Reviews - 22 Britannia Road

113 reviews for:

This book was oh so close to a five star read. But it just missed it for me.

The story is about a married Polish couple and their son. The couple is separated when the husband goes off to war. Both parties are tremendously impacted by the war, and when they finally reunite, all is not smooth sailing.

This book does several things extremely well.

First, the narrative structure is fantastic. The book is written from the perspective of the two main characters, and it alternates between time periods. So you see the war time from the husband's point of view and then separately from the wife's POV. Then, you move into the present and look into their current family life. This structure just propels you through the book like a rocket. It definitely has that "I can't put this down!" quality . . .

Second, the book definitely has some revealing moments that I think are cleverly done and believable. You sense there's something there the whole time you are reading . . .and when these moments are revealed you aren't shocked. But they do make the book feel as though it has more impact than a simple narrative of husband and wife.

The characters are all very well drawn, both likable and flawed at the same time.

The writing is totally engaging.

What I didn't like is that there is one major relationship in the book that I found to be somewhat unbelievable, and unfortunately, this relationship is a cornerstone to the plot. I want to say more about it, but I am afraid I could spoil the book. It is interesting because in the end, the author does something that makes it much more credible, BUT that is after you have almost finished the book and have been skeptical the entire time. The rationale for this relationship is revealed so late in the game and so without warning that it just becomes harder to swallow at that point. Oddly, the author is so so careful with all the other plot points - - giving the reader enough fodder throughout the book to make it believable. But she neglects to do the same with this particular relationship when it would have been pretty easy to set it up a little differently.

At any rate, it truly is one flaw in an otherwise very outstanding piece of writing. I'm probably being a bit of a grinch not to bestow that fifth star

nlkdonahue's review against another edition

4.0

A little predictable at the end but still a good read.

ljjohnson8's review

2.0

This is the story of a Polish husband, wife and son who are separated for six years during WWII - under horrific conditions for the wife and son - and are reunited and rebuilding a life together in England. Hodgkinson is a competent writer, but not particularly insightful. The only portions that were elevated to something unique and special were the sections (way too few) told from the point of view of Aurek, the somewhat inhuman, creature-like son. The story pretty much kept my attention while reading, but it will all be forgotten by the end of the week. I think those couple of hundred people who have this on reserve at the library are going to be disappointed.

charlie_rosannah_reads's review against another edition

4.0

dark emotional sad slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

atippmann's review against another edition

4.0

I thought this plot was really intriguing and I wasn't sure how it was going to end. A complex story and so interesting to me to think of all the poor people involved in horrific parts of war who eventually have to return to normal life, living with all those memories.
A good read!

palliem's review

4.0

This book was a little slow to get into, but once I did, I flew through it. Ultimately, I found Janusz's story of the war less compelling than Silvanna's and Aurek's, but the story of their life together in Ipswich kept me involved enough to fall in love with all the characters.

nikkitewes's review against another edition

4.0

This novel starts with the reunion of the Nowak family after the end of World War II. They are originally from Poland, but were separated by the war. Janusz joined the allied forces fight against the Germans. Silvana, his wife, and Aurek, their infant son, stayed in Warsaw. Janusz was able to get to Great Britain and decided to start a new life for his family. Silvana and Aurek were able to survive the war by living and hiding in the forest.

While Janusz and Silvana want to forget the war, memories of the past haunt them. They are both keeping secrets that could ruin their relationship and the new life that they are struggling to maintain. Janusz is so set on becoming a British gentleman. He is so determined for he, Silvana, and Aurek to fit in that he does every thing he can to escape his past. It isn't that easy for Silvana and Aurek, who struggle adapting back into society, let alone living in a new country.

Read more at http://naptimebookworm.blogspot.com/2013/11/22-britannia-road.html