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utahmomreads's review against another edition
5.0
This review originally posted on my blog : http://utahmomslife.blogspot.com/2011/05/22-britannia-road-book-review.html
Polish immigrant Janusz has established a home at 22 Britannia Road in Ipswich and he eagerly waits to be joined by his wife Sylvana and young son Aurek who have survived World War II by hiding in the forests of Poland. Thus begins the story in Amanda Hodgkinson's new novel 22 Britannia Road.
Janusz, Sylvana and Aurek are survivors. They are anxious to begin their lives again. But peacetime does not erase all the memories and theya all have scars and secrets that threaten to tear them apart when they've just reunited.
Aurek, who doesn't remember his father and has just spent the last six years alone with his mother, is jealous of his father as he takes his rightful place in his mother's bed. The jealousy and attempts at rebuilding a relationship, remind me of Frank O'Connor's short story by the appropriate title of "My Oedipus Complex".
22 Britannia Road is a powerful family drama full of betrayals, suffering yet ultimately forgiveness and redemption. Hodgkinson writes with wisdom and with a skill that makes her style completely disappear and the story and characters take over. Her characters are painfully human. As with other well written books about the fall-out from war, 22 Britannia Road is emotionally stirring and a compelling read.
I received a free copy of the book through the Amazon Vine program but this is my honest review and I received no additional compensation.
Polish immigrant Janusz has established a home at 22 Britannia Road in Ipswich and he eagerly waits to be joined by his wife Sylvana and young son Aurek who have survived World War II by hiding in the forests of Poland. Thus begins the story in Amanda Hodgkinson's new novel 22 Britannia Road.
Janusz, Sylvana and Aurek are survivors. They are anxious to begin their lives again. But peacetime does not erase all the memories and theya all have scars and secrets that threaten to tear them apart when they've just reunited.
Aurek, who doesn't remember his father and has just spent the last six years alone with his mother, is jealous of his father as he takes his rightful place in his mother's bed. The jealousy and attempts at rebuilding a relationship, remind me of Frank O'Connor's short story by the appropriate title of "My Oedipus Complex".
22 Britannia Road is a powerful family drama full of betrayals, suffering yet ultimately forgiveness and redemption. Hodgkinson writes with wisdom and with a skill that makes her style completely disappear and the story and characters take over. Her characters are painfully human. As with other well written books about the fall-out from war, 22 Britannia Road is emotionally stirring and a compelling read.
I received a free copy of the book through the Amazon Vine program but this is my honest review and I received no additional compensation.
book_concierge's review against another edition
4.0
Audiobook narrated by Robin Sachs
At the end of World War II, Silvana and her seven-year-old son Aurek board a ship that will take them to England, where her husband, Janusz, waits for them. As the war escalated, he had joined the Polish Army, leaving his wife and infant son behind. Then Warsaw was bombed and Silvana fled to the forest with Aurek. Now he has settled in England. He wants nothing more than for them to become a proper English family, with a normal life in the small house at 22 Britannia Road.
Hodgkinson’s debut novel is beautifully told. The war has affected all of them, and they each bear secrets that lead to misunderstandings and feelings of distrust. How these damaged people struggle to become a family once again forms the central theme of the book.
I was engaged and interested in the story from beginning to end. Hodgkinson divides her chapters by location/time and by character, telling parallel stories: Poland during the war, England after the war. I liked how she used this technique to slowly reveal to the reader what Silvana and Janusz endured during their years apart. The choices they made carry consequences they dare not share with one another. And yet, they must find the love they once shared and nurture it, for themselves as individuals, for their child, and for their family.
Aurek fascinated me. When he and Silvana arrive in England he is understandably clingy. Janusz knows they lived in the forest for a time, but he’s not prepared for a son who hoards food, and doesn’t know how to tie his shoes or even how to sleep in a bed. Silvana tells Aurek again and again that they are safe, that Janusz is his father and loves him. But Aurek learned to be suspicious of men during their time in the forest, and he thinks of Janusz as “the enemy.”
Robin Sachs does an excellent job narrating the audiobook. He has good pacing and clearly differentiated the characters. I was never confused about who was speaking or what time frame I was in.
At the end of World War II, Silvana and her seven-year-old son Aurek board a ship that will take them to England, where her husband, Janusz, waits for them. As the war escalated, he had joined the Polish Army, leaving his wife and infant son behind. Then Warsaw was bombed and Silvana fled to the forest with Aurek. Now he has settled in England. He wants nothing more than for them to become a proper English family, with a normal life in the small house at 22 Britannia Road.
