The Battle to the Weak

by Hilda Vaughan

A forgotten Welsh novel, first published in 1925, this love story is also a portrait offinds new strength and organic spirituality.

288 pages, ebook

First published January 1, 1925

About the author

Hilda Vaughan was a Welsh novelist writing in English. She was a descendant of Henry Vaughan and was married to novelist Charles Morgan.

Reviews

[J A · Rating 5 out of 5]

The most accomplished work I have read so far in the Library of Wales series. It's staggering to consider that this is Vaughan's first novel. She has such a grasp of place and people that she can render a scene with absolute perfection, and have believable persons inhabit it. In the seaside town of Aberdusal, Esther Bevan engages in a young romance with Rhys Lloyd whilst holidaying with her Aunt Polly. Unbeknownst to the pair, the families to which they belong back in rural Radnorshire have been engaged in a bitter rivalry over farming land; when they return there, their love is thwarted at every turn by the hostility of the families, and later by the growing dependency of the Bevans on Esther.

The story is more than simply a romance, although it is a fantastic example of that. Circling around Esther are characters who stand (or frequently fall) as real people; who frequently let themselves down or hurt others without particularly intending to. This is where Vaughan weaves in the title of her book, as Esther chooses in every instance to protect the weak and vulnerable, even at the expense of her love for Rhys. The thread is a most subtle one, but beautifully evoked at the end, where there is a sort of epiphany.

I think this strikes at why I found this to be a greater text than others I have read in the Library of Wales series. All of them have had spectacular moments (Dorothy Edwards), astute social commentary (The Heyday in the Blood) and intense relationships (Turf or Stone); but this was the one that pulled everything together, and sustained it over the greatest amount of pages. It has a sort of accumulating intensity that is mesmerising, and renders the conclusion especially powerful.

[Johanna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hilda Vaughan at her best.

[Lucienne Boyce · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another stunning novel from Hilda Vaughan. Chapel clashes with church and old family feuds keep lovers apart. A beautifully written book, deeply rooted in Wales - yet it's not a romantic Wales - life is harsh in the hills, and drink, violence, pettiness and spite riddle small communities.

I can't wait to read another Vaughan novel.

[Lesley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Oh well, after all that misery and suffering, finally a reasonably happy ending for Esther and for her cousin Megan (and for Rhys too, I suppose)