Rating:  Summary: Enjoyed Every Page Review: Great book! I enjoyed every page. I hope everyone reading this reads this book.
Rating:  Summary: A beautiful book of simple prose Review: How Green Was My Valley is a wonderful book of prose. Truly, every chapter is poetry that poignantly speaks about the simplest aspects of everyday life--first love, faith, personal convictions.
Rating:  Summary: An absolute "must read" for lovers of literature Review: How Green Was My Valley is, without a doubt, among my top two or three all-time favorites. I also just finished listening to the unabridged book on audiotape and I think it's even better hearing the story read aloud. It is a wonderful heartwarming tale - sometimes very funny, sometimes very sad, but always full of what we all wish for the world - goodness in people and the love of mankind. Fabulous book.
Rating:  Summary: Can't stop thinking about the book and it's characters. Review: I "read" the book on tape. It was unabridged. I spend much time driving and was compelled to re-listen to many of the chapters. The author,
Mr. Llewellyn, is so descriptive of even how the
characters smelled. I was captivated. The
gentleman who did the "reading" was marvelous. He added so much texture with his own dialect. I want to listen all over again.
Rating:  Summary: It's Worth Your Time Review: I enjoyed reading this book because it showed the similarities and differences among society and the typical family life during this time.Huw's mother and her teachings were kind and morally strong, as opposed to the harsh and radical ones of Mr.Jonas-Sessions.Llewellyn depicted the way each person was affected by those who surrounded him/her in physical and emotional ways. It is an attention grabber and I recommend it to anyone who wants an good laugh or enjoys thinking about someone's problems other than their own.
Rating:  Summary: A personal favorite for 40+ years Review: I first read this book in High School. I loved it, but wasn't always sure what was going on - why would Huw be bed-bound for two years just because he fell into a stream? But the lyricism of the language captivated me; Llewellyn writes the way the Welsh people I've encountered actually speak - he does a better job of capturing the voice of a language than any other writer I know. I have two problems with this book. First, I find the characters somewhat flat - they are all so perfect, and play their roles so well, that they are somewhat predictable. If they were negative, you would call them caricatures. But I'm sure there are people who are that genuinely GOOD, if perhaps occasionally more interesting and human. And I always enjoy "sweep of history" books that trace a family or people through time. My other problem, which is related to the first, is that time doesn't seem to have affected the characters in this book - they are essentially the same at the end as they were at the beginning - they seem quite unaffected by the events that occur in their lives. So the characterizations could have been more realistic without losing "gravitas." Having said that, I rank this among my favorite books - I recently reread it, after many years, and while I still don't know why Huw was bed-bound, it's still a terrific book and my ears still ring with the language!
Rating:  Summary: An emotional rollercoaster of a book! Review: I got this book from the library in the early 1960s while I was at school. I've never forgotten about it and always wanted to read it again. My father had said that he had also read it years before. It was the only book that we both ever read that was the same, as he nearly always read non-fiction. The reason I enjoyed it and am looking forward to reading it again is that I want to pass it on to my grown up daughters and future grandchildren who I am sure will enjoy it as much as I did.
Rating:  Summary: A book that keeps the valleys of my imagination so green.... Review: I happened to see this old book in our municipal library a decade ago. I read it. Then I re-read it. I watched the Hollywood version of the book too. As I too born and brought up in a small hamlet with undulating topography and simple-hearted people, I lived myself through the story identifying with the young boy. Still I remember the visit to the Daffodles in the mountains with the Pastor. So enchanting story for me.
Rating:  Summary: Welsh Soap Opera Review: I picked this book up on my "return to classics mission" and was fairly disappointed. It is the story of a Welsh coal-mining family at the end of the 19th century told by one of the younger boys in the family. The story lacked depth. As one might expect, all the characters in the family were tried and true and terrific with a few minor exceptions. When a family member fell from grace you could be sure he or she would rise up again. The devotion of a younger brother does not make for tension. There was little conflict in the book even though strikes and strife with the mine owners were chronicled. As time has gone on, however, I have found the family to be more memorable than I thought they would be when I finished the book. It is a family saga. But it is one of a family persevering and maintaining pride against the odds of the bluest of blue collar occupations. The writing was good and the Welsh dialect attractive. Although much of the book lacked conflict, the ending was poignant when the narrator returns to the site of the house where so much of the book took place only to find the site buried in the slag pile...a fitting end.
Rating:  Summary: Welsh Soap Opera Review: I picked this book up on my "return to classics mission" and was fairly disappointed. It is the story of a Welsh coal-mining family at the end of the 19th century told by one of the younger boys in the family. The story lacked depth. As one might expect, all the characters in the family were tried and true and terrific with a few minor exceptions. When a family member fell from grace you could be sure he or she would rise up again. The devotion of a younger brother does not make for tension. There was little conflict in the book even though strikes and strife with the mine owners were chronicled. As time has gone on, however, I have found the family to be more memorable than I thought they would be when I finished the book. It is a family saga. But it is one of a family persevering and maintaining pride against the odds of the bluest of blue collar occupations. The writing was good and the Welsh dialect attractive. Although much of the book lacked conflict, the ending was poignant when the narrator returns to the site of the house where so much of the book took place only to find the site buried in the slag pile...a fitting end.
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