Wednesday, April 20, 2011

Waiting on Wednesday




22 Britannia Road by Amanda Hodgkinson
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.


6 comments:

Black Disaster Fairy said...

I love a good historical book on WWII. Great pick and I hope it is good as some others!

New Follower

Wonderful pick that is bound to be full of wonderful words. Stop by to see what I am waiting for! http://ikissbooks.blogspot.com/2011/04/wow-goddess-test.html

Black Disaster Fairy

nomadreader said...

I'm really looking forward to this one too!

Steph (Poetry to Prose) said...

Great pick this week! I had read about this one just a bit ago and it definitely piqued my interest.

June G said...

I just watched a series on WW2 on the Learning channel over the weekend, so my interest in the topic is piqued. Thanks for a fresh choice.

Grace at Feeding My Book Addiction said...

I have to read this book. Thanks for bringing it to my attention!

Grace @ feedingmybookaddiction.blogspot.com
(new follower)

Scarlett said...

I like your WOW pick. Anything to do with England sparks my interest. I LOVE your blog background! Here's my WOW.