how green was my valley

"How Green Was My Valley" is a 1939 novel by Richard Llewellyn that tells the story of the Morgan family, a respectable mining family living in the South Wales Valleys, through the eyes of the youngest son, Huw Morgan. The narrative is set during the reigns of Queen Victoria and King Edward VII and portrays the life of a Welsh mining community from a personal and social perspective. Huw, the protagonist, is academically gifted and aspires to a life beyond the mines, but his ambitions are curtailed following a conflict at school related to his Welsh heritage. The novel delves into the lives of Huw's family members, including his brothers who work as miners, his sister Angharad who marries the mine owner's son unhappily, and the tragic deaths of his eldest brother Ivor and later his father in mining accidents. The story captures the transformation of the valley over time—the environmental degradation due to mining, the erosion of traditional ways of life, and the social upheavals faced by the community. As members of the family move away or pass on, and the village deteriorates, Huw eventually decides to leave as well, reflecting on the changes and losses experienced in the valley. The novel is both a coming- of-age tale and a poignant reflection on family, community, industrialization, and change, highlighting how the once lush and vibrant valley becomes marred by mining activities and economic decline. It is narrated by Huw as he recounts his life and the history of his home before his departure.