A magical little chronicle of a Welsh girl's childhood.
Plot
Pengarth, a small, remote country farm on the Welsh Border, is the magical childhood home of Lucy Gwyn and her siblings at the turn of the twentieth century. Young, free-spirited, energetic Lucy whirls through her childhood, dancing to the enchanting beat of rural life, seeing a world of springtime and warm summer, harvest-time and bleak winter, not through the eyes of weary adulthood, but through the fresh, excited eyes of a child.
Morality
Society was still very Christian during Lucy’s childhood. Lucy is usually very good about doing what is right; as with any child, there are occasions where she is disobedient, rude, or thoughtless, but she is usually ashamed of herself immediately afterward or punished.
Spiritual Content
The Gwyn children were brought up learning passages of Scripture by heart, and Lucy reflects, if a little erroneously, on theological matters. Several people in Lucy’s sphere are rectors.
Violence
None.
Drug and Alcohol Content
People smoke pipes. The adults drink wine.
Sexual Content
None.
Crude or Profane Language or Content
None.
Conclusion
This is not a children’s story. This is a story about children, about their rural life in the Welsh Border country, about their magical playtime, about the world as seen through eyes that have not yet been marred by adult worry and care. Full to the brim with Welsh beauty, overflowing with the enchantment of a young girl’s imagination, this little book is as sophisticated as it is elfin, a brief and fleeting chronicle of childhood, its beauty made almost painful by its very brevity. This is a book for all ages, for the child and the child-like.
This review is brought to you by Jenny.
