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    22 Britannia Road: A Novel
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    22 Britannia Road: A Novel
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    22 Britannia Road: A Novel
    Audiobook11 hours

    22 Britannia Road: A Novel

    Written by Amanda Hodgkinson

    Narrated by Robin Sachs

    3.5/5

    ()

    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    About this audiobook

    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. is the wrenching chronicle of how these damaged people try to become, once again, a true family. An unforgettable novel that cries out for discussion, it is a powerful story of primal maternal love, overcoming hardship, and, ultimately, acceptance-one that will pierce your heart.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherPenguin Random House Audio
    Release dateApr 28, 2011
    ISBN9781101501009
    Unavailable
    22 Britannia Road: A Novel
    Author

    Amanda Hodgkinson

    Amanda Hodgkinson was born in Burnham-on-Sea, England, and lives with her husband and two daughters in a farmhouse in the southwest of France. This is her first novel.

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    Reviews for 22 Britannia Road

    3.5/5

    284 ratings41 reviews

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    • 4/5
      For me, this book started off poorly - I was very tempted to put it down, but very quickly, it grabbed me I was unable to put it down. This is a haunting story about a Polish family (not Jewish) during WW2. The husband goes off to fight, the wife and baby stay behind. Quickly things go very wrong. The woman is forced to fend for herself and she and her child wind up hiding in the woods for most of 6 years. The husband has his own survival story. This is NOT a typical Nazi/death camp book. The second half of the story takes place in England, where, reunited, the family tries to move forward. Told in turns by each family member, and jumping back and forth thru time, the author does an amazing job of weaving a complete, not-confusing narrative that really gripped and moved me.
    • 4/5
      Silvana and Janusz were married and had a baby boy in Poland before Janusz went to war in 1939. When the war ended, he found himself in England and brought Silvana and their son, Aurek, there to be with him. It's been 6 years, though, and they barely know each other anymore.The book alternates back and forth between what happened during the war for both of them and what was happening after, while in England. I especially enjoyed the "current" storyline in England, after Silvana and Janusz were reunited. I also quite liked some of the "current" storyline's secondary characters... mostly. I listened to the audio and thought the narrator did a nice job with the accents.
    • 2/5
      This is the tale of a Polish couple and their son, torn apart by WWII, and of their struggles during the war and afterwards when they are reunited in England. It is told in a nonlinear fashion, covering both the war years and the reunion period, and each time period is further subdivided with sections covering each parent's perspective. In any case, this one started out well, but it took little time for me to start to dislike the wife and child and little time for me to realize that the author doesn't seem to realize that "relentlessly dysfunctional" does not equate with "entertaining." I am interested in imperfect people far more than near-perfect ones, and broken people in the process of healing can make for good fiction. But there are limits, and there were times in this one when I truly wanted to see the wife die in a fire. Yes, they're all survivors, and yes, they were all traumatized by the war. But again, there are limits. The husband, however, has the patience of Job here and is pretty much the only one of the three family members who didn't drive me crazy on an hourly basis as I was reading. In short, this one has a decent premise and it had a lot of potential, but it chose to focus on the very things that I dislike the most in people, whether real or fictional. The ending redeemed things somewhat, but it was still an overall disappointment, given my hopes at the outset.
    • 5/5
      I had to switch to the audio book since I had to return my book club book. I was almost finished and I am glad I finished the book. I loved the story of Silvana and Janusz and their ordeal before, during and after World War II. This story goes from before World War II, to during World War II to after World War II. It continues going from the present to past and finding out the things each one went through. Silvana being left alone while Janusz goes off to defend Poland. She is left with their little boy in Warsaw. Janusz tells her to head to his parents house. Janusz goes on the train to join the Polish army and we find out what he goes through during the war. Their experiences shape them and change them that when they finally find each other they have secrets they are afraid to share with one another. They are going to try and make a new life for themselves in England.
    • 3/5
      This is another offering to the plethora of WWII novels. Amanda Hodgkinson’s debut novel is the story of a Polish family that is separated at the beginning of the war, Janusz goes off to fight for his country, and Silvana, his wife, is left in Warsaw to somehow get herself and their small child, Aurek, to her in-laws. After the war they are reunited in England, and try to create a typical English suburban life, but they both have suffered too much and harbor too many secrets to make this a reality.

      This is a well-written novel, fluid and descriptive, but it lacks the power to evoke any real emotion for any of her characters or their situations. Janusz actually has a pretty easy time of it during the war compared to Silvana, but he comes across as self-pitying. Silvana who survives living in the forest for most of the war and witnesses many horrors comes across as weak and indecisive. In the hands of a more skillful writer I think she could have created an unforgettable and haunting novel such as the Gendarme or The Pearl Diver, but instead I think it will be quickly forgotten shortly after reading.

