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A review by imbookingit
22 Britannia Road by Amanda Hodgkinson
4.0
I found this book well written, absorbing, and more than a little grim.
It very effectively portrayed a world turned upside down, and proceeded to turn it inside out as well.
On the surface, it seems time for the happily-ever-after. The war is over, and Silvana is leaving her destroyed land of Poland to join her husband in England. He has a good job, and their son can go to school, get a good education, and grow up in a stable, happy world.
Life is never that easy, and the past is part of the present and the future. Silvana and Aurek have a more difficult time adjusting than Janusz can understand.
The strength of this book is in the setting, and the contrast of the flashbacks to wartime Poland and France, and the scenes of life in Post-war England. The characters (major and minor) serve to build and reinforce these portraits.
This isn't to say that the characters aren't compelling on their own. Silvana in particular has true depth and interest as she meets challenge after challenge, never knowing if she will be able to handle the next one. She keeps going, as her fierce protection of Aurek leads her to stretch beyond what she can imagine. The hardest time may be when his need for her is no longer as strong.
It very effectively portrayed a world turned upside down, and proceeded to turn it inside out as well.
On the surface, it seems time for the happily-ever-after. The war is over, and Silvana is leaving her destroyed land of Poland to join her husband in England. He has a good job, and their son can go to school, get a good education, and grow up in a stable, happy world.
Life is never that easy, and the past is part of the present and the future. Silvana and Aurek have a more difficult time adjusting than Janusz can understand.
The strength of this book is in the setting, and the contrast of the flashbacks to wartime Poland and France, and the scenes of life in Post-war England. The characters (major and minor) serve to build and reinforce these portraits.
This isn't to say that the characters aren't compelling on their own. Silvana in particular has true depth and interest as she meets challenge after challenge, never knowing if she will be able to handle the next one. She keeps going, as her fierce protection of Aurek leads her to stretch beyond what she can imagine. The hardest time may be when his need for her is no longer as strong.