Saturday, 28 February 2009

Recommended reads

Today's choice is:
The Road Home by Rose Tremain

It's the story of Lev, an east European immigrant to the UK. At the beginning of the story he is travelling to London by coach to earn enough money to ensure a good future for his mother and daughter. His wife has died from leukaemia and he's lost his job at a local sawmill.

After a rocky start he finds somewhere to live with an Irish landlord who has a drink problem and a job in a trendy restaurant. Despite some personal crises he eventually helps his landlord overcome the drink problem and work himself into the good books of his boss.

Throughout the book he has to deal with the pull of home while sending money back and you just know that he'll have to go back eventually. But what will he achieve before he does so?

Rose Tremain paints a believable picture of England today and shows how difficult life for even legal immigrants is.

Won the Orange Prize for Women's Fiction in 2008

Joan Kosai, proofreader

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