The girl who left: From Croatia to the canefields

by Debra Gavranich

Marija lives in a small village on the idyllic island of Korcula off the coast near Split in the country now known as Croatia. At 18 years of age she agrees to a proxy marriage to a 27-year-old sugarcane farmer in Far North Queensland who had left the village as a small child with his family in the 1920s. The couple do not know each other, having only exchanged photographs and a handful of letters, but this marriage is Marija's escape from a traumatised post-war Europe. Her childhood is scarred by constant fear, with death and brutality stalking the island after it is occupied, first by the Italian army and later by the Nazis. Marija's older sister joins the Partisan rebels as a codebreaker for General Tito, while Marija and her younger sister and father secretly help the Partisans hiding in the hills, with intelligence on the enemy. At one stage, her beloved father is taken by the Nazis, only to return at the end of the war grateful to be alive. Bitter ethnic battles accompany this war and many from her village are tortured and killed. A life in Australia with a husband she does not know is a risk worth taking. She travels by ship to Australia along with hundreds of other young men and women seeking escape from poverty and despair in the old world to the promise of adventure, love and a better life. Finding herself sharing a farmhouse with a hostile father-in-law far removed from neighbours, in the midst of cane fields in tropical Queensland, was only bearable as she fell in love with her devoted husband, created her own family and with it, a future for the next generations in the new country. At 62, Marija is diagnosed with cancer so returns one last time to Korcula to farewell her family. However, Yugoslavia is imploding, and she finds herself once again fleeing tanks in the midst of a war. Shortly after returning from her trip, she passes away, surrounded by her Australian family in the country she has come to feel is truly her home. This is the migrant story of Australia, of courageous individuals taking the biggest risk of their lives often with little or no English. Their determination and hard work enable them to live with their sacrifices and overcome the profound loneliness of homesickness. The result is the rich diversity of our modern multicultural nation.

Genres: Book Club

272 pages, Paperback

Published August 1, 2021

Reviews

[Michelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book recently and I absolutely loved it! It is a story about survival, courage and hope.

Young Marija grows up in Croatia during the WWII. To escape the war she agrees to a proxy marriage to marry a man she has never met and move to Far North Queensland.

This is the author's first book, and it is a compelling and emotional read.

[Amanda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a wonderful book to read, capturing her mother’s story beautifully. It had me in tears (both happy and sad) and giggling to myself in a coffee shop while I read it. Highly recommend. Thank you for sharing Maria’s story.

[Kylie Purdie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Growing up in a small village on the island of Korčula, Croatia, Marija endured the uncertainty and scarcity of World War II. After the war, times were still tough and when she is given the opportunity to marry by proxy and then travel to Australia to meet her new husband, she takes it.
What follows is a tale of an amazing woman who made the best of her opportunities and built a life of love and family in the cane fields of northern Australia.
Debra Gavranich has written a beautiful book about her mother's life - from the fear and brutality of war, right through to establishing herself in a new country and learning to love it and her new family. Marija's strength of character and eternal optimism is embedded in every page. The love of her family and their pride in her is evident and a joy to read about.
The Girl Who Left is a touching record of a woman who took every opportunity given to her and made it shine. A highly recommended read.

[Permanently 23 · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this as it taps into what it would have been like for my parents migrating to Australia from Croatia. I love a Croatian migration story. I’d heard Debra on an ABC podcast by chance and then bought the book, hoping to share it with my mum and dad too.
It’s a very easy read. I probably enjoyed the first half more, particularly the part on the boat to Australia. I’d love to be a fly on the wall at that time. It’s pretty amazing and brave to travel for so long, and so far with no language and no real sense of what a new life would be like.
I’m also fascinated to see whether people hold on to their culture. Books like this offer a good way to compare how my parents have held onto their heritage. I’m sure a key factor driving this is where you migrate to? Overall, 3.5 stars.

[Vicki · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 1/2 stars. Thanks for this bookclub pick Marica :)

[Edith Clark · Rating 5 out of 5]

What an interesting read. I heard the author speak on Conversations and knew I had to get this book. Maria is a young proxy bride who moves to the cane fields of FNQ from war torn Croatia. I cried I laughed as I read this biography written by her daughter. I also searched my atlas for the European places mentioned.