      I did like that she explores themes of redemption, the definition of family, and the power to overcome loss; themes that give the reader pause to think of their own ideas and beliefs.

      I also liked that her characters were Polish and much of the book was set in Poland. This seems to be a country that is overlooked in WWII novels for some reason (Why is that?)

      Overall I would give this 3.5 stars and would say it was worth the time to read, but certainly not a must read, nor a particularly memorable one.
    • 4/5
      I'm a sucker for WWII novels, and this one gripped me pretty quickly. It's gritty, likely very true to life for thousands of war refugees, and has a satisfying ending along with a slew of endearing an sympathetic characters. My beef with this novel is probably the overuse of sex scenes--I from an artistic and moral standpoint believe less is more in describing sexual encounters--and Silvana's weakness in resisting men, while understandable, could have been detailed less often and less specifically. Otherwise, highly recommended and with a special surprise at the end that warms the cockles of one's heart.
    • 3/5
      Every war is horrible and terrifying and leaves traces which are deeper and last longer than one thinks and hopes for. A young couple gets separated at the beginning of the WW2 and finds each other six long years later. They have seen, done and otherwise experienced things they would rather forget, and therefore have difficulties to trust each other and the emotions that are pushing them around. Most of the time things are too much to bear, and they do not really know what is going on and how to remain on top of things. The author manages very well to introduce unspeakable things without making them gruelsome in detail, and leaving them at a very personal level, which makes them even more believable. It is an interesting book which describes and uses many important aspects and after effects of a war and shows them in a context of a personal story of a young family and how it is devastated by it.
    • 1/5
      Part of my Summer Reads - can't hardly wait! Well, I had high expectations about this book - as in tear-jerker romantic. I didn't really like it, but I did feel like I had been in the war. I do not recommend this book if you are depressed.
    • 4/5
      This is a story of survival: physical and psycological survival of World War II, and the survival of a marriage. Janusz is separated from his new bride and their infant son for six years during WWII. He travels to France, then England to fight with the Allies; she survives by hiding in the forest where she and her young son encounter various other refugees and soldiers. Janusz falls in love with a French woman before he is reunited with Silvana; she becomes infatuated with a neighbour after the reunion.Janusz and Silvana try to make their way in a new country and watch their son Aurek struggle to accept his father; and to adjust to life after war.This book is well written with excellent characters. Recommended.
    • 3/5
      The plot deals with the reuniting of a Polish family after WWII in England that had been separated for 6 years. Both parents must become familar with one another as well as learning to coparent thier only son. Throughout their journey the also uncover secrets about how their time apart was spent. Very interesting read.
    • 4/5
      by Amanda Hodgkinson321 pg4*.When Janusz (husband) becomes a soldier he left a young wife (Silvana) and infant son (Aurek)Silvana and Aurek escape the German invasion of Warsaw into the forest and endure years of privation and abuse at the hands of their protectors."Janusz, the sole survivor of his slaughtered military unit, flees to France and immerses himself in a love affair.At the end of WWII, Silvana and 8yr old Aurek journey from Poland to 22 Britannia Road,Ipswich for a reunion and to re establish as a family.Housewife or homemaker? a soldier questions her as she and Aurek board the ship to England.Her answer is survivor and this is the basis of a life of primal maternal love for a wild almost feral child.Secrets unfold, hardships endured and a damaged family attempts to reunite andaccept one another....a tale of survival and redemption.Well written, very moving and heart wrenching at times.
    • 3/5
      I have a lot of sympathy and sorrow about what Europeans suffered during and after WWII, especially those families who were separated and displaced. Hodgkinson's story is a reminder that what is broken is difficult to put back together. I liked the format that intersperses the stories of Silvana, Janusz, and the their difficult reunion in England after the war. But there was something lacking in this debut novel and I find it hard to identify just what it was. Good, but not great.
    • 5/5
      22 BRITANNIA ROAD by Amanda Hodgkinson is a wonderful book. It was rated one of the best of 2010 by amazon.com, but I just got around to reading it. Hodgkinson manages to tell four stories at once without confusing the reader. Instead, her organization of the four stories to tell one story creates more drama.This is the story of a Polish couple, Silvana and Janusz, and their baby/child, Aurek, during and after World War II. They were separated for 6 years when Janusz went off to join the Polish army. Therefore, Silvana's story of her experiences during the War is told separately from Janusz's story of his experiences at the same time.In chapters between these chapters are the stories of Silvana, Aurek, and Janusz after they are reunited in England. These stories are told from Silvana's point of view and Janusz's point of view.Sound confusing? It isn’t.I'm so glad I didn't read many reviews of this book because reviews often say too much. I promise I won't. But, as a teaser, I will say that there comes a point in Silvana's story after the War when she divulges a secret that just about knocked my socks off. You may do as I did and page through what you already read, looking for a clue. It's there. I missed it.
    • 4/5
      Audiobook narrated by Robin SachsAt 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.
