A tour de force that echoes modern classics like Suite Francaise and The Postmistress. **
"Housekeeper or housewife?" the soldier asks Silvana as she and eight- year-old Aurek board the ship that will take them from Poland to England at the end of World War II. There her husband, Janusz, is already waiting for them at the little house at 22 Britannia Road. But the war has changed them all so utterly that they'll barely recognize one another when they are reunited. "Survivor," she answers.
Silvana and Aurek spent the war hiding in the forests of Poland. Wild, almost feral Aurek doesn't know how to tie his own shoes or sleep in a bed. Janusz is an Englishman now-determined to forget Poland, forget his own ghosts from the way, and begin a new life as a proper English family. But for Silvana, who cannot escape the painful memory of a shattering wartime act, forgetting is not a possibility.
One of the most searing debuts to come along in years, 22 Britannia Road
*
*
**
Frequently Bought Together
Customers buy this book with The Tiger's Wife: A Novel by Téa Obreht Paperback $9.00
| + |
---|---|---
Price For Both:$22.98
Show availability and shipping details
This item: 22 Britannia Road: A Novel by Amanda Hodgkinson Hardcover
In Stock.
Ships from and sold by Amazon.com.
Eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over $25. Details
The Tiger's Wife: A Novel by Téa Obreht Paperback
In Stock.
Ships from and sold by Amazon.com.
Eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over $25. Details
Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com Review
Amazon Best Books of the Month, April 2011 : By the end of World War II, Silvana is a ghost of the wife Janusz once had. She and their 7-year-old son Aurek travel from Poland to England to reunite their family--a family that has been separated for 6 years. That's where 22 Britannia Road , Amanda Hodgkinson's stunning debut novel, begins. As the past unfolds from multiple points of view, it becomes clear that despite their determination to make a fresh start, the hidden secrets of the past threaten to destroy Silvana and Janusz's dreams of becoming a family once again. The irreversible events that passed during their years of separation still linger, including the horrors of war, Janusz's betrayal by a love affair with another woman, and the devastating secret that Silvana will do anything to conceal. Hodgkinson's poetic voice is impossible to forget, and the shocking and hopeful ending of her remarkable historical novel will leave readers reeling--and satisfied. --Miriam Landis
Author Q &A with Amanda Hodgkinson
Q: What drew you to this particular story of Polish World War II survivors living in England?
A: As a child, I was always fascinated when the adults around me talked about World War II. These were older family members who had lived through it and I would try to stay quiet so I could listen without being discovered. Their voices changed to lower registers, there were weighted silences in the conversations, sad looks, secretive whispering and then somebody would notice me and send me out to play, their voice swinging up a register to convey a gaiety they probably didn’t feel. I would go to bed at night, sick at heart thinking about these stories, and wonder how the world ever managed to get back to the normal after that war.
Looking back, I think I never stopped wondering. Years later, I was standing in my kitchen and heard a Russian woman on the radio, describing her experiences of being a child during the war. “We were so hungry,” she said, “we ate the bark of the silver birch trees.” An image came to me, so clear and strong, it was more like a memory than an act of my imagination. I wrote down what I saw; a young woman in a silver birch forest. I had begun to write my novel.
Q: From Silvana’s exile in the forest to the petrol rations in post-war Ipswich, you paint a vivid picture of the novel’s historical settings and events. What sort of research did you do to get the details right?
A: I balanced my own imaginative input with research. I read social history books on the war and the postwar period, including a lot of oral histories on Polish immigrant experiences. I also read wonderful Polish poets like Zbigniew Herbert and Tadeusz Rózewicz, among others. I studied Polish fairytales and classic Polish literature from the nineteenth and early twentieth century. I discovered tango music had been very popular in Poland during the thirties, so I listened to some fabulous clips on YouTube and imagined myself there, in the 1930s, dancing at a club in Warsaw, just like Hanka, one of the characters in the book tells Silvana about. I immersed myself in books, music and literature and then I put aside all research and let my imagination go to work. Whenever I was unsure about a scene, I turned to my own thoughts and feelings, relying on my ability to imagine a moment and on my empathy for the characters, rather than history books, and I think this approach helped me really understand my characters and the time.
Q: What does the title, the address of the home Janusz chooses for his reunited family, represent to you symbolically? Why that particular address?
A: I wanted a very ordinary address. A typical English home. You can find a Britannia Road in most English towns and there is no mistaking the pronounced sense of place in this address. Janusz wants what the address offers. A new life and a new country. Ironically, this address, with its connotations of national identity and pride, also serves to highlight the sense of displacement Janusz, Silvana and Aurek, as an immigrant family, must have felt in a small town in Britain. Another reason I used an address was to show how important home was to the characters. For me, the novel is about finding a home, physically, psychologically and metaphorically. Home is a small word that holds within itself complex meanings. Change one letter and you have the word hope. And Janusz, Silvana and Aurek hope to make a home together.
Q: A powerful theme in this book is the pain of survival—even Janusz, who had a relatively easy escape from Poland, suffers from having outlived Hélène and other loved ones. What personal discoveries did you make about this theme while writing the book?
A: Writing the book and researching it made me very aware of how people are still suffering under wars. The mass movement of displaced people around the world continues and the number of children who are orphaned and families disrupted and broken by war does not diminish.
Q: You do an exceptional job capturing the psyche of young Aurek, who has clearly been traumatized by his experiences. Did you draw from case studies of children with similar experiences, or did you find your way to this character instinctually?
A: I wrote Aurek very instinctively. I felt I knew the boy from the moment I first wrote a small, tentative description of him, crouching in the back garden at 22 Britannia Road. I read Through The Eyes of the Innocents: Children Witness World War II by Emmy E Werner, which conveys the heartbreaking experiences of children, and that fed my own understanding of what Aurek might have been through but really, when I was writing Aurek, I found I could connect with him best on an emotional level. So I wrote what he felt. I tried to go beyond language with him and bring out his primitive sense of survival, his desire to feel loved and his need to love others.
From Publishers Weekly
In her powerful debut, Hodgkinson takes on the tale of a family desperately trying to put itself back together after WWII. Silvana and Janusz have only been married a few months when the war forces them apart. Silvana and their infant son, Aurek, leave Poland and disappear into the forests of Eastern Europe, where they bear witness to German atrocities. Meanwhile Janusz, the sole survivor of his slaughtered military unit, flees to France. There, he takes up with a local girl and, though he loves her, awaits the war's end so that he can go in search of his wife and son. He eventually finds them in a refugee camp and they travel to England together, where they attempt to put the past behind them. But the secrets they carry pull at the threads of their fragile peace. Hodgkinson alternates viewpoints to relay the story of three desperate characters, skillfully toggling between the war and its aftermath with wonderfully descriptive prose that pulls the reader into a sweeping tale of survival and redemption. (May)
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
Product Details
Hardcover: 336 pages
Publisher: Pamela Dorman Books; First Edition, First Printing edition (April 28, 2011)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0670022632
ISBN-13: 978-0670022632
Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6.1 x 1.4 inches
Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (86 customer reviews)
|
86 Reviews
| 5 star: |
| (31)
---|---|---
4 star: |
| (35)
3 star: |
| (13)
2 star: |
| (5)
1 star: |
| (2)
› See all 86 customer reviews...
Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #32,139 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
More About the Author
› Visit Amazon's Amanda Hodgkinson Page
Amanda Hodgkinson was born in Burnham-on-Sea, England, and earned an MA in creative writing from the University of East Anglia. She now lives with her husband and two daughters in a farmhouse in the southwest of France. 22 Britannia Road is her first novel.
Customer Reviews
|
86 Reviews
| 5 star: |
| (31)
---|---|---
4 star: |
| (35)
3 star: |
| (13)
2 star: |
| (5)
1 star: |
| (2)
|
|
|
Average Customer Review
4.0 out of 5 stars (86 customer reviews)
|
Share your thoughts with other customers:
Create your own review
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
222 of 234 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Historical fiction at its best! , April 28, 2011
By
Philly gal "phillygal" (PHILA, PA USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)
This review is from: 22 Britannia Road: A Novel (Hardcover)
This is the story of a Polish couple, Silvana and Janusz and their son Aurek. They met and married in 1937. As both the Russians and the Germans invaded Poland in 1940 the couple is separated. He joins the military and after a long journey, typical of Poles who chose to fight on after the defeat of their country, ends up in the RAF in England. She initially raped by a German soldier, flees with their son to a live in the forests of Poland. The story opens in 1946 as the couple is reunited after their six year separation. Building on the memories of a deeply loving relationship before the war the couple tries to reestablish their family life. Each has secrets that they do not share with thevother. These secrets, the crux of the story, are slowly revealed in two separate threads. No more spoilers from me on the story!
This book is vividly written and has complexity to the plot that continues to draw you in right up until the last chapter. The long lasting effects of war on people are brilliantly portrayed in the story. In post war Britain, the couple has every advantage- an intact family, a house, a car, a good job - but the lingering effects of what happened to them during the war destroy their chances to go forward. The son has been deeply influenced by his time in the forests avoiding both Germans and Russians and living off the land. In one scene his father shows him how to collect and save birds eggs and the boy can only think of how he wants to eat the eggs contents as he did so often in the forests. He has a particularly difficult time socializing and entering into normal relationships. It was heartbreaking and at times almost too sad to bear. In the end though this story is a triumph of the human spirit over adversity.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Report abuse | Permalink
Comment Comments (2)
77 of 86 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars "She is made of the thinnest eggshell, her toughness a veneer. . ." (2.5 stars) , May 13, 2011
By
NC Reader (Greensboro, NC United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)
This review is from: 22 Britannia Road: A Novel (Hardcover)
Customer review from the Amazon Vine™ Program (What's this?)
That is how Janusz describes his wife Silvana as he embraces her in a scene about two-thirds through this book, and it seems to be the first insightful thing he thinks about her. I chose this book from the Vine program because it sounded like a wonderful, moving premise for a novel, but I was disappointed. I expected it to be sad, but I also expected to feel for and empathize with characters who had been through so much. I found I just couldn't care about Janusz and Silvana; when they first meet as teenagers, they are just a couple of horny kids, feeling an instant physical attraction and apparently not much else. Silvana comes from a miserable, dysfunctional peasant family and seems motivated only by the desire to escape; Janusz seems to ask her to marry him out of duty, suggesting perhaps he's gotten her pregnant. Either way, I didn't feel like I knew the characters - what were their likes, dislikes, dreams, motivations? They seemed very young and unformed, understandably so, but the love they shared did not feel strong enough to last through six years of war.
I agree with another reviewer here who noted that Janusz' time spent wandering around Europe before finally getting to England seems far-fetched. Janusz seems quite amenable to staying put wherever he lands and sitting out the war - first the goose woman's cottage, then Helene's parents' farm - he seems quite weak and easily lead and just goes along. Granted, his life has been totally turned upside down, but I don't get the impression he's burning to fight for his country, or to see his wife and child again, or to do much of anything, except have an affair with Helene.
Silvana has a much rougher time (women in war often do), but she seems very shallow and unformed as well, basically a hollow shell doing whatever she's told by Hanka, then Gregor, then Janusz, then Tony . . . She and her son Aurek endure a much harsher deprivation in the forests of Poland, but something about that also didn't ring true for me. It went on way too long and became boring, and it seemed uneven - they stay for months with one farmer, then the Germans are coming and they must move on; then they wander a day and Gregor finds them and brings them into his dubious fold; next time they're abandoned they wander for days and days and see no sign of life - but then a farmer finds them near death. A while later, Gregor comes back into the picture and I thought, how come they didn't find Gregor or this farmer while they were wandering lost in apparently the same vicinity? Are these the densest, deepest, most desolate woods ever or the forest from "Midsummer Night's Dream", with characters constantly wandering on and off stage? It just seemed inconsistent. First Silvana is tough and independent, hunting and skinning animals with Gregor, and he tells her she'd be perfect for the Resistance - but when she and Aurek are alone again, they're eating whatever they find but almost starving. She forgot how to trap and hunt? Again, it seemed inconsistent.
I felt like I never got to know Janusz or Silvana, and I don't think they knew each other. They were so secretive with each other; I couldn't help thinking real lovers/partners would eventually share and talk about what they'd endured, seen, learned about themselves; not all at once, of course, but in dribs and drabs. Janusz and Silvana lived in the same house but seemed to rarely speak with or to each other; there seems to be no REAL talking until the last five pages. I frankly didn't care by that point; it just reinforced for me the feeling that here were two people who didn't have much in common to begin with - I couldn't help feeling sorry for Janusz for missing out on his chance with Helene! Finally, the plot twist at the end of the book with Tony (no spoilers, I promise), really seemed out of left field and I agree with another reviewer here, at that point the story seemed to descend into melodrama. If I didn't have to write a review of this book for the Vine program, I probably wouldn't have finished it.
I know some readers will find this a satisfying story of survival and "primal maternal love" as the back cover says, and I did find several of the scenes between Silvana and Aurek, and between Janusz and Aurek touching and almost painful; they wanted so much to be a family again. I also feel the author provided a somewhat interesting, if dreary, story of life in post-war Britain; but the love story between Silvana and Janusz just didn't work for me, or it was a case of too little, too late. I pitied the main characters but just couldn't like or care much about them, so I didn't like the book as much as I might have and rated it accordingly.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Report abuse | Permalink
Comment Comment
44 of 52 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars Family Reunion , May 1, 2011
By
Roger Brunyate "reader/writer/musician" (Baltimore, MD) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE) (TOP 500 REVIEWER) (REAL NAME)
This review is from: 22 Britannia Road: A Novel (Hardcover)
The place is Ipswich, in the East of England. Janusz Novak, who has escaped from Poland at the beginning of the Second World War and served as an engineer with the Royal Air Force, has taken a house with a small garden at 22 Britannia Road. By some miracle, his wife Silvana has also survived and is coming to join him, together with their son Aurek, whom Janusz has not seen since he was a baby. It seems a happily-ever-after ending, the family reunited. Only this is not the ending, but a new beginning, and not an easy one.
