Good Morning Dear Readers! How are you faring this lovely Saturday morning? If you've got some lazy, leisurely weekends planned ahead then I might have the book for you ;) Mezza Italiana by Australian writer Zoe Boccabella is a biography of an Aussie-Italian girl who grew up in Brisbane and went on a voyage to her ancestral village in Italy. She talks about growing up in Australia and how she tried to fit into society even dying her dark hair blonde and her sense of feeling "half and Half" and there are recipes interspersed throughout the book which I loved because it sounded very similar to my experiences (and perhaps yours too!) and my upcoming book.
Here is a description of Mezza Italiana: "Growing up in Brisbane in the 1970s and 80s, Zoë Boccabella knew if you wanted to fit in, you did not bottle tomatoes, have plastic on the hallway carpet or a glory box of Italian linens. Though she tried to be like ?everyone else?, refusing to learn Italian... Zoë couldn?t shake the unsettling sense of feeling ?half-and-half? - half Australian, mezza italiana - unable to fit fully into either culture, or merge the two.
Years later, she travels to her family?s ancestral village of Fossa in Abruzzo and discovers a place that is the stuff of fairytales - medieval castles, mystics, dark forests, serpent charmers and witches. As Zoë stays in the house that has belonged to her family for centuries, the village casts its spell. She begins to realise the preciousness of her heritage and the stories, recipes and traditions of her extended Italian family become a treasured part of her life. Then the earthquake hits..."
Thanks to Harper Collins, five lucky winner will win a copy of Mezza Italiana! For a chance to win this pack *all you have to do is tell me which country you feel most at home in and why! *Simply add your answer as a comment to the story. The competition ends at midnight AEST 18th of June, 2011. You can enter this competition once daily and it is open to anyone within Australia.
*The winners are:
Ellen E-W of S.A.**
Matilda A. of NSW
Karen D-T. of NSW
**Marcella C. of Qld
Antoinetta F. of Vic.
Best of luck!
Lots of love,
Lorraine
xxx