story of one
community, two nations, and how they grew and flourished together” – The
Scotsman
You can read a resume of the book on our Amazon store below. To find out more about the author, please visit our Mary Contini page.
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