Paradiso and Pine o Cleen

Last night the hubby and I had the pleasure of attending a book launch at Avid Reader - Australia's best independent bookshop and one which we are delighted to support and have so close to us. The launch was Steve Capelin's book "Paradiso" and he was interviewed by the lovely Bianca Millroy. They discovered common Italian heritage which set them off into an editor and writer relationship. Paradiso is the result. We were treated to some beautiful Italian songs and accordion music to start and finish the session.The setting was the intimate bougainvillea- bound back yard of Avid Reader. A real sign of the times a bottle of Pine o Cleen to wipe down the mike every time it was passed to someone else.  

 Avid describes the book as follows: 

In 1880 three hundred Italian peasants abandon the fields of Veneto to follow a dream. They join an expedition to establish a utopian colony in the islands of the Pacific. Wealth, independence and liberty await them.

The venture is a disaster. The expedition leaders abandon them, the dream disintegrates. Struggling to survive in the jungles of New Guinea, the Italians are desperate to escape. Australia beckons but unseen events threaten to frustrate their quest for liberty.

The story is told through the eyes of two children in the context of the poverty of 1880s Italy, and the final days of the Great War in 1918. It is a tale of emigrant hope, betrayal and resilience, and Australia’s response to a group of 19th Century refugees.

Thanks to https://www.facebook.com/fiona.stager and everyone at https://avidreader.com.au/ for keeping reading books and live events available to us despite covid and the hoops they have to jump through to keep everyone safe.