The Proxy Bride
Zoe Boccabella
Reviewed by Helen
This is a beautiful story set across two timelines and mostly in Stanthorpe Queensland we get to meet young Sophie and her Nonna Gia, as Gia opens up about her past and how she came to Australia, is there a reason Nonna is finally talking to Sofie, could it be something to do with what Sophie wants so badly to know, a must read story.
It is 1984 and Sofie has gone to spend the summer holidays with her Nonna, Sofie is not overly happy as she thinks she is old enough to be at home on her own when her mother is at work, Sofie is really wanting to know more about the father she never met and Nonna and Sofie are locking horns about many small things this holiday and Nonna starts to tell Sofie the story of how she arrived in Australia back in 1939 on what was known as the bride ship.
Sofie learns about Nonna Gia being a proxy bride about leaving her family in Palmi Calabria, arriving in Australia with a number of proxy brides all who settle in Stanthorpe about meeting their neighbour Keith, about how their lives moved on and what happened when World War 2 broke out and how her grandfather Nonno Taddeo was put in an internment camp and how Gia and the other wives worked the orchards so as they could live and how the people of the town treated them and how they coped with life.
Sofie is shocked to learn about her Nonna’s past and then she meets a young local boy Tim, she is drawn to him and Nonna is not happy that she is, is there a reason for all that she has learnt this summer? Is Nonna helping Sofie so as when she discovers things that she has wanted for so long it will make her understand? They have cooked together and both have opened up about so many things, and Sofie has learnt so much.
This really is a fabulous story, one that I would highly recommend, I loved it from the start, and learning about what it was like to be an immigrant when times were hard, to cope with the prejudices and learn to get on with life with what it throws at you, I loved Gia such a strong woman and Sofie she is a lovely young girl who wanted answers and got them. And then there is the food oh my, what awesome food and the recipes are in the book, don’t miss this one.
My thanks to the publisher Harlequin AU for my copy to read and review.
It is 1984 and Sofie has gone to spend the summer holidays with her Nonna, Sofie is not overly happy as she thinks she is old enough to be at home on her own when her mother is at work, Sofie is really wanting to know more about the father she never met and Nonna and Sofie are locking horns about many small things this holiday and Nonna starts to tell Sofie the story of how she arrived in Australia back in 1939 on what was known as the bride ship.
Sofie learns about Nonna Gia being a proxy bride about leaving her family in Palmi Calabria, arriving in Australia with a number of proxy brides all who settle in Stanthorpe about meeting their neighbour Keith, about how their lives moved on and what happened when World War 2 broke out and how her grandfather Nonno Taddeo was put in an internment camp and how Gia and the other wives worked the orchards so as they could live and how the people of the town treated them and how they coped with life.
Sofie is shocked to learn about her Nonna’s past and then she meets a young local boy Tim, she is drawn to him and Nonna is not happy that she is, is there a reason for all that she has learnt this summer? Is Nonna helping Sofie so as when she discovers things that she has wanted for so long it will make her understand? They have cooked together and both have opened up about so many things, and Sofie has learnt so much.
This really is a fabulous story, one that I would highly recommend, I loved it from the start, and learning about what it was like to be an immigrant when times were hard, to cope with the prejudices and learn to get on with life with what it throws at you, I loved Gia such a strong woman and Sofie she is a lovely young girl who wanted answers and got them. And then there is the food oh my, what awesome food and the recipes are in the book, don’t miss this one.
My thanks to the publisher Harlequin AU for my copy to read and review.
5 stars
- September 7, 2022 by HQ Fiction