    • 5/5
      In order to survive, Silvana and her infant son Aurek hid in the woods of Poland for the six years that Janusz was away during World War II. By the end of the War, Janusz is now living in England. With the help of the Red Cross, he finds Silvana and Aurek, only to discover that six years away from one another is a lifetime of secrets. Although they attempt to put things back together, the attentions of another man toward Silvana cause the facade they have so carefully built to come crumbling to the ground. This is my kind of novel; the one that keeps you up all night reading "one more chapter". Set in World War II and post-WWII, primarily in Poland, France, and England, Ms. Hodgkinson has drawn such a clear picture of what it was like in those areas that the reader can almost feel as though they have stepped into Silvana or Janusz's shoes. Her descriptions of the forests were so vivid that I could almost smell the earthy smell of the forest. Silvana's character is such a sympathetically written one that even when the reader finally understands what she has done to survive, it is easy for the reader to understand and forgive. If this is what she can do for a first novel, I look forward to reading Amanda Hodgkinson's future works. 5 starsDisclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the NetGalley book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”
    • 4/5
      I enjoyed reading this one. I rather liked the story, even though it’s dark and moody. The setting and the theme was well done and although Silvana and Janusz are supposed to be together, you can feel the detachment between the two of them because of the war. It changes everything and when they do get together, the love just isn’t there. You’d have to wonder if it was lust at first sight instead of love. You don’t quite connect with the characters here. Again, it feels like detachment is the main theme of this story. The characters themselves don’t quite connect with each other either. So I can see why this book might not be for everyone. Nevertheless, despite this, I liked how it was written and the mood overall was very well done. There is a little twist in the plot. It’s not mind numbing or shocking, but it sort of livens up the story a bit and it was an unexpected twist for me. I’d have to say Silvana’s story while she was trying to survive was a good one. She endured a lot and while reading her side of the story it’s filled with how people would just take advantage of one another during these times (or in any time during a war). It’s just a matter of survival and how humanity would take drastic steps to do so even if it means stepping over particular boundaries that one wouldn’t normally do in other circumstances.Historical fiction readers may like this book for its’ beautiful writing. I thought it was worth the read. It may not be for everyone, but it’s worth a read through.
    • 4/5
      Janusz and Silvana, young Polish newlyweds, are separated by the advancing forces of WWII. When they are reunited in England at war's end, they find they have survived very difficult yet very different wars. They each bear their own pains and secrets. Can they bridge their differences, recapture their young love and create a good life or young Aurek? An enjoyable read.
    • 4/5
      This is a poignant story of a couple separated during WWII who try to put their relationship back together when reunited. Each has experienced trauma and each has had to make difficult decisions to survive both physically and emotionally. The prose is very nice and the protagonists evoke strong sympathy for their humanity. Good read!
    • 3/5
      "Profession?" the customs agent asks."Survivor," she whispered, the first word that came to her.For Silvana, survival has been a full-time job for years, and one that has changed her irrevocably. Now the war is over, and her husband Janusz, who has settled in England, has sent for her. Her and the boy. It's been so many years, will Janusz even recognize her? Understand her? What will she tell him?Janusz waits anxiously in England, trying to forget a wartime love in France, and hoping that his wife and son will fill the aching void in his heart. He longs to be accepted, no longer the outsider, the Pole. Perhaps having the ideal family will help him achieve the peace he needs.Aurek is seven years old and has spent his entire remembered life living in the forest hiding. At one with the natural world and knowing only his mother, leaving the forest is a dislocation that he neither wants nor adapts to easily.What follows survival? Trust is hard, even when there is love, especially after a long, traumatic separation. How can you share experiences that are outside the other person's experience? Should you? These questions create a haunting theme that I found engaging, I only wish there had been more philosophical depth in exploring these fascinating questions. I think it is a promising debut novel.
    • 5/5
      A book about survival, a mother's love, truth, secrets, reunion and new beginnings. A Must Read!
    • 4/5
      A gripping tale of a Polish husband and wife who live through WWII separately, with the wife taking care of their child. When they are reunited after the war, in England, both of their secrets get in the way of their future. The story is quite bleak, with a lot of hardship. The reader is not spared in describing these things. However, this made me really empathize with the characters and sucked me into the book. 22 Britannia Road tells a very personal story from this dreadful time, in a beautiful way.
    • 3/5
      This is a story about a Polish couple during and after World War II. it gives us a picture of what it was like for people who lived through that period.Janusz and Sivana were separated at the beginnig of the war and reunited in England after the war.It tells of their struggle to put their lives back together after their individual esperiences of the war.
    • 5/5