[Crystal Leonardi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved reading about the life of Marija. A truly relatable story for me, as a daughter of a strong Croatian Mother & family from Far North Queensland. I can appreciate the endless hours of research and interviews that Debra would have undertaken to create this story. Well done!

[Tanya Hunt · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don't usually read true story books, more of a fiction reader, but I met the author at a book signing in Townsville with a few other authors and I had bought their books so I had to go back into the store to buy hers so she could sign it. Now I am very glad I did it has turned out to be my favourite out of the books I bought that day (shh don't tell the others). What a courageous family tale to be able to share with the world and brings home again how awful war is and the terror and hardship it brings but the resilience of the people that do come out the other side. Makes me wish I was related to Maria. Thanks for sharing your mum's and the rest of the family's story.

[Frances Dall'Alba · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a delightful, easy to read story, full of strong family ties and love. It certainly opens one's eyes to what many immigrants did, to escape a war-torn Europe, and the risks they endured to make a better life on the other side of the world.
Proxy marriages were common but not all were successful. Here's to one woman who took the risk and how her courage, faith and determination built a successful marriage leaving a beautiful legacy of children and grandchildren after her death.
A highly recommended read.

[Kerry Pietrobon · Rating 5 out of 5]

"LOVED this book! With both my parents hailing from Croatia, I thoroughly enjoyed the story of a woman who left her homeland with an open heart to start a new life. The tales of strength, courage, and resilience resonated deeply with me. Despite my parents having very different stories of how hey came to Australia and being from the inland. I have visited the seaside and have friends with families from the coast, so found so much of this book relatable. A true delight!"

[Helen · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fascinating look at one girl’s courageous decision to leave Croatia and come to Australia as a proxy bride. It was a real eye-opener glimpsing her life during the war under Italian and the German occupation and very interesting seeing how she coped with leaving her family and starting a new life in Australia. These are the immigrants who helped build the Australia we know.

[Deborah Moore · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book!!! A true story that was a great read , and had many messages. It resonates with the authors love for her mother Maria and her choice for a future in Australia- with a husband she hadn’t met.
A happy love story that makes you appreciate our safe secure country and is full of love of family.
I highly recommend it!

[Barbara Topp · Rating 4 out of 5]

An very enjoyable & interesting read.

The main point that I take away from this book is the outstanding bravery of these proxy brides. To have left their country, not knowing when or if they may return or what their future held was courageous to say the least! This book gave an insight into a wonderful Australian family with Croatian roots.

[Anne Africa · Rating 5 out of 5]

The story of a courageous woman who leaves her home and family in Croatia for a husband she doesn’t know and a language she doesn’t speak. Against all odds she makes it work. Heart warming and heartbreaking. Debra Gavranich, her daughter, captures it all.

[Tanya Marie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Couldn’t put it down! Read it very easily in two sittings.

[Wendy Reinmuth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent

[Mira · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautifully written

[Dianne Wolfer]

I loved this inspirational story.

[Ash · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a fantastic read, so easy to get lost in the story and the writing. A phenomenal book

[Rachael Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

7/10

[Carolyn Holland · Rating 5 out of 5]

My book club recently read this book and every member loved it. Young Marija’s post war migration from Croatia to Cairns after a proxy marriage to a man she’d never met demonstrated a courage that many Australian migrants will understand. The chapters describing the events of WWII were gripping. A definite good read for a first time Australian author.

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

**1st re-read**

Call me biased, as my last name should give it all away, but this book is truly is a wonderful and easy read. It's been 3 years since I first read the life story about my Nanna, whom I sadly have no memory of.

Re-reading this book once again after losing my own mother due to cancer at the end of last year stirred up emotions difficult to express, but I'm grateful that my Aunty Debbie wrote this wonderful book about her own mother and her story.

I know for sure this book will continue to be a therapeutic and cathartic re-read for me every few years from here on out.

[Natacha Cohen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Poignant and fascinating

Both my parents lived through WW2, my mother in Normandy and my father in "Yougoslavia", but my father is Dalmatian.
I also had a Nanna, my Baka with her cooking, crocheting, and hugs. I've just sailed around Korčula.
This story is so very relatable.