BOOK REVIEW #43: THE CEDAR TREE (AUDIO BOOK)
04/12/2025Cremona House
By Laura di Martino
KLMN Publications, 2024
Having attended the talk Laura di Martino presented at the Domain Theatre in Marion, I was keen to begin reading her first historical fiction, Cremona House, because it was clear that Italian immigration to South Australia was a passion of hers. It was also obvious that Laura would leave no stone unturned in her research into the rich history of Italian immigrants in our state.
One of the aspects of the book that I loved was the background story of the protagonist. We meet him as a wide-eyed teenager living on a
A FASCINATING JOURNEY OF MIGRATION
small farm in the countryside around Cremona. Like many small villages dotted around Italy, life had been growing increasingly difficult at the turn of the century and their family, along with many others, had to face the prospect of being dispersed far and wide, in order to survive. Consequently, his parents were willing to entertain the idea of their fourteen-year-old joining the crew of his uncle’s Merchant Marine cargo ship to provide him with work and skills for the future. When he embarked on this adventure, he had no idea that it would eventually lead him to his new life in Australia. However, there was a huge learning curve in store for him, before he even set foot in Australia, as he learnt the ropes at sea under the watchful eye of his Zio Carlo. However, fate had other plans. His uncle died and another war seemed to be brewing in Italy, making his parents reluctant to bring him home from London where he had landed. In an attempt to protect their son from being recruited to the armed forces, they suggested he travel to Australia and make a new life there with one of his brothers.
Apart from this cultural and familial thread running through the story of Carlino, there is a romance and the deep devotion of a lifetime of love which involved building a new life and family together in this new world. Being a person of initiative, and with a willingness to take calculated, entrepreneurial risks, the protagonist also takes the reader on another journey, with its peaks and troughs, through the life of the hard-working immigrant who is willing to do anything to establish himself and his family in his new life. Carlo becomes a respected businessman and community member, helping to build an appreciation of Italian life, culture and traditions among the young members of the Italian immigrant community. But this all unravels, when he is forced into detention during the war and discovers that his friendship with the zealous fascist who ran the consulate in Adelaide had placed him under surveillance from the police. This was not his first hardship or challenge as he adapted to his new country, but this gentle and good man, who had worked so hard to establish himself and support his workers, had to cope with terrible indignities and humiliations in this nation that he loved.
From the moment I picked up this book, I couldn’t put it down. If you are a South Australian who loves historical fiction, I’m sure you will be thoroughly absorbed by this story and everything you learn about the city you thought you knew. The stages of our city’s development, and changes in political and social attitudes, were another fascinating aspect of the novel. Admittedly, I have a special interest in this because I studied Italian at university and lived in Italy for a year in 1996. My sons and their partners also took me back there to celebrate my 70th birthday and I am still trying to chat in Italian (however incompetently!) to some friends each week, so it is inevitable that I would be drawn into this story, since all things Italian are a magnet to me. I can say that I was constantly wondering whether it was really fiction because everything about the account of the protagonist’s life felt so real. The complexities of family relationships, the friendships and outings and relationships between all the characters rang true and so it was very easy to become invested in their lives and the consequences of their choices and challenges. I believe any reader would feel the same way . . . even one who is not an Italophile! You can find out more behind-the-scenes information about Laura’s writing process for this book and even some of the stories that didn’t make the cut through her website or her socials: https://linktr.ee/lauradimartino I can’t wait to read A Shimmering Thread and Working it Out, her other two novels to date. Enjoy the satisfying fruits of another one of South Australia’s novelists. For such a small population, I believe we punch above our weight when it comes to writers, with many holding their own in multiple languages on the world stage. By the way, Laura’s daughter designs her fabulous covers!
Spero che il libro vi piaccia!