A Small Country

Seren Classics

by Siân James

A Small Country is the story of the Evans family, farmers in Carmarthenshire. In the summer of 1914 son Tom returns from Oxford to find the family falling apart. His handsome father has gone to live with schoolmistress Miriam Lewis, who is to have his child. His mother, broken-hearted, lies ill in bed, while his beautiful sister Catrin longs to leave for London and art college. Soon Tom's university friend Edward will arrive to holiday with them, half-aware of his attraction to Catrin, but already engaged to Rose, a supporter of the Suffragettes. And Tom himself is in debt and disillusioned with his proposed legal career. He would like to manage Hendre Ddu, the family farm, but finds his family troubles and the approach of war set him on a very different course.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction

183 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1979

About the author

Siân James was a Welsh novelist who wrote in English.

James attended the University of Wales, Aberystwyth. She was a Fellow of the University of Wales, Aberystwyth, and was awarded an Honorary Doctorate by the University of Glamorgan. She was a Fellow of the Welsh Academy. She twice won the Yorkshire Post Prize, and her third novel, A Small Country, has come to be regarded as a classic of Anglo-Welsh literature. In 2006, A Small Country was made into a Welsh-language TV series (Calon Gaeth), which won the 2007 Bafta Cymru award for Best Drama/Drama Serial for Television.

(from Wikipedia)

Reviews

[Ginny · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very engaging read. She writes the landscape in a simple but evocative way that enables the reader to physically immerse in it. It left me wishing it was longer, and checking, I see there is a sequel! Return to Hendre Ddu I did wish that the outcomes for characters I quickly learned to care about could have been less tragic.

[Holly · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this carefully crafted family drama set in South Wales and was pleasantly surprised by the unexpected paths that the characters took. Conjures a time and place perfectly. Definitely recommended.

[Francesca Ricciardi · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good read.

[CW Howell · Rating 4 out of 5]

A lovely old-fashioned story of rural Ireland. Followed by Return to Hendre Ddu. Both are short and should be read together.
Beautiful writer.

[Sarah Kennedy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved this short novel about rural Wales. The spare, austere narration and the earthy characters all make this novel about passion and family a beautiful study in character and country. Although Wales and its traditions are always at the center of the descriptions and actions, the book reminded me of the best Thomas Hardy novels: unflinching in its appraisal of human behavior and misbehavior but deeply sympathetic to all. http://sarahkennedybooks.com

[Melita Thomas · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent depiction of rural life in West Wales before and during the Great War.