Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #154 in Books
• Published on: 2007-12-27
• Binding: Paperback
• 352 pages

Maggie O'Farrell, Observer Books of the Year
'A beautifully crafted, lyrical novel'

Independent
'Subtle and engrossing, this is a book about language and identity, about finding a place and about the important things'

Sunday Telegraph
'A moving, memorable and beautifully written book about displacement and its opposite...a gripping human story'

Customer Reviews

Disappointing
I'm really sad to say that I did not really enjoy this book. I think a lot of reviews have picked up on the fact that the blurb on the back of the book in no way resembles the actual storyline, which causes a bit of confusion, and also that the book does meander along for a while before any real plot or drive kicks in. By which time, I had lost any passion for the book. I did like the character of Esther and the German soldier but I felt that the storyline wasn't fluid enough. At times, I would really start to enjoy the book and get immersed in it, but then it would go off on a tangent or begin rambling, that I would lose interest all over again. It isn't a long book - only 250ish pages - but it still took me ages to read because I just wasn't that enthusiastic to pick it up. It wasn't so awful that I stopped reading it and I perservered all the way to the end. But in a world of so many beautiful books, i felt this one was a bit of a waste of time and I wouldn't recommend it. Another disappointing R&J pick I think.

"a short-story writer"
I had huge hopes for this book having read extracts published by Granta. The characters are well defined to begin with and there are intelligent balances at play - such as the German refugee at work interrogating his fellow countrymen (and meeting his match in Hess), the line between bravery and cowardice, or how the English soldiers and German POWs are viewed in the Welsh village.

However the book dips through the middle section - the characters seem to blend into each other and all the wartime clichés are slowly worked over. Time seems to slow, like we are being held as prisoners, although I am not sure this is intentional!

The interrogator and Hess are merely a side show with little if any bearing on the main plot - indeed the whole thing looks bolted together in a clumsy way.

Davies is know as a short-story writer, and on this basis sadly that is what he should remain.

A well written novel - but lacks wow
The Welsh Girl is an odd compendium of different stories. Firstly, we have the intriguingly named Rotheram, a German émigré who is working for the British army in 1944, trying to work out whether Rudolph Hess is fit to be tried.

Then we have the story of Esther Williams, the Welsh Girl of the title, as she adapts to the arrival of evacuees and her own little bundle of joy, whilst she deals with the loss of her mother and various friends.

And then there is the story of Karsten, a German prisoner of war.

The three stories overlap only tangentially, due to collocation in a Welsh speaking village. They have common themes, though, in exploring concepts of loss, shame, guilt, nationalist patriotism, freedom and, perhaps, hope. The stories are competently told - although there does seem to be some needless fuzziness over whether and when Karsten learns Esther's name. They have some complexity but are told in perfectly lucid fashion. The language feels plain, but probably isn't.

The characterization is strong. The key characters have depths of feeling and insecurity that are graphically communicated. This depth of character extends even to careful, albeit brief, depiction of some of the bit part players: Jack the barman, Jim the evacuee; the Major; Hess and all. The imagery of the Welsh countryside is also strong, with the fields and the slate mine adding a contrast of textures.

In terms of style, there is a good balance between the serious themes and the humour provided by Harry and Mary, a couple of radio entertainers who are broadcasting from the relative safety of Wales. This is welcome relief in what might, otherwise, be a rather intense work. There are also some metaphors that would probably dazzle if one thought about them for long enough - the instinct of sheep to remain within their territory is perhaps laid on a bit too thick, but is effective nonetheless.

But the Achilles heel of the novel is that it feels a little too clinical. Like the stylized travel poster cover, the novel feels just a bit sterile. There isn't quite enough emotion to draw the reader into any of the characters and the direction of the story lines is rather predictable. The reader has a role of impartial observer rather than feeling involved in the process. The final epilogue is too long and would have detracted from any emotional crescendo at the end of the final chapter - had there really been a crescendo.

The Welsh Girl is a well written novel of substance, but it does seem to lack the wow factor that could have made it a great.