Reviews

The Road Home by Rose Tremain

esther_a_'s review against another edition

4.0

Well told story and easy to follow along while listening.

Moments that are seen from Lev’s pov were quite insightful.

Interesting and I wanted to see how it went.

Some parts were so heartbreaking. 

theaurochs's review against another edition

3.0

A well-written and compelling novel, which does eventually seem a little too upbeat for a story about an immigrant seeking work. The vast majority of such stories would not end nearly as happily as this one does, and as such the whole story shifts slightly into fantasy. Despite this, a good read with some truly funny moments, as well as genuinely touching scenes.

susanbrooks's review against another edition

3.0

Well-crafted prose and characters. The story of an Eastern European immigrant seeking work in London. I was particularly touched by the humor and love between immigrant Lev and his friend Rudi.

mmouse1977's review against another edition

challenging sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.75

amb3rlina's review against another edition

4.0

I loved this book. I wasn't particularly looking forward to it and didn't really know what I was stepping in to. And even after finishing it I'm not sure exactly what drew me in so strongly. The story moves along wonderfully and the main character is so well drawn. He's realistic and sympathetic. A wonderful immigrant story, so hard at points but satisfying too.

d_ae's review against another edition

emotional medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Death and Sexual violence

gnomeo's review against another edition

5.0

This has been on my shelf for years, unread. A friend had recommended it but, mistakenly I had not read it. What a heartwarming book about overcoming adversity. Not all sweetness and light. But, it is the immigrant’s tale from the bottom, from arrival, survival and achieving dreams, not dreamt before arriving.

Not dissimilar to The Beekeeper of Aleppo, a lot of retrospective about loss and trying to find a path forward. Thinking of our world today from another’s perspective is always good and this beautifully written book by the award winning author, Rose Tremain, certainly does that.

readingspells's review against another edition

emotional informative sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

 I originally read this book in 2008 when it won the Women's Prize but as part of my challenge to read all the Women's Prize winners I decided to reread this.

Back in 2008 I rated it 5 stars but reading it now in 2023 I find myself uncomfortable with parts of the book and revising that down to a three star.

There are a lot immigrants portrayed in this book and many of them feel like caricatures particularly the illegal Chinese gay couple. I liked them a great deal, I found myself longing for their story but we are never shown anything more than their stereotypical surface. 

I don't know how I didn't see it before but Lev has a fairly strong misogynistic side. His violent temper erupts on two occasions, both with Sophie and his treatment of Lydia, which seems to be based in the fact he decides she us ugly, is awful. I really struggled to have sympathy for him at times.

However much of the story is powerful and thought provoking and it made me sad that not only have we not progressed from how we treat migrants in 2008 we have actually regressed as a society. An utterly shameful fact in my opinion. 

So this book? Definitely worth a read. Definitely one to inspire conversation but also I think to keep in mind that it is written by a privileged white women and so doesn't really give voice to real migrants experiences. 

fernweh85's review against another edition

5.0

I really enjoyed this book but here's what I find interesting. The whole time I wondered what country he was from, eventually deciding it was just a made-up one. However, a lot of the reviews on here say he's Polish. Well, since his bus journey took him through Austria and then Germany, he must have gone on a bit of a round-about route if he is! Same with Ukrainian, as has been suggested also.

I don't mind not finding out, but I find it really interesting how the other readers have interpreted it to assume that he is from one of these places.

chiaraxx's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful inspiring reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5