There are at least three layers to the story here, and I am not sure that they benefit by being laid on top of one another. One is the simple immigrant story that has been told many times, with different specifics (Andrea Levy's SMALL ISLAND being one magnificent example): what is it like to make a new life in a strange country, especially one beset by rationing, austerity measures, and labor unrest? Amanda Hodgkinson handles this effectively and without fuss. I could imagine Silvana's difficulties with the neighbors and the shops, Aurek's problems at school, and Janusz' determination to make a proper English home. I could imagine them, but not truly feel them in my gut; Hodgkinson's descriptions seem accurate rather than achingly personal.
The second layer was the one that moved me most: how people come back together after a separation. Janusz and Silvana were only just married when Aurek was born, and had hardly been tested as a couple. They are separated at the start of the war under circumstances where neither even knows that the other is alive. Now, six years later, they come together almost as strangers. They have each been changed by time, in some ways that they will only discover by putting them to the test. There is gratitude there and the memory of affection, but the main thing that connects them is their child. Yet Aurek sees his father as "the enemy" and resents him as a threat. The slow process through which Janusz gradually comes to win the boy's confidence is truly heartwarming. It would almost be worth reading the book if it dealt with nothing more than the repair of a broken family.
But there is more: the third layer. Both Janusz and Silvana have led difficult lives in the war, leaving them with secrets they do not want to share, traumatic suffering and dangerous moments of disturbing joy. We get a hint of this very early on, when it becomes clear that Silvana has not been the only woman in Janusz' life, but for the most part these things are revealed gradually in flashback chapters that alternate with those in the present day. Again, I found myself accepting without being fully involved. No single event is unbelievable, but the total begins to seem both melodramatic and a little too easy, as though one thing follows another merely because the author wanted it to. I don't believe that all this was necessary to make an effective novel, though the author takes the accepting reader on a journey with several surprising twists that many will find quite satisfying. In short, a strong romance -- but there are tantalizing hints that it could have been much more. [3.5 stars]
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Report abuse | Permalink
Comment Comments (14)
Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
*›* See all 86 customer reviews...
|
|
Most Recent Customer Reviews
2.0 out of 5 stars 22 Britannia Road
As a child of Polish parents who were reunited in England after the war, I was thrilled to discover this book and began reading with great anticipation. Read more
Published 10 days ago by jhwriter
5.0 out of 5 stars Superb First Novel
I enjoy historical fiction and this story was a great read. It was compelling and I was drawn right in to the story. Read more
Published 1 month ago by E. Grant
3.0 out of 5 stars A satisfying read
This is a well-written story about people damaged by horrific wartime experiences trying to move forward with an "ordinary" life. Read more
Published 1 month ago by C. Callahan
4.0 out of 5 stars Enjoyable Quick Read
If you are looking for a quick read with an interesting story around Europe in WWII, then this is a good book for you. It starts out in the pre-occupation of Warsaw in WWII. Read more
Published 2 months ago by Tara Peterson
5.0 out of 5 stars Historical Twist
I enjoyed the story line of the book 22 Britania Road as it gave a different perspective to the dealings of WWII and the after effects that many had to endure in England as well... Read more
Published 2 months ago by Library Lady
3.0 out of 5 stars Great Story, Bad Characters
I really wanted to love this book, but in the end I thought it was just "okay." The characters were just so unbearably unlikable that it was hard to get through the story... Read more
Published 2 months ago by D. Scott
4.0 out of 5 stars Food for thought
Some books make you think of all the lives that are changed during war. I hadn't thought about the families separated and then reunited but now nearly strangers. Read more
Published 2 months ago by creeker
3.0 out of 5 stars Just okay
I was excited to read this book after the many accolades and great reviews, but it left me with an uncomfortable dissatisfaction. Read more
Published 2 months ago by Teliza
4.0 out of 5 stars The ties that bind!
As you start the book, you know that this will be a heart-rending, sad read. It is then comforting that the author tells it so well, and writes movingly and with so much dignity... Read more
Published 2 months ago by fiction_fridaynirvana_com
4.0 out of 5 stars 22 Britannia Road
A very enjoyable and different read. This is for anyone wishing to get away from the mysteries and romances. Enjoy reading authorship outside those of American authors.
Published 3 months ago by JP
| Search Customer Reviews
|
Only search this product's reviews
*›* See all 86 customer reviews...
Tags Customers Associate with This Product
(What's this?)
Click on a tag to find related items, discussions, and people.
Check the boxes next to the tags you consider relevant or enter your own tags in the field below.
|
**world war ii (2)
**bible (1)
**chicana (1)
|
**christianity (1)
**debra burroughs (1)
**library (1)
|
**tt (1)
Agree with these tags?
See all 8 tags...
---|---|---
Your tags: Add your first tag
|
Search Products Tagged with
See most popular tags
Like 1325524533 false 0 672 672 671 (672)
Customer Discussions
This product's forum
| Discussion | Replies | Latest Post
---|---|---
No discussions yet
Ask questions, Share opinions, Gain insight
Start a new discussion
Topic: |
---|---
First post:
Receive e-mail when new posts are made
Prompts for sign-in
Guidelines
Active discussions in related forums
Discussion | Replies | Latest Post
---|---|---
Literary Fiction forum
My New Blog, Your New Book | 76 | 28 minutes ago
Literary Fiction forum
What is literary fiction? | 266 | 6 hours ago
Literary Fiction forum
What makes a particular author easy for you to read? | 5 | 1 day ago
Literary Fiction forum
Has a book ever changed your life | 133 | 2 days ago
Literary Fiction forum
"The Da Vinci Code" - what's your vote, literary fiction or not? | 131 | 3 days ago
Literary Fiction forum
Visionary/Metaphysical fiction? | 18 | 3 days ago
Literary Fiction forum
Does anyone in the Literary Fiction Community actually buy anything? | 71 | 3 days ago
Literary Fiction forum
Three or more living authors you view as great | 338 | 3 days ago
Search Customer Discussions
Search all Amazon discussions
|
Related forums
Literary Fiction forum (181 discussions)
Listmania!
| | | Infinite Mind Power: A list by Roland Hodges
---|---|---
| | Books to Read in 2011: A list by Clementine Dare "Clementine"
---|---|---
| | How to Create Your Own "Tipping Points" in Business and in Life: A list by S. Jenna
---|---|---
Create a Listmania! list
| Search Listmania!
