The Little Wagons

The Little Wagons is The Traumatic Birth of Sicily's Cosa Nostra in short, the Sicilian Mafia. Little wagons or carusi, mean the children that were sold by their parents to work in the sulphur mines. They collect and carry the sulphur back to the surface. They are the human rock-transporters.

This book seemed like the longest book I have ever read. Probably, as long as A Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia-Marquez. It was lengthy yet very informative. It exhaustingly narrated how the what we now know as the infamous Italian mafia started -its very roots. It somehow made me understand the workings of the brotherhood as it was originally purported to be. Supposedly, it was created to promote equality and brotherhood. There is strength in brotherhood but alliances and loyalties could easily change. It is as volatile as burning sulphur. It could easily shift and turn just as fast as emptying a cup of beer. How to put equality in the picture, when you think about the mafia is a totally bizarre idea. This story will tell you what started as a very noble idea became twisted and equality was erased out of the equation. How the brotherhood catered and served only its elite members and how power was abused to its very core.

This was a difficult and bloody saga of Italian men born of poverty and despair, that in order to survive they had to do what is necessary. There was never a choice. The main character in this story, Tommaso di Bova, started as a carusi and advanced to become a pickman (picconieri) and then later became the head of the brotherhood (fratellanza). To become a pickman, he has to go through a baptism of fire and fight for his life. And before he became the rappresentante, he has to endure a lot of hardships, treachery, and tragedy.

This story is painful, horrifying and tragic. It reminded me of how easily people could betray and kill for the sake of one's purposes and motives. How revenge could easily be the reason for breathing. How some people could change allegiance to maintain their status quo or to advance their dreams. How arrogance, selfishness, and greed could be the ticket to more material wealth but could also be the cause of downfall.

This is a very well-written story. It could have been the account of the original founders of the fratellanza. It was written in a very convincing and authentic way. Crozier Green is a master story-teller. His words were not flowery or to flamboyant but they carry the weight of their meaning. There was no fear of misunderstanding them. I don't know how else to describe this book but I was taken in and resistance was futile. It took no prisoners.

I give the book 5/5 little wagons. This made me think of the current college and university fraternities in the Philippines. I think these fraternities could have taken its roots with the Italian idea of brotherhood. It hurts to think that to be included and embraced into this elite brotherhood, one has to go through a painful initiation. I think modern-day hazing could be traced back to the same idea of the Sicilians in this story. There have been a lot of deaths caused by hazing in fraternities. And like the vow of silence (omerta) fostered by the original fratellanza, some of those deaths have become casualties of this so-called brotherhood.


...but passion would always come off second best to vengeance.

- Crozier Green, The Little Wagons -


Thanks again, Netgalley and Top Hat for the ARC.

This an excellent story of the mafia in Sicily in the nineteenth century. Taking you from the sulfur mines, to prisons, and the life in the village and the men who control the jobs. There are celebrations, payoffs, back stabbing, knife fights, and prison breaks. There is also a love story but she does not want to marry the man her father picked for her so he sent him to prison. The daughter Gabriela is the cause for much turmoil, but the story really follows the life of young pick-man Tommaso. Through his life you follow his hardships, and defeats. Until a day that he is chosen to kill one of the hogs for the celebration in the village. Then after witnessing a knife fight he must not only defend his life but also Gabriela’s. Both of these happening on the same day you begin to see a change and that is also when his life turns, and the power of the Gabriela’s father has him sent to prison on a lie, not knowing this until after he is at the prison. A very good story and all of the questions you have at the beginning are answered at the end with a few surprises. The characters are well developed and overall this is a very good story with a lot of detail.

A very gripping read! I watched 'The Godfather' many year's ago and admit that i wasn't keen on the movie back then. I suppose my taste has changed over the year's, as i do enjoy reading fiction/non fiction involving the Mafia.

I can certainly recommend this powerful novel. It is the first time that I have read any novels by this author and basing on this book alone, I cannot wait to read more by Crozier Green.

I received this novel via Netgalley and this was my honest review.

Reviews can be seen on Goodreads and Amazon.