Title: How Green Was My Valley
Author: Richard Llewellyn
Genre: Classic (written in 1939)
Pages (words): 494 (N/A)
Readability: N/A
Rating (out of 5 stars): *****
Reviewed by: Ben
Description: A coming-of-age novel about growing up in a Welsh coal-mining town, How Green Was My Valley follows Huw Morgan as he struggles with the reality that the way of life he has known is slowly being absorbed by the modern world. Through hardships and trials, both personal and town-wide, Huw's family is stretched and torn, and Huw struggles to make sense of it all and find his place.
Thoughts: Okay, I really struggled writing a description of this book, so don't judge it by that! This is only the third 5-star book that I've put on this list. I really enjoyed it a lot. It is narrated by the protagonist, Huw Morgan, who is only a boy for most of the book. This puts an incredible viewpoint on all of the events that happen, bringing issues which are important to a 12-year-old into sharp focus while other, more adult issues are left without much detail. That's not to say the book is childish; I just really enjoyed the writing style and it actually brought some things to the forefront that otherwise would have gone unnoticed. So, why five stars? 1) I loved the writing style. It was utterly Welsh, through and through. You'll know what I mean when you read it. 2) The book made me want to be a better person. For me, that's a requirement of a 5-star book. 3) It was extremely engaging. There isn't really a single climax in the book but more just a series of events in Huw's life that are all their own short stories. Each chapter had some tight spot that either he or someone else had to get out of, and that made it hard to put down. All in all, How Green Was My Valley is an incredible book, an important addition to English literature.
Disclaimer: How Green Was My Valley contains some light swearing, plenty of fist fights, and some sexual material. Although it does deal with sex, everything is very tastefully written and I was never uncomfortable while I read it. However, I probably wouldn't recommend it to someone under 16 or so.
Author: Richard Llewellyn
Genre: Classic (written in 1939)
Pages (words): 494 (N/A)
Readability: N/A
Rating (out of 5 stars): *****
Reviewed by: Ben
Description: A coming-of-age novel about growing up in a Welsh coal-mining town, How Green Was My Valley follows Huw Morgan as he struggles with the reality that the way of life he has known is slowly being absorbed by the modern world. Through hardships and trials, both personal and town-wide, Huw's family is stretched and torn, and Huw struggles to make sense of it all and find his place.
Thoughts: Okay, I really struggled writing a description of this book, so don't judge it by that! This is only the third 5-star book that I've put on this list. I really enjoyed it a lot. It is narrated by the protagonist, Huw Morgan, who is only a boy for most of the book. This puts an incredible viewpoint on all of the events that happen, bringing issues which are important to a 12-year-old into sharp focus while other, more adult issues are left without much detail. That's not to say the book is childish; I just really enjoyed the writing style and it actually brought some things to the forefront that otherwise would have gone unnoticed. So, why five stars? 1) I loved the writing style. It was utterly Welsh, through and through. You'll know what I mean when you read it. 2) The book made me want to be a better person. For me, that's a requirement of a 5-star book. 3) It was extremely engaging. There isn't really a single climax in the book but more just a series of events in Huw's life that are all their own short stories. Each chapter had some tight spot that either he or someone else had to get out of, and that made it hard to put down. All in all, How Green Was My Valley is an incredible book, an important addition to English literature.
Disclaimer: How Green Was My Valley contains some light swearing, plenty of fist fights, and some sexual material. Although it does deal with sex, everything is very tastefully written and I was never uncomfortable while I read it. However, I probably wouldn't recommend it to someone under 16 or so.
2 comments:
One of my FAVs!! I loved it too and I definitely appreciated your review. This is one that I can read again and again.
Funny--I just read this while I was in Australia. I too thought it was a very engaging ready, and really incredibly well written (loved the Welsh language, etc.). Great book.
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