Hodgkinson’s debut novel is beautifully told. The war has affected all of them, and they each bear secrets that lead to misunderstandings and feelings of distrust. How these damaged people struggle to become a family once again forms the central theme of the book.
I was engaged and interested in the story from beginning to end. Hodgkinson divides her chapters by location/time and by character, telling parallel stories: Poland during the war, England after the war. I liked how she used this technique to slowly reveal to the reader what Silvana and Janusz endured during their years apart. The choices they made carry consequences they dare not share with one another. And yet, they must find the love they once shared and nurture it, for themselves as individuals, for their child, and for their family.
Aurek fascinated me. When he and Silvana arrive in England he is understandably clingy. Janusz knows they lived in the forest for a time, but he’s not prepared for a son who hoards food, and doesn’t know how to tie his shoes or even how to sleep in a bed. Silvana tells Aurek again and again that they are safe, that Janusz is his father and loves him. But Aurek learned to be suspicious of men during their time in the forest, and he thinks of Janusz as “the enemy.”
Robin Sachs does an excellent job narrating the audiobook. He has good pacing and clearly differentiated the characters. I was never confused about who was speaking or what time frame I was in.
ansl's review against another edition
3.0
Het boek is wel redelijk goed geschreven, maar het 'geheim' van Sylvana is heel erg makkelijk te achterhalen. Vanaf het hoofdstuk (heel dicht in het begin) waarin wordt beschreven dat er een bom ontploft op de plaats waar Sylvana is, weet je eigenlijk wat uiteindelijk het geheim is. Het kwam dus niet als verrassing...
Nouja, ik had beter verwacht.
Uitgelezen juni 2013
Nouja, ik had beter verwacht.
Uitgelezen juni 2013
gingerliss's review against another edition
4.0
A very moving book about a Polish family trying to get their lives back together in England after the Second World War.
Although I didn't always agree with the characters actions, I did think the book was very realistic. I didn't see the plot twist coming and my mouth literally dropped open. The story pulled me in and I was hanging on to these lives to find out were they would lead and if the family's new life together would work. I loved Aurek and I liked both parents, even though I didn't always agree with their actions, they were both likeable characters.
...
Spoiler alert from here, don't read any further if you haven't read the book.
I do have to say I felt more for Silvana and understood her more than I did Januz. I don't know if that's something to do with female, but I really disliked the way Januz acted sometimes. I couldn't forgive him for his affair, especially as if Hélene had still been alive he would have probably gone back to her rather than reunite his family.
I also didn't like the way he reacted when he found out Aurek wasn't his real son. Obviously it would be a shock yes, but couldn't he see in the situation Silvana was at the time anyone would have done the same thing.
I didn't always agree with Silvana though either. I didn't like Tony, I can't really explain why, sometimes you just have a feeling about someone (yes even about a fictional character). I didn't understand why she went off with him instead of trying to fix things with Januz straight away.
I also didn't understand why she didn't explain things to the neighbours whilst instead she just let herself be verbally abused by Doris.
There's just one tiny plot issue I'm a little bit concerned with. When telling Silvana's story in Poland in the beginning, the reader is told the following: Silvana loses Aurek, she gave him to a lady to hold for a while and the lady had gone off with him. She finds him again, the lady is dead but he is alive in a blanket.
Later you find out this isn't true and Aurek is actually also dead and then she finds another baby in a cart.
What I don't understand is why tell us the first part. Or is the first part what she tells Januz? I was a bit confused here as I did think the twist was very clever and I was surprised, but really one of the reasons this worked is because the author basically lies to us when she first tells us that part of the story. Whilst she could have skipped that bit entirely and the reader would still be shocked.
All in all both a moving and a gripping read, especially thumbs up for a first novel. Pretty wow!
Although I didn't always agree with the characters actions, I did think the book was very realistic. I didn't see the plot twist coming and my mouth literally dropped open. The story pulled me in and I was hanging on to these lives to find out were they would lead and if the family's new life together would work. I loved Aurek and I liked both parents, even though I didn't always agree with their actions, they were both likeable characters.
...
Spoiler alert from here, don't read any further if you haven't read the book.
I do have to say I felt more for Silvana and understood her more than I did Januz. I don't know if that's something to do with female, but I really disliked the way Januz acted sometimes. I couldn't forgive him for his affair, especially as if Hélene had still been alive he would have probably gone back to her rather than reunite his family.
I also didn't like the way he reacted when he found out Aurek wasn't his real son. Obviously it would be a shock yes, but couldn't he see in the situation Silvana was at the time anyone would have done the same thing.