|
So You'd Like to...
| | | Surgery For Back Pain? Think again...: A guide by a Researcher
---|---|---
| | ** MORE TO KICK BACK WITH **: A guide by "GABBY" "Hana Gabrielle Packard"
---|---|---
| | Recommend Educational Novels for Pre-Teens: A guide by Penelope
---|---|---
Create a guide
| Search Guides
|
Look for Similar Items by Category
Books > Literature & Fiction > Literary
Look for Similar Items by Subject
Search Books by subject:
England
Husband and wife
Parent and child
Polish people
Fiction - General
Fiction
Fiction / Literary
Literary
i.e., each book must be in subject 1 AND subject 2 AND ...
| |
Get to Know Us
Careers
Investor Relations
Press Releases
Amazon and Our Planet
Amazon in the Community
| |
Make Money with Us
Sell on Amazon
Become an Affiliate
Advertise Your Products
Independently Publish with Us
› See all
| |
Let Us Help You
Shipping Rates & Policies
Amazon Prime
Returns Are Easy
Manage Your Kindle
Help
|
---|---|---|---|---|---|---
Canada China France Germany Italy Japan Spain United Kingdom
| | AbeBooks
Rare Books
& Textbooks | | AmazonLocal
Great Local Deals
in Your City | | AmazonWireless
Cellphones &
Wireless Plans | | Askville
Community
Answers | | Audible
Download
Audio Books | | Diapers.com
Everything
But The Baby | | DPReview
Digital
Photography | | Endless
Shoes
& More | | Fabric
Sewing, Quilting
& Knitting |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---
| IMDb
Movies, TV
& Celebrities | | MYHABIT
Private Fashion
Designer Sales | | Shopbop
Designer
Fashion Brands | | Small Parts
Industrial
Supplies | | Soap.com
Health, Beauty &
Home Essentials | | Warehouse Deals
Open-Box
Discounts | | Woot
Never Gonna
Give You Up | | Zappos
Shoes &
Clothing | | |
Amazon Best Books of the Month, April 2011 : By the end of World War II, Silvana is a ghost of the wife Janusz once had. She and their 7-year-old son Aurek travel from Poland to England to reunite their family--a family that has been separated for 6 years. That's where 22 Britannia Road , Amanda Hodgkinson's stunning debut novel, begins. As the past unfolds from multiple points of view, it becomes clear that despite their determination to make a fresh start, the hidden secrets of the past threaten to destroy Silvana and Janusz's dreams of becoming a family once again. The irreversible events that passed during their years of separation still linger, including the horrors of war, Janusz's betrayal by a love affair with another woman, and the devastating secret that Silvana will do anything to conceal. Hodgkinson's poetic voice is impossible to forget, and the shocking and hopeful ending of her remarkable historical novel will leave readers reeling--and satisfied. --Miriam Landis
Author Q &A with Amanda Hodgkinson
Q: What drew you to this particular story of Polish World War II survivors living in England?
A: As a child, I was always fascinated when the adults around me talked about World War II. These were older family members who had lived through it and I would try to stay quiet so I could listen without being discovered. Their voices changed to lower registers, there were weighted silences in the conversations, sad looks, secretive whispering and then somebody would notice me and send me out to play, their voice swinging up a register to convey a gaiety they probably didn’t feel. I would go to bed at night, sick at heart thinking about these stories, and wonder how the world ever managed to get back to the normal after that war.
Looking back, I think I never stopped wondering. Years later, I was standing in my kitchen and heard a Russian woman on the radio, describing her experiences of being a child during the war. “We were so hungry,” she said, “we ate the bark of the silver birch trees.” An image came to me, so clear and strong, it was more like a memory than an act of my imagination. I wrote down what I saw; a young woman in a silver birch forest. I had begun to write my novel.
Q: From Silvana’s exile in the forest to the petrol rations in post-war Ipswich, you paint a vivid picture of the novel’s historical settings and events. What sort of research did you do to get the details right?
A: I balanced my own imaginative input with research. I read social history books on the war and the postwar period, including a lot of oral histories on Polish immigrant experiences. I also read wonderful Polish poets like Zbigniew Herbert and Tadeusz Rózewicz, among others. I studied Polish fairytales and classic Polish literature from the nineteenth and early twentieth century. I discovered tango music had been very popular in Poland during the thirties, so I listened to some fabulous clips on YouTube and imagined myself there, in the 1930s, dancing at a club in Warsaw, just like Hanka, one of the characters in the book tells Silvana about. I immersed myself in books, music and literature and then I put aside all research and let my imagination go to work. Whenever I was unsure about a scene, I turned to my own thoughts and feelings, relying on my ability to imagine a moment and on my empathy for the characters, rather than history books, and I think this approach helped me really understand my characters and the time.
Q: What does the title, the address of the home Janusz chooses for his reunited family, represent to you symbolically? Why that particular address?
A: I wanted a very ordinary address. A typical English home. You can find a Britannia Road in most English towns and there is no mistaking the pronounced sense of place in this address. Janusz wants what the address offers. A new life and a new country. Ironically, this address, with its connotations of national identity and pride, also serves to highlight the sense of displacement Janusz, Silvana and Aurek, as an immigrant family, must have felt in a small town in Britain. Another reason I used an address was to show how important home was to the characters. For me, the novel is about finding a home, physically, psychologically and metaphorically. Home is a small word that holds within itself complex meanings. Change one letter and you have the word hope. And Janusz, Silvana and Aurek hope to make a home together.
Q: A powerful theme in this book is the pain of survival—even Janusz, who had a relatively easy escape from Poland, suffers from having outlived Hélène and other loved ones. What personal discoveries did you make about this theme while writing the book?
A: Writing the book and researching it made me very aware of how people are still suffering under wars. The mass movement of displaced people around the world continues and the number of children who are orphaned and families disrupted and broken by war does not diminish.
Q: You do an exceptional job capturing the psyche of young Aurek, who has clearly been traumatized by his experiences. Did you draw from case studies of children with similar experiences, or did you find your way to this character instinctually?
A: I wrote Aurek very instinctively. I felt I knew the boy from the moment I first wrote a small, tentative description of him, crouching in the back garden at 22 Britannia Road. I read Through The Eyes of the Innocents: Children Witness World War II by Emmy E Werner, which conveys the heartbreaking experiences of children, and that fed my own understanding of what Aurek might have been through but really, when I was writing Aurek, I found I could connect with him best on an emotional level. So I wrote what he felt. I tried to go beyond language with him and bring out his primitive sense of survival, his desire to feel loved and his need to love others.
