Richard Llewellyn’s heart-warming novel is set in the coal-mining valleys of South Wales. Although recounted by an adult, the action is seen through the eyes of a little boy as he recollects his day-to-day life and all the emotions he experienced while growing up, when his green valley was yet untarnished by the piles of slag from the coal mines.

Huw, the only survivor in the large Morgan family at the beginning of the narration, is preparing to leave the house where he grew up due to its proximity to one of the slag piles threatening to collapse at any moment. The sadness in that departure leads him to recall all the joyful moments and anguished times his family spent in that cherished house.

With a delightful innocence, Huw reveals to the reader details that would go unnoticed by a grown-up – all his fears and doubts, the warmth and love in his home, his platonic love for his sister-in-law Bronwen – sketching all the while a vivid picture of his community, in which the pastor has a central role. The struggle for fair wages and the creation of unions by two of Huw’s brothers are main themes in the novel, as well as Huw’s academic distinction that sets him apart from his miner father and brothers. His sisters are only expected to make a good marriage and they do so, except for one whose requited love for the local preacher is denied for the sake of convenience and marries a wealthy man she doesn’t love.

All the dramas are keenly observed by Huw even when he’s still too young to fully understand them. The harmonious balance of the several themes and the narrator’s sincerity make for a captivating read.