I didn't always agree with Silvana though either. I didn't like Tony, I can't really explain why, sometimes you just have a feeling about someone (yes even about a fictional character). I didn't understand why she went off with him instead of trying to fix things with Januz straight away.
I also didn't understand why she didn't explain things to the neighbours whilst instead she just let herself be verbally abused by Doris.
There's just one tiny plot issue I'm a little bit concerned with. When telling Silvana's story in Poland in the beginning, the reader is told the following: Silvana loses Aurek, she gave him to a lady to hold for a while and the lady had gone off with him. She finds him again, the lady is dead but he is alive in a blanket.
Later you find out this isn't true and Aurek is actually also dead and then she finds another baby in a cart.
What I don't understand is why tell us the first part. Or is the first part what she tells Januz? I was a bit confused here as I did think the twist was very clever and I was surprised, but really one of the reasons this worked is because the author basically lies to us when she first tells us that part of the story. Whilst she could have skipped that bit entirely and the reader would still be shocked.
All in all both a moving and a gripping read, especially thumbs up for a first novel. Pretty wow!
kingarooski's review against another edition
4.0
Janusz and Silvana are separated by war and spend six years apart. This book describes what happens to them and their son Arek when they are reunited. I liked the fact that the book is set partly in Ipswich, which is nearby for me, and that 22 Britannia Road is an actual address in that town. The feelings of alienation from each other rang true, as well. I have known many migrant families who were split for some years while one of the members settled in a country abroad. Sometimes it took many years for them to be reunited and they often struggled to be a family again. Distance and time had changed people and this was well documented by the author.
I had a couple of quibbles: Polish women tend to wear their wedding ring on their right hand, not left, so when Sylvana looks for a ring on her left hand, this rang false. Also, Aurek ad Silvana are not traditional Polish name (though Arek and Sylvia are). But these were minor issues in what is otherwise a great book.
I had a couple of quibbles: Polish women tend to wear their wedding ring on their right hand, not left, so when Sylvana looks for a ring on her left hand, this rang false. Also, Aurek ad Silvana are not traditional Polish name (though Arek and Sylvia are). But these were minor issues in what is otherwise a great book.
krobart's review against another edition
2.0
Although the subject matter of 22 Britannia Road should have been interesting, a major flaw of this novel by Amanda Hodgkinson is that I always feel removed from the actions and characters. This feeling of distance may be because we, the readers, are immediately thrust into their woes without first getting a chance to know them.
See my complete review here:
http://whatmeread.wordpress.com/tag/22-britannia-road/
See my complete review here:
http://whatmeread.wordpress.com/tag/22-britannia-road/
aggie2010's review against another edition
4.0
This was such a great book!!! The novel revolves around the separation of a husband and his wife and son during WWII. The narration switches back and forth between their experiences during the war and their life in England as they attempt to put their lives back together after the war. The secrets they carry and the past that haunts them is devastating. Can two people who loved each other before the war still love one another despite what happened and how they've changed? As the novel answered this question, I was heartbroken, shocked, and floored. I could not put the book down!! I highly recommend it!!!
ridgewaygirl's review against another edition
3.0
This book tells the story of the Nowaks, Silvana and Janusz, who were living in Warsaw with their baby, Aurek, when Poland was invaded. Janusz goes to join up with the Polish army and they end up separated for the duration of the war. Janusz eventually reaches England, after a long stay in a French farmhouse, while Silvana has a much more traumatic experience, ending up surviving in the forest. Janusz works hard to find his family and to build a new life in Ipswich, but both Janusz and Silvana hold secrets and sorrow and guilt, and are now different people from the young couple beginning married life in Warsaw so long ago.
This novel has interesting things to say about loss and survivor's guilt and how the joyous reunion is only the beginning of the story, rather than the end. There's a lot going on, between everyone's wartime experiences and their new life in Ipswich, so the characters remain opaque. Still, the story is hard to put down, even if the "big secret" is pretty clear, at least to the reader, from early on. Not a great book, but a good read that approaches a familiar theme from a slightly different angle.
This novel has interesting things to say about loss and survivor's guilt and how the joyous reunion is only the beginning of the story, rather than the end. There's a lot going on, between everyone's wartime experiences and their new life in Ipswich, so the characters remain opaque. Still, the story is hard to put down, even if the "big secret" is pretty clear, at least to the reader, from early on. Not a great book, but a good read that approaches a familiar theme from a slightly different angle.
susanbrooks's review against another edition
3.0
Engaging story of a young Polish couple separated during WWII - reunited, each with secrets.