From Publishers Weekly
In her powerful debut, Hodgkinson takes on the tale of a family desperately trying to put itself back together after WWII. Silvana and Janusz have only been married a few months when the war forces them apart. Silvana and their infant son, Aurek, leave Poland and disappear into the forests of Eastern Europe, where they bear witness to German atrocities. Meanwhile Janusz, the sole survivor of his slaughtered military unit, flees to France. There, he takes up with a local girl and, though he loves her, awaits the war's end so that he can go in search of his wife and son. He eventually finds them in a refugee camp and they travel to England together, where they attempt to put the past behind them. But the secrets they carry pull at the threads of their fragile peace. Hodgkinson alternates viewpoints to relay the story of three desperate characters, skillfully toggling between the war and its aftermath with wonderfully descriptive prose that pulls the reader into a sweeping tale of survival and redemption. (May)
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
Description:
A tour de force that echoes modern classics like Suite Francaise and The Postmistress. **
"Housekeeper or housewife?" the soldier asks Silvana as she and eight- year-old Aurek board the ship that will take them from Poland to England at the end of World War II. There her husband, Janusz, is already waiting for them at the little house at 22 Britannia Road. But the war has changed them all so utterly that they'll barely recognize one another when they are reunited. "Survivor," she answers.
Silvana and Aurek spent the war hiding in the forests of Poland. Wild, almost feral Aurek doesn't know how to tie his own shoes or sleep in a bed. Janusz is an Englishman now-determined to forget Poland, forget his own ghosts from the way, and begin a new life as a proper English family. But for Silvana, who cannot escape the painful memory of a shattering wartime act, forgetting is not a possibility.
One of the most searing debuts to come along in years, 22 Britannia Road
*
*
**
Frequently Bought Together
Customers buy this book with The Tiger's Wife: A Novel by Téa Obreht Paperback $9.00
| + |
---|---|---
Price For Both: $22.98
Show availability and shipping details
In Stock.
Ships from and sold by Amazon.com.
Eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over $25. Details
In Stock.
Ships from and sold by Amazon.com.
Eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over $25. Details
Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com Review
Amazon Best Books of the Month, April 2011 : By the end of World War II, Silvana is a ghost of the wife Janusz once had. She and their 7-year-old son Aurek travel from Poland to England to reunite their family--a family that has been separated for 6 years. That's where 22 Britannia Road , Amanda Hodgkinson's stunning debut novel, begins. As the past unfolds from multiple points of view, it becomes clear that despite their determination to make a fresh start, the hidden secrets of the past threaten to destroy Silvana and Janusz's dreams of becoming a family once again. The irreversible events that passed during their years of separation still linger, including the horrors of war, Janusz's betrayal by a love affair with another woman, and the devastating secret that Silvana will do anything to conceal. Hodgkinson's poetic voice is impossible to forget, and the shocking and hopeful ending of her remarkable historical novel will leave readers reeling--and satisfied. --Miriam Landis
Author Q &A with Amanda Hodgkinson
Q: What drew you to this particular story of Polish World War II survivors living in England?
A: As a child, I was always fascinated when the adults around me talked about World War II. These were older family members who had lived through it and I would try to stay quiet so I could listen without being discovered. Their voices changed to lower registers, there were weighted silences in the conversations, sad looks, secretive whispering and then somebody would notice me and send me out to play, their voice swinging up a register to convey a gaiety they probably didn’t feel. I would go to bed at night, sick at heart thinking about these stories, and wonder how the world ever managed to get back to the normal after that war.
Looking back, I think I never stopped wondering. Years later, I was standing in my kitchen and heard a Russian woman on the radio, describing her experiences of being a child during the war. “We were so hungry,” she said, “we ate the bark of the silver birch trees.” An image came to me, so clear and strong, it was more like a memory than an act of my imagination. I wrote down what I saw; a young woman in a silver birch forest. I had begun to write my novel.
Q: From Silvana’s exile in the forest to the petrol rations in post-war Ipswich, you paint a vivid picture of the novel’s historical settings and events. What sort of research did you do to get the details right?
A: I balanced my own imaginative input with research. I read social history books on the war and the postwar period, including a lot of oral histories on Polish immigrant experiences. I also read wonderful Polish poets like Zbigniew Herbert and Tadeusz Rózewicz, among others. I studied Polish fairytales and classic Polish literature from the nineteenth and early twentieth century. I discovered tango music had been very popular in Poland during the thirties, so I listened to some fabulous clips on YouTube and imagined myself there, in the 1930s, dancing at a club in Warsaw, just like Hanka, one of the characters in the book tells Silvana about. I immersed myself in books, music and literature and then I put aside all research and let my imagination go to work. Whenever I was unsure about a scene, I turned to my own thoughts and feelings, relying on my ability to imagine a moment and on my empathy for the characters, rather than history books, and I think this approach helped me really understand my characters and the time.
Q: What does the title, the address of the home Janusz chooses for his reunited family, represent to you symbolically? Why that particular address?
A: I wanted a very ordinary address. A typical English home. You can find a Britannia Road in most English towns and there is no mistaking the pronounced sense of place in this address. Janusz wants what the address offers. A new life and a new country. Ironically, this address, with its connotations of national identity and pride, also serves to highlight the sense of displacement Janusz, Silvana and Aurek, as an immigrant family, must have felt in a small town in Britain. Another reason I used an address was to show how important home was to the characters. For me, the novel is about finding a home, physically, psychologically and metaphorically. Home is a small word that holds within itself complex meanings. Change one letter and you have the word hope. And Janusz, Silvana and Aurek hope to make a home together.
Q: A powerful theme in this book is the pain of survival—even Janusz, who had a relatively easy escape from Poland, suffers from having outlived Hélène and other loved ones. What personal discoveries did you make about this theme while writing the book?
A: Writing the book and researching it made me very aware of how people are still suffering under wars. The mass movement of displaced people around the world continues and the number of children who are orphaned and families disrupted and broken by war does not diminish.
Q: You do an exceptional job capturing the psyche of young Aurek, who has clearly been traumatized by his experiences. Did you draw from case studies of children with similar experiences, or did you find your way to this character instinctually?
A: I wrote Aurek very instinctively. I felt I knew the boy from the moment I first wrote a small, tentative description of him, crouching in the back garden at 22 Britannia Road. I read Through The Eyes of the Innocents: Children Witness World War II by Emmy E Werner, which conveys the heartbreaking experiences of children, and that fed my own understanding of what Aurek might have been through but really, when I was writing Aurek, I found I could connect with him best on an emotional level. So I wrote what he felt. I tried to go beyond language with him and bring out his primitive sense of survival, his desire to feel loved and his need to love others.
