The Black Madonna of Derby
During and after the Second World War, 200,000 Poles were given leave to remain in the UK as thanks for their help during the conflict – this book is a fictional account of just one of those families. Set during the 1960s and 1970s, The Black Madonna of Derby traces the story of the Baran family living in a provincial town in England. Their seemingly ordinary existence hides secrets of past betrayal, madness, and tragedy.
The story focuses on three generations: the elderly grandmother whose proud Polish patriotism hides dark events from the past that affect the present, the mother whose tries to meld her past life in war-torn Poland and Germany with her new life in England and the granddaughter who lives a double life culturally and linguistically – Polish at home and English outside.
The swinging sixties in London is vividly recreated, as is the hardship of life under communism in the Poland of that time. This book is unique in that there are no other novels dealing with the story of second generation Poles in the UK. It is a story that deserves to be told, a story of a group of people who have had little attention in the literature. Listen to what they have to say.
Purchase Links
https://www.audible.co.uk/pd/The-Black-Madonna-of-Derby-Audiobook/B086Q88GLF
https://www.audible.com/pd/The-Black-Madonna-of-Derby-Audiobook/B086Q7QGFG
The Rosie Synopsis
A Polish family in Derby in the 1960s and 70s navigate being immigrants while trying to get on in life. A tale of family stories, integration and building a new life.
The Good
The dynamics of family life, multi-generational stories and the decades of change in the mid years of the twentieth century.
Of the younger generation, Vanya’s personal development from stroppy teenager to witty married woman is the best part of this novel. She develops the most as a character and is the most engaging. Janek is known as the brat and he behaves as a brat right until the end. Sosha is her grandmother’s favourite and her arc is as expected, although the ending is more abrupt than expected. Another tragedy in a series of intergenerational tragedies.
I found the moving between Derby, London and Warsaw, the past and the present, really engaging, showing the development of Babja’s character and her ‘self-story’ that hides the truth. We only really find out the truth at the end of the novel, when Helene reads her Uncle Nathan’s notes about her father. Helene’s story is really fascinating, I love the way her story is woven among her children and mother’s stories. I also like that her wit slowly comes out as she confronts her painful war years and her feelings of lost opportunities. She overshadows her husband Tadek, who is a silent, supportive man. He only really comes into the story when Pawel, his son-in-law/wife’s cousin, starts working with him.
The Not-So-Good
The men are either one dimensional or silent, compared to the multifaceted and complex women who go through difficult journeys to become better people.
The Verdict
A complex story of love, loss, politics, family history and clothes shops across the continent. The characters have complex personal development and the plot is engaging.
Author Bio –
The daughter of a Polish father and English mother, Joanna Czechowska was born in Derby and studied history at University College London. She now works as a journalist. The Black Madonna of Derby, published in Polish under the title Goodbye Polsko, is her first novel.
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