      I read three books this week - this one was compelling and drew me into the story in a way neither of the others did; I cared about the Nowak family - Silvana, Janusz, and Auric - even as I suspected early on the secret that Silvana was carrying. I wanted to know what would happen, where they would end up, how their family drama would play out in the end. The randomness of war, the events that turn one person into a hero and another into a villain and the difficulties in determining one from another, are all cleverly woven into this story of love, fear, and chance. A good read.
    • 4/5
      Starts off slow but is really a poignant story that I enjoyed. I'm a sucker for a good war novel.
    • 3/5
      Although there was no surprise at the ending, it was an enjoyable read.
    • 4/5
      This is the story of Silvana and Janusz, and their little boy Aurek. Silvana and Janusz were separated during the war, when Janusz joined up and Silvana was left behind to fend for herself, living in forests for much of the time.After the war, Janusz finds Silvana and Aurek and brings them to England to live in the house he has found for them at 22 Britannia Road in Ipswich. The story is told in alternating chapters, first of all in Ipswich and then looking back on each of their separate experiences during the war.This is a fairly bleak sort of read in a lot of ways, and quite sad, but I did enjoy it and the contrasting chapters worked very well. I also enjoyed reading about the life of foreigners in England after the end of World War II. It's a well written book and shows real promise for Amanda Hodgkinson's future novels.
    • 3/5
      22 Britannia Road is a fiction romance set during WWII.Silvana Nowak is a young Polish woman living in Warsaw at the time the Germans take over the city. When her husband, Janusz is called away to fight for their country, he leaves her and their young son, Aurek, behind.After setting out on the train with his unit, they are attacked by German planes and he becomes lost from his troops. However, after months go by, he realizes that his heart is not in this and he is befriended by two other deserters and the trio make their way across Poland to France in order to join up with troops already stationed there.Along the way many things happen to Janusz that changes who he was and after the war is over, he settles in England to become a proper Englishman and buys a house located at 22 Britannia Road. He then sets out to find what happened to his family.Silvana and Aurek are soon left at the mercy of the German soldiers and after being raped, she escapes with Aurek and stunned, scared and lonely, she follows the other people heading out of the city. She wanders for weeks and along the way she befriends a woman who helps them find shelter for the winter.When Silvana and Hanka part ways, her and Aurek must learn to take shelter and survive in the woods. Finding another group of survivors they spend the winter with them before moving on to another family, who save them from near death.Always Silvana is fighting for their survival, seeking shelter and food when there was none to be found. When the English find them, they are taken to a refugee encampment. It is there that she learns that Janusz is alive and is looking for them.However, Silvana has mixed feelings about returning to her husband's arms. She has many secrets that she cannot share, and many situations she wishes never to have to remember again.When the three finally come together, they must learn to live and love all over again. Will their love be enough to see them through the past; a past they had no control over? Or will their lies and secrets drive a wedge through them forever?I thought this was a fantastic debut novel. The period that the book was set in was wonderfully written. It had clarity and mystery and immersed you into the novel, wearing the heartaches that Silvana had to endure.The horrors of the war were graphic and the imagery given made you grip the book as you read on. Then the realization sets in that things really did happen this way; war really does this to people. It was heart-rendering to read at times as the prose left you aching at humanity's animalistic barbarity. The characters were strongly portrayed and balanced the plot with grace and understanding. The back story characters were equally impressive in their impressions upon the reader. I did happen to guess all the secrets of the two early on in the book but I do believe the hints were subtle in their rendering and I am quite sure those who enjoy love stories will enjoy this book.
    • 3/5
      This is the story of a Polish couple separated by the war. Both believe the other party is dead but somehow after the war they are reunited in England when Silvana and her son come to join Janusz in the house he has been living in. So much has happened to both of them and the question is how much do you tell when keeping secrets may bring you undone. Both of them have to realise that what has happened to the other has changed them, that they are not the same person they were. A good but not great read.
    • 3/5
      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.
    • 4/5
      This is the story of a Polish family that gets separated at the beginning of World War II, when the husband joins the Polish army just before the Nazi invasion. He ends up escaping, first to France for a short time, then to England where he joins the British armed services. His wife unsuccessfully tries to travel to his parents' home, and ends up living in the forest with her very young son until the end of the war. Then, when he tries to find her, she is located in a refugee camp that they are reunited in London. He has a job in a factory and home in a suburban neighborhood. He tries to establish a typical British lifestyle for the family, but they have been damaged by their war-time experiences, especially the boy, who has a hard time accepting his father's presence in this life, and the regular life that is being imposed on him. And each adult is keeping a secret from the other of what happened during the war.I enjoyed the book a lot. The characters are well-developed and believable. And, for the most part, the events all resonated and seemed real.