From Publishers Weekly
In her powerful debut, Hodgkinson takes on the tale of a family desperately trying to put itself back together after WWII. Silvana and Janusz have only been married a few months when the war forces them apart. Silvana and their infant son, Aurek, leave Poland and disappear into the forests of Eastern Europe, where they bear witness to German atrocities. Meanwhile Janusz, the sole survivor of his slaughtered military unit, flees to France. There, he takes up with a local girl and, though he loves her, awaits the war's end so that he can go in search of his wife and son. He eventually finds them in a refugee camp and they travel to England together, where they attempt to put the past behind them. But the secrets they carry pull at the threads of their fragile peace. Hodgkinson alternates viewpoints to relay the story of three desperate characters, skillfully toggling between the war and its aftermath with wonderfully descriptive prose that pulls the reader into a sweeping tale of survival and redemption. (May)
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
Product Details
|
86 Reviews
| 5 star: |
| (31)
---|---|---
4 star: |
| (35)
3 star: |
| (13)
2 star: |
| (5)
1 star: |
| (2)
› See all 86 customer reviews...
Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
More About the Author
› Visit Amazon's Amanda Hodgkinson Page
Amanda Hodgkinson was born in Burnham-on-Sea, England, and earned an MA in creative writing from the University of East Anglia. She now lives with her husband and two daughters in a farmhouse in the southwest of France. 22 Britannia Road is her first novel.
Customer Reviews
|
86 Reviews
| 5 star: |
| (31)
---|---|---
4 star: |
| (35)
3 star: |
| (13)
2 star: |
| (5)
1 star: |
| (2)
|
|
|
Average Customer Review
4.0 out of 5 stars (86 customer reviews)
|
Share your thoughts with other customers:
Create your own review
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
222 of 234 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Historical fiction at its best! , April 28, 2011
By
Philly gal "phillygal" (PHILA, PA USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)
This review is from: 22 Britannia Road: A Novel (Hardcover)
This is the story of a Polish couple, Silvana and Janusz and their son Aurek. They met and married in 1937. As both the Russians and the Germans invaded Poland in 1940 the couple is separated. He joins the military and after a long journey, typical of Poles who chose to fight on after the defeat of their country, ends up in the RAF in England. She initially raped by a German soldier, flees with their son to a live in the forests of Poland. The story opens in 1946 as the couple is reunited after their six year separation. Building on the memories of a deeply loving relationship before the war the couple tries to reestablish their family life. Each has secrets that they do not share with thevother. These secrets, the crux of the story, are slowly revealed in two separate threads. No more spoilers from me on the story!
This book is vividly written and has complexity to the plot that continues to draw you in right up until the last chapter. The long lasting effects of war on people are brilliantly portrayed in the story. In post war Britain, the couple has every advantage- an intact family, a house, a car, a good job - but the lingering effects of what happened to them during the war destroy their chances to go forward. The son has been deeply influenced by his time in the forests avoiding both Germans and Russians and living off the land. In one scene his father shows him how to collect and save birds eggs and the boy can only think of how he wants to eat the eggs contents as he did so often in the forests. He has a particularly difficult time socializing and entering into normal relationships. It was heartbreaking and at times almost too sad to bear. In the end though this story is a triumph of the human spirit over adversity.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Report abuse | Permalink
Comment Comments (2)
77 of 86 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars "She is made of the thinnest eggshell, her toughness a veneer. . ." (2.5 stars) , May 13, 2011
By
NC Reader (Greensboro, NC United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)
This review is from: 22 Britannia Road: A Novel (Hardcover)
Customer review from the Amazon Vine™ Program (What's this?)
That is how Janusz describes his wife Silvana as he embraces her in a scene about two-thirds through this book, and it seems to be the first insightful thing he thinks about her. I chose this book from the Vine program because it sounded like a wonderful, moving premise for a novel, but I was disappointed. I expected it to be sad, but I also expected to feel for and empathize with characters who had been through so much. I found I just couldn't care about Janusz and Silvana; when they first meet as teenagers, they are just a couple of horny kids, feeling an instant physical attraction and apparently not much else. Silvana comes from a miserable, dysfunctional peasant family and seems motivated only by the desire to escape; Janusz seems to ask her to marry him out of duty, suggesting perhaps he's gotten her pregnant. Either way, I didn't feel like I knew the characters - what were their likes, dislikes, dreams, motivations? They seemed very young and unformed, understandably so, but the love they shared did not feel strong enough to last through six years of war.
I agree with another reviewer here who noted that Janusz' time spent wandering around Europe before finally getting to England seems far-fetched. Janusz seems quite amenable to staying put wherever he lands and sitting out the war - first the goose woman's cottage, then Helene's parents' farm - he seems quite weak and easily lead and just goes along. Granted, his life has been totally turned upside down, but I don't get the impression he's burning to fight for his country, or to see his wife and child again, or to do much of anything, except have an affair with Helene.
Silvana has a much rougher time (women in war often do), but she seems very shallow and unformed as well, basically a hollow shell doing whatever she's told by Hanka, then Gregor, then Janusz, then Tony . . . She and her son Aurek endure a much harsher deprivation in the forests of Poland, but something about that also didn't ring true for me. It went on way too long and became boring, and it seemed uneven - they stay for months with one farmer, then the Germans are coming and they must move on; then they wander a day and Gregor finds them and brings them into his dubious fold; next time they're abandoned they wander for days and days and see no sign of life - but then a farmer finds them near death. A while later, Gregor comes back into the picture and I thought, how come they didn't find Gregor or this farmer while they were wandering lost in apparently the same vicinity? Are these the densest, deepest, most desolate woods ever or the forest from "Midsummer Night's Dream", with characters constantly wandering on and off stage? It just seemed inconsistent. First Silvana is tough and independent, hunting and skinning animals with Gregor, and he tells her she'd be perfect for the Resistance - but when she and Aurek are alone again, they're eating whatever they find but almost starving. She forgot how to trap and hunt? Again, it seemed inconsistent.
I felt like I never got to know Janusz or Silvana, and I don't think they knew each other. They were so secretive with each other; I couldn't help thinking real lovers/partners would eventually share and talk about what they'd endured, seen, learned about themselves; not all at once, of course, but in dribs and drabs. Janusz and Silvana lived in the same house but seemed to rarely speak with or to each other; there seems to be no REAL talking until the last five pages. I frankly didn't care by that point; it just reinforced for me the feeling that here were two people who didn't have much in common to begin with - I couldn't help feeling sorry for Janusz for missing out on his chance with Helene! Finally, the plot twist at the end of the book with Tony (no spoilers, I promise), really seemed out of left field and I agree with another reviewer here, at that point the story seemed to descend into melodrama. If I didn't have to write a review of this book for the Vine program, I probably wouldn't have finished it.
