Kurze Inhaltsangabe
Lev ist ein Glückssucher: Er ist nach London gekommen, um seiner Familie ein besseres Leben zu ermöglichen. Fremd und einsam denkt er zurück an seine jung verstorbene Frau Marina, seine kleine Tochter Maya und die verrückten Erlebnisse mit seinem Freund Rudi. Doch Lev ist entschlossen, sich eine Zukunft zu erkämpfen: Er entdeckt ein ungeahntes Talent, findet Freunde und sogar eine neue Liebe.

abgebrochen

Meeslepend verhaal over Lev, een immigrant vanuit Oost-Europa die naar Groot-Brittannië vertrekt om daar geld te verdienen voor zijn moeder en jongere dochter. Het is een mooi geschreven leeboek dat alle hedendaagse thema's naar voor brengt van immigratie: verlies, armoede, schuld, culturele spanningen, ontgoocheling, woede, .. ( )

This was a good listen, about Lev, a Polish man who has lost his job and his wife. He decides to go to England to work--at age 43, considered old for this--to make some good money to support his daughter and mother while his country struggles.

He goes, and though he has some downs, he has more ups. This book feels like a fairy tale, and I wonder how accurately it portrays an average Polish EU worker in England's experience. Lev makes friends, finds kind people (and makes you think about kindness vs taking advantage--where is the line?), finds people willing to share their knowledge. And everything works out.

Of course, the strangest thing about reading this just 15 years after it was published is that this book falls firmly in the realm of historical fiction now. Whether this was possible or probable or likely or not, now post-Brexit it is none of those things. ( )

In The Road Home, Lev, an immigrant to England from an unnamed Eastern European country, learns to stop worrying, to stop being so lonely, and to start following his dreams. I enjoyed this book, although I found it a slow read. I was not convinced by the plot elements that required every unattached female character to fall in love with Lev. Nonetheless, I recommend this novel to those who enjoy character-driven narratives. ( )