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This book arose in a period when I was living in Wales and travelled through the land. I developed a great feeling for the country. There are many reservoirs, and in particular one where a village was drowned, the inhabitants forced to move away, and where it is said the church bells can be heard to toll, in the night, at the time of great disaster.
It started with a thought of ‘what if?’ the germ of how many good tales arise. And so came about the story of a man forced off his land, losing his birthright; the genesis of Llywelyn, Nerys, Howard, Iolo, Tom, Megan, Brendan, and all the others, not forgetting little Davie, and of course the little lambs.
I’ve tried not make the writing too florid, though the land excites it. There is homage to Dylan Thomas, R S Thomas, Edward Thomas(!) and the great tradition of Welsh Literature, the Eistedford, and all the arts. Who knows? may I dare to hope that ‘Llywelyn’ will one day form a tiny part of that colossal heritage.
Reviewed by Divine Zape for Readers' Favorite
Llywelyn by Michael Hill is an interesting story set in a small, beautiful valley in Wales. Llywelyn has lived and farmed in this village all his life, but now he is about to lose everything and he is helpless about it. The valley has been taken over for a reservoir and no matter how much fight he puts up, he knows he is losing the battle. His daughter, Nerys, has issues of her own and while taking care of her son, Davie, she still has to help her father keep his sanity. The father of her son wants to save their relationship but, being a violent man, his influence on Llywelyn scares Nerys. While the work on the reservoir continues, a lot of drama takes place and the reader wonders if there can be any hope for the farmer.
Michael Hill captures the experience of change in a rural setting with intelligence and infuses the writing with a lot of realism. The characters are real and it is interesting to follow the many relationships happening between characters, the jealousies, the hatred and the kind of insanity that happens when change is introduced into a rural setting. The prose is beautiful and the author captures stunning images of the locales and gives readers an idea of the strong relationship between the protagonist and the earth he has worked all his life. Themes of change, family, love, and the struggle for survival are ingeniously woven into this exciting story. It's an engaging read with characters that are tangible and memorable.