I know some readers will find this a satisfying story of survival and "primal maternal love" as the back cover says, and I did find several of the scenes between Silvana and Aurek, and between Janusz and Aurek touching and almost painful; they wanted so much to be a family again. I also feel the author provided a somewhat interesting, if dreary, story of life in post-war Britain; but the love story between Silvana and Janusz just didn't work for me, or it was a case of too little, too late. I pitied the main characters but just couldn't like or care much about them, so I didn't like the book as much as I might have and rated it accordingly.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Report abuse | Permalink
Comment Comment
44 of 52 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars Family Reunion , May 1, 2011
By
Roger Brunyate "reader/writer/musician" (Baltimore, MD) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE) (TOP 500 REVIEWER) (REAL NAME)
This review is from: 22 Britannia Road: A Novel (Hardcover)
The place is Ipswich, in the East of England. Janusz Novak, who has escaped from Poland at the beginning of the Second World War and served as an engineer with the Royal Air Force, has taken a house with a small garden at 22 Britannia Road. By some miracle, his wife Silvana has also survived and is coming to join him, together with their son Aurek, whom Janusz has not seen since he was a baby. It seems a happily-ever-after ending, the family reunited. Only this is not the ending, but a new beginning, and not an easy one.
There are at least three layers to the story here, and I am not sure that they benefit by being laid on top of one another. One is the simple immigrant story that has been told many times, with different specifics (Andrea Levy's SMALL ISLAND being one magnificent example): what is it like to make a new life in a strange country, especially one beset by rationing, austerity measures, and labor unrest? Amanda Hodgkinson handles this effectively and without fuss. I could imagine Silvana's difficulties with the neighbors and the shops, Aurek's problems at school, and Janusz' determination to make a proper English home. I could imagine them, but not truly feel them in my gut; Hodgkinson's descriptions seem accurate rather than achingly personal.
The second layer was the one that moved me most: how people come back together after a separation. Janusz and Silvana were only just married when Aurek was born, and had hardly been tested as a couple. They are separated at the start of the war under circumstances where neither even knows that the other is alive. Now, six years later, they come together almost as strangers. They have each been changed by time, in some ways that they will only discover by putting them to the test. There is gratitude there and the memory of affection, but the main thing that connects them is their child. Yet Aurek sees his father as "the enemy" and resents him as a threat. The slow process through which Janusz gradually comes to win the boy's confidence is truly heartwarming. It would almost be worth reading the book if it dealt with nothing more than the repair of a broken family.
But there is more: the third layer. Both Janusz and Silvana have led difficult lives in the war, leaving them with secrets they do not want to share, traumatic suffering and dangerous moments of disturbing joy. We get a hint of this very early on, when it becomes clear that Silvana has not been the only woman in Janusz' life, but for the most part these things are revealed gradually in flashback chapters that alternate with those in the present day. Again, I found myself accepting without being fully involved. No single event is unbelievable, but the total begins to seem both melodramatic and a little too easy, as though one thing follows another merely because the author wanted it to. I don't believe that all this was necessary to make an effective novel, though the author takes the accepting reader on a journey with several surprising twists that many will find quite satisfying. In short, a strong romance -- but there are tantalizing hints that it could have been much more. [3.5 stars]
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Report abuse | Permalink
Comment Comments (14)
Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
*›* See all 86 customer reviews...
|
|
Most Recent Customer Reviews
2.0 out of 5 stars 22 Britannia Road
As a child of Polish parents who were reunited in England after the war, I was thrilled to discover this book and began reading with great anticipation. Read more
Published 10 days ago by jhwriter
5.0 out of 5 stars Superb First Novel
I enjoy historical fiction and this story was a great read. It was compelling and I was drawn right in to the story. Read more
Published 1 month ago by E. Grant
3.0 out of 5 stars A satisfying read
This is a well-written story about people damaged by horrific wartime experiences trying to move forward with an "ordinary" life. Read more
Published 1 month ago by C. Callahan
4.0 out of 5 stars Enjoyable Quick Read
If you are looking for a quick read with an interesting story around Europe in WWII, then this is a good book for you. It starts out in the pre-occupation of Warsaw in WWII. Read more
Published 2 months ago by Tara Peterson
5.0 out of 5 stars Historical Twist
I enjoyed the story line of the book 22 Britania Road as it gave a different perspective to the dealings of WWII and the after effects that many had to endure in England as well... Read more
Published 2 months ago by Library Lady
3.0 out of 5 stars Great Story, Bad Characters
I really wanted to love this book, but in the end I thought it was just "okay." The characters were just so unbearably unlikable that it was hard to get through the story... Read more
Published 2 months ago by D. Scott
4.0 out of 5 stars Food for thought
Some books make you think of all the lives that are changed during war. I hadn't thought about the families separated and then reunited but now nearly strangers. Read more
Published 2 months ago by creeker
3.0 out of 5 stars Just okay
I was excited to read this book after the many accolades and great reviews, but it left me with an uncomfortable dissatisfaction. Read more
Published 2 months ago by Teliza
4.0 out of 5 stars The ties that bind!
As you start the book, you know that this will be a heart-rending, sad read. It is then comforting that the author tells it so well, and writes movingly and with so much dignity... Read more
Published 2 months ago by fiction_fridaynirvana_com
4.0 out of 5 stars 22 Britannia Road
A very enjoyable and different read. This is for anyone wishing to get away from the mysteries and romances. Enjoy reading authorship outside those of American authors.
Published 3 months ago by JP
| Search Customer Reviews
|
Only search this product's reviews
*›* See all 86 customer reviews...
Tags Customers Associate with This Product
(What's this?)
Click on a tag to find related items, discussions, and people.
Check the boxes next to the tags you consider relevant or enter your own tags in the field below.
|
**world war ii (2)
**bible (1)
**chicana (1)
|
**christianity (1)
**debra burroughs (1)
**library (1)
|
**tt (1)
Agree with these tags?
See all 8 tags...
---|---|---
Your tags: Add your first tag
|
Search Products Tagged with
See most popular tags
Like 1325524533 false 0 672 672 671 (672)
Customer Discussions
This product's forum
| Discussion | Replies | Latest Post
---|---|---
No discussions yet
Ask questions, Share opinions, Gain insight
Start a new discussion
Topic: |
---|---
First post:
Receive e-mail when new posts are made
Prompts for sign-in
Guidelines
Active discussions in related forums
Discussion | Replies | Latest Post
---|---|---
Literary Fiction forum
My New Blog, Your New Book | 76 | 28 minutes ago
Literary Fiction forum
What is literary fiction? | 266 | 6 hours ago
Literary Fiction forum
What makes a particular author easy for you to read? | 5 | 1 day ago
Literary Fiction forum
Has a book ever changed your life | 133 | 2 days ago
Literary Fiction forum
"The Da Vinci Code" - what's your vote, literary fiction or not? | 131 | 3 days ago
Literary Fiction forum
Visionary/Metaphysical fiction? | 18 | 3 days ago
Literary Fiction forum
Does anyone in the Literary Fiction Community actually buy anything? | 71 | 3 days ago
Literary Fiction forum
Three or more living authors you view as great | 338 | 3 days ago
Search Customer Discussions
Search all Amazon discussions
|
Related forums
Listmania!
---|---|---
---|---|---
---|---|---
Create a Listmania! list
| Search Listmania!
|
So You'd Like to...
