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CONVERSATIONS WITH MY MOTHER
Written by Letizia De Rosa
Published by Sorrentini Publishing
Review by Nerina J Caltabiano |
Conversations With My Mother is Letizia De Rosa's second published work. Although this is a slim volume of non-fictional prose, it is nevertheless both sophisticated and imaginative. The relaxed feel that De Rosa is able to achieve is the result of structuring the text as a series of conversations. After all, what could be more natural than mother and daughter having conversations about issues of life? These conversations allow the reader access to the mind and memory of a mother who has lived life well and wonderfully, and they demonstrate the enduring close relationship that a mother and daughter share regardless of whether their views have coalesced over time.
De Rosa situates the conversations in her parent's home, sometimes the lounge room, sometimes the balcony. This engagement in dialogue at first glance belies the depth and insights provided by the narrator's well-educated eighty-one year old migrant mother who chose to make Cairns her home post World War II. As a guide for the direction of these conversations De Rosa has selected nine topical areas: the essence of being a woman, intimacy, creation, ages and stages, the truth, survival, human interactions, love and joy. In order to add structure to these content areas De Rosa cleverly asks questions along the way which help to anchor and shape the work. The work is further shaped by the use of italicized passages which have a dual purpose. Firstly, they act as opportunities for De Rosa to make comment on the non-verbal part of the conversation. For the reader, this has the effect of providing a visual as well as an auditory context. Secondly, they provide a context, expansion or clarification of ideas. Along the way, the reader learns a little of Vincenza De Rosa's life story. It is not an easy life, but the fun-loving Vincenza, who is consistently colour-coordinated and immaculately dressed, has always managed to maintain a "bella figura" despite life's adversities.
Vincenza, one of three children, was born in Sicily. The war forced her family to move to northern Italy. Although she acquired a teaching diploma, the depression and unemployment forced her to become part of Italy's diaspora. Not unlike so many of her contemporaries, Vincenza and her siblings made the long voyage by ship to Australia. Having some relatives in Cairns may have eased the transition to life in Australia. Thus began Vincenza's life in Cairns as cook and business proprietor. Here the text is important for it adds a migrant's perspective to the historical account of the Cairns business district.
Although Vincenza has obviously assimilated well into her adopted culture, her strong sense of self and identity remain paramount as the reader is told that you need to "feel strong in yourself" (p. 8) and that "standards and traditions are important to life" (p. 7). She is very candid about intimacy and creation: "Intimacy, physical closeness…with a person is not always easy" (p. 11), and "We live and feel life through our senses and express it through our creativity." (p. 21). The "Ages and Stages" chapter provides a commentary of Vincenza's lifespan perspective: "In youth, we do not want to know about growing old….Life changes, nothing remains the same .…Keep what gives you passion and vision, and remain connected to people" (pp. 28-29). Next the reader learns about Vincenza's faith vision and her personal journey in discovering the "God of Love". In "Survival", "Human Interactions", "Love and Joy", the reader learns that all these things worth achieving require an active engagement from an individual - "…love and experiences…remain forever.…Our triumph is our ability to continue to love, our ability to live with joy and kindness, and …to live with tenacity. There lies our greatness" (p. 46).
Conversations With My Mother is both an enjoyable and subtle read that challenges one's philosophies of life. These reflections of a mother balanced with the responses of a daughter provide valuable insights into what ageing successfully entails despite the inevitability of life's adversities, while Vincenza's joy in embracing life provides a guide for living and hope for future generations. |
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LETIZIA C DE ROSA
Fiction/Non-fiction
BOOK CREATORS CIRCLE |
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