How Green Was My Valley

By: Richard Llewellyn

Narrated by: Ralph Cosham

Length: 16 hrs and 22 mins

Publisher's summary

How Green Was My Valley is Richard Llewellyn’s best-selling - and timeless - classic, as well as the basis of a beloved film.

As Huw Morgan is about to leave home forever, he reminisces about the golden days of his youth when South Wales still prospered, when coal dust had not yet blackened the valley. Drawn simply and lovingly, with a crisp Welsh humor, Llewellyn’s characters fight, love, laugh, and cry, creating an indelible portrait of a people.

Richard Llewellyn (1906-1983), a Welsh novelist, was born in Hendon, England, in the county of Middlesex. Before World War II, he spent periods working in hotels, wrote a play, worked as a coal miner, and produced his best-known novel, How Green Was My Valley, as well as 19 other novels. After the war, he worked as a journalist, covering the Nuremberg Trials, and then as a screenwriter for MGM.

©1939 1940 by Richard Vivian Llewellyn Lloyd; renewed 1967 by Richard Llewellyn (P)2011 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Critic reviews

“A story of exquisite distinction and vibrant interest; clear and strong as the music under the sky.” ( New York Times Book Review)

bookgirl

wonderful, wonderful, wonderful. brilliant words. terrific narrator. the words are poetry. a gift is this book.

Strength in family and faith

Such a beautiful story, tender and courageous as it relates the travails of a strong family in Wales. Strong in spirit and strong in mind as they worked as leaders in their village to bring fair wages. The descriptions of nature were beautiful and their faith in God sustained them through difficult times. Well written and well read. It was difficult to put down!

It's a truly wonderful story.

Your heart will soar, you will see, hear and feel the valley and its people. You will feel the heart break of what happens to it and it's leaving.

May be The Best Book I have ever read

This book will touch your soul. The narrater is superb. He captures the inner feelings of all mankind.

I finally read the book I remember my Mom reading

it took me awhile to get into this book. You know from the beginning it's not a happy ending, but soon you get involved with the family and their lives. I surprised myself and really enjoyed it.
The narrator did an awesome job.

A Classic Well Done

This is a melancholy tale, and at the beginning, the narrator's voice had a flatness that made me fear for the rest of the book - but suddenly the animation was there, and my interest never flagged. This novel is so well written; it shows how extraordinary an ordinary life can be. The fate of the Welsh coal miners is so heartrending, yet the thread of hope is woven through; and, while the characters are their own worst enemies at times, one hopes right along with them even while knowing a sad ending is inevitable. Poignant human drama at its best.

How Green Was My Valley

An amazing book, and so beautifully read. Thank you for the privilege of its hearing.

Brilliant evocative writing; decent narration

By all accounts, the author did not, as one would assume, grow up in South Wales mining family. His portrait of that world is based largely on conversations with others. THe picture of late 19th century life in South Wales is very vivid, although obviously highly idealized in places. The language is beautiful and captures in a stylized way the idioms of the region. Sometimes, especially in the last third of the book, he gets a bit carried away trying to write something like prose poetry and it comes across as forced, or sentimental, or simply over the top. The narrator is OK, but it would be much better if he had a genuine Welsh accent. The prose would read better if read with more of a sweet lilt.

Lovely, Lyrical Story of a Lost Era

What did you love best about How Green Was My Valley?

I felt like I was glimpsing a lost world, honestly and lovingly portrayed. I could feel the changes - the loss, over the lifetime of the narrator, of a way of life as the lovely green valley was transformed into a slag heap and the young people were forced to moved away to find work. I could see the mountains and streams. I could hear the voices sing. I grew to know and care about the community and individuals in the story.

Who was your favorite character and why?

The narrator portrayed his people in his family and others with loving stories so it is hard to pick, but perhaps it is the parents whom I appreciated the most. The father worked so hard so that his sons would have a better life. While some of his values were rigid, by today's standards, overall, he was ruled by reason and caring and retained his moral compass even when it wasn't convenient. The mother, though limited educationally, was very courageous and stood up for her husband and children at risk of her own life. I also really like the minister in town, who chose a life of helping people over material wealth.

Which scene was your favorite?

So many great scenes it is hard to pick. One of the most vivid was the scene where the mother climbed the mountain at night to stand on a rock and admonished the mob about their evil tongues. Afterwards, on her way down, she takes a tumble and her young son saves her life, at great risk to himself - such courage!

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

The entire sweep of the story was moving.

Any additional comments?

While this story was written in 1939, it does not suffer from age. It is set at a period in time, but has something to teach us about our own time - universal themes.

I've loved this book my whole life

what a beautiful rendering of this timeless work, first heard when my mother read it to me more than 50 years ago