---|---|---
---|---|---
---|---|---
Create a guide
| Search Guides
|
Look for Similar Items by Category
Look for Similar Items by Subject
Search Books by subject:
England
Husband and wife
Parent and child
Polish people
Fiction - General
Fiction
Fiction / Literary
Literary
i.e., each book must be in subject 1 AND subject 2 AND ...
| |
Get to Know Us
| |
Make Money with Us
| |
Let Us Help You
|
---|---|---|---|---|---|---
Canada China France Germany Italy Japan Spain United Kingdom
| | AbeBooks
Rare Books
& Textbooks | | AmazonLocal
Great Local Deals
in Your City | | AmazonWireless
Cellphones &
Wireless Plans | | Askville
Community
Answers | | Audible
Download
Audio Books | | Diapers.com
Everything
But The Baby | | DPReview
Digital
Photography | | Endless
Shoes
& More | | Fabric
Sewing, Quilting
& Knitting |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---
| IMDb
Movies, TV
& Celebrities | | MYHABIT
Private Fashion
Designer Sales | | Shopbop
Designer
Fashion Brands | | Small Parts
Industrial
Supplies | | Soap.com
Health, Beauty &
Home Essentials | | Warehouse Deals
Open-Box
Discounts | | Woot
Never Gonna
Give You Up | | Zappos
Shoes &
Clothing | | |
Conditions of Use Privacy Notice © 1996-2011, Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates
**
Amazon.com Review
Amazon Best Books of the Month, April 2011 : By the end of World War II, Silvana is a ghost of the wife Janusz once had. She and their 7-year-old son Aurek travel from Poland to England to reunite their family--a family that has been separated for 6 years. That's where 22 Britannia Road , Amanda Hodgkinson's stunning debut novel, begins. As the past unfolds from multiple points of view, it becomes clear that despite their determination to make a fresh start, the hidden secrets of the past threaten to destroy Silvana and Janusz's dreams of becoming a family once again. The irreversible events that passed during their years of separation still linger, including the horrors of war, Janusz's betrayal by a love affair with another woman, and the devastating secret that Silvana will do anything to conceal. Hodgkinson's poetic voice is impossible to forget, and the shocking and hopeful ending of her remarkable historical novel will leave readers reeling--and satisfied. --Miriam Landis
Author Q &A with Amanda Hodgkinson
Q: What drew you to this particular story of Polish World War II survivors living in England?
A: As a child, I was always fascinated when the adults around me talked about World War II. These were older family members who had lived through it and I would try to stay quiet so I could listen without being discovered. Their voices changed to lower registers, there were weighted silences in the conversations, sad looks, secretive whispering and then somebody would notice me and send me out to play, their voice swinging up a register to convey a gaiety they probably didn’t feel. I would go to bed at night, sick at heart thinking about these stories, and wonder how the world ever managed to get back to the normal after that war.
Looking back, I think I never stopped wondering. Years later, I was standing in my kitchen and heard a Russian woman on the radio, describing her experiences of being a child during the war. “We were so hungry,” she said, “we ate the bark of the silver birch trees.” An image came to me, so clear and strong, it was more like a memory than an act of my imagination. I wrote down what I saw; a young woman in a silver birch forest. I had begun to write my novel.
Q: From Silvana’s exile in the forest to the petrol rations in post-war Ipswich, you paint a vivid picture of the novel’s historical settings and events. What sort of research did you do to get the details right?
A: I balanced my own imaginative input with research. I read social history books on the war and the postwar period, including a lot of oral histories on Polish immigrant experiences. I also read wonderful Polish poets like Zbigniew Herbert and Tadeusz Rózewicz, among others. I studied Polish fairytales and classic Polish literature from the nineteenth and early twentieth century. I discovered tango music had been very popular in Poland during the thirties, so I listened to some fabulous clips on YouTube and imagined myself there, in the 1930s, dancing at a club in Warsaw, just like Hanka, one of the characters in the book tells Silvana about. I immersed myself in books, music and literature and then I put aside all research and let my imagination go to work. Whenever I was unsure about a scene, I turned to my own thoughts and feelings, relying on my ability to imagine a moment and on my empathy for the characters, rather than history books, and I think this approach helped me really understand my characters and the time.
Q: What does the title, the address of the home Janusz chooses for his reunited family, represent to you symbolically? Why that particular address?
A: I wanted a very ordinary address. A typical English home. You can find a Britannia Road in most English towns and there is no mistaking the pronounced sense of place in this address. Janusz wants what the address offers. A new life and a new country. Ironically, this address, with its connotations of national identity and pride, also serves to highlight the sense of displacement Janusz, Silvana and Aurek, as an immigrant family, must have felt in a small town in Britain. Another reason I used an address was to show how important home was to the characters. For me, the novel is about finding a home, physically, psychologically and metaphorically. Home is a small word that holds within itself complex meanings. Change one letter and you have the word hope. And Janusz, Silvana and Aurek hope to make a home together.
Q: A powerful theme in this book is the pain of survival—even Janusz, who had a relatively easy escape from Poland, suffers from having outlived Hélène and other loved ones. What personal discoveries did you make about this theme while writing the book?
A: Writing the book and researching it made me very aware of how people are still suffering under wars. The mass movement of displaced people around the world continues and the number of children who are orphaned and families disrupted and broken by war does not diminish.
Q: You do an exceptional job capturing the psyche of young Aurek, who has clearly been traumatized by his experiences. Did you draw from case studies of children with similar experiences, or did you find your way to this character instinctually?
A: I wrote Aurek very instinctively. I felt I knew the boy from the moment I first wrote a small, tentative description of him, crouching in the back garden at 22 Britannia Road. I read Through The Eyes of the Innocents: Children Witness World War II by Emmy E Werner, which conveys the heartbreaking experiences of children, and that fed my own understanding of what Aurek might have been through but really, when I was writing Aurek, I found I could connect with him best on an emotional level. So I wrote what he felt. I tried to go beyond language with him and bring out his primitive sense of survival, his desire to feel loved and his need to love others.
From Publishers Weekly
In her powerful debut, Hodgkinson takes on the tale of a family desperately trying to put itself back together after WWII. Silvana and Janusz have only been married a few months when the war forces them apart. Silvana and their infant son, Aurek, leave Poland and disappear into the forests of Eastern Europe, where they bear witness to German atrocities. Meanwhile Janusz, the sole survivor of his slaughtered military unit, flees to France. There, he takes up with a local girl and, though he loves her, awaits the war's end so that he can go in search of his wife and son. He eventually finds them in a refugee camp and they travel to England together, where they attempt to put the past behind them. But the secrets they carry pull at the threads of their fragile peace. Hodgkinson alternates viewpoints to relay the story of three desperate characters, skillfully toggling between the war and its aftermath with wonderfully descriptive prose that pulls the reader into a sweeping tale of survival and redemption. (May)
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.