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The Seventh Valley: The Story of Eschol in Four Acts
Eschol lies in the last of seven adjoined valleys in the heart of the north of England. Not so much a town, but a village with a post office and pub, and several small holdings throughout the gorge of the rough hardy terrain. Several farms and cottages lay in the valley along with the church, although the rest of the village was higher up at the top of the hill.
It has changed very little in hundreds of years. It is far enough away from any city to have escaped bombings in the war, but big enough to be seen as a potential area for growth by a company such as Tidal Construction.
The Seventh Valley weaves a tale of people in discord when money and power struggles cause rifts in a peaceful little town.The valley awaits.
"An exceptional novella, brimming with authentic community detail. The plot spans decades from the end of the second world war, and the interweaving stories are both delightful and deep. Stephen Murphy has got it."
- Paul Draper - author of Black Gate Tales.
"Stephen Murphy's stories are...full of a northern surrealism that would often be tragic if it wasn't so funny."
- David Swann - author of The Privilege of Rain.
It has changed very little in hundreds of years. It is far enough away from any city to have escaped bombings in the war, but big enough to be seen as a potential area for growth by a company such as Tidal Construction.
The Seventh Valley weaves a tale of people in discord when money and power struggles cause rifts in a peaceful little town.The valley awaits.
"An exceptional novella, brimming with authentic community detail. The plot spans decades from the end of the second world war, and the interweaving stories are both delightful and deep. Stephen Murphy has got it."
- Paul Draper - author of Black Gate Tales.
"Stephen Murphy's stories are...full of a northern surrealism that would often be tragic if it wasn't so funny."
- David Swann - author of The Privilege of Rain.
152 pages, Kindle Edition
Published December 10, 2024
2 people want to read
About the author
Stephen Murphy
7 books4 followersAuthor of the novel 'Something Worth Finding' which consists of three stories, the second of which was turned into a feature film entitled 'Marvin's Song' and is available on amazon.
Stephen's latest book is a slice of life in the north of England over two time periods with lots of intrigue and drama, entitled 'The Seventh Valley'.
The Savoy and other stories is a collection of short stories also available in paperback and e-book, published by Blackgate Media.
Also written by the author is a whimsical poetry book for all ages complete with wonderful illustrations by Demi Beresford, and a study on the art of the long take in cinema, entitled 'Keeping it Long: Why filmmakers use the long-take and its relevance to a modern cinema audience' which was researched and written in his time as a television cameraman.
Stephen is married with two children, lives in Lancashire, UK and teaches film production at Salford University while running a successful film festival (www.penninefilm.com).
Stephen's latest book is a slice of life in the north of England over two time periods with lots of intrigue and drama, entitled 'The Seventh Valley'.
The Savoy and other stories is a collection of short stories also available in paperback and e-book, published by Blackgate Media.
Also written by the author is a whimsical poetry book for all ages complete with wonderful illustrations by Demi Beresford, and a study on the art of the long take in cinema, entitled 'Keeping it Long: Why filmmakers use the long-take and its relevance to a modern cinema audience' which was researched and written in his time as a television cameraman.
Stephen is married with two children, lives in Lancashire, UK and teaches film production at Salford University while running a successful film festival (www.penninefilm.com).
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
January 16, 2025
As cosy as it gets, there is something particularly warm and nostalgic about the dual-timeline narrative of this simple yet poignant tale set in a fictional northern English village. For such a short offering, it feels surprisingly profound and layered, particularly when the tales interlink. This is a book which simultaneously both immerses us in its emotional depths while actually not laying the sentiment too thickly; it lets us make our own way there, with our own thoughts and feelings about the ambiguity of its characters and situations. There are no real good people or bad people, and not really situations which are clearly right or wrong – although, that said, there does feel like a rather subtle allegory of the irreparable harm corporate business does to communities and the quaintness of culture. It is primarily a study of people and their relationships to each other. Of course, when the revelation comes, whilst not entirely surprising, it is still a bit of a shocker.
This is frankly a wonderful offering from Stephen Murphy, and I must say I enjoyed every moment of reading it. Indeed, I couldn’t put it down; it just felt pleasant to be reading. High melodrama it isn’t, nor mystery or suspense; even the drama is elegantly underplayed. And that’s probably its greatest strength. Stephen is an author who seems to like and respect his reader, and also clearly has a fondness for the world and the characters he has created. He imparts his narrative with the same thoughtfulness and humanity one would imagine he has for it in his mind. It was, in some ways, quite sad to leave this group, and I do hope, if he hasn’t already done so, that Stephen considers sharing more tales from Eschol. There were, I felt, one or two loose ends – not out of any negligence on the author’s part, by any means, but rather because the interconnected tales of everyday life have a soapy feel – which I would love to revisit in another book, and perhaps one or two small teases or characters which could be expanded by their own stories.
All in all, a very enjoyable read for those who favour the simple, cosy drama of Sunday evening TV, in the mould of Heartbeat or Doc Martin. Even if you don’t like that sort of thing, I recommend you take a break from the serious stuff and take a look at this clever, light-hearted drama.
This is frankly a wonderful offering from Stephen Murphy, and I must say I enjoyed every moment of reading it. Indeed, I couldn’t put it down; it just felt pleasant to be reading. High melodrama it isn’t, nor mystery or suspense; even the drama is elegantly underplayed. And that’s probably its greatest strength. Stephen is an author who seems to like and respect his reader, and also clearly has a fondness for the world and the characters he has created. He imparts his narrative with the same thoughtfulness and humanity one would imagine he has for it in his mind. It was, in some ways, quite sad to leave this group, and I do hope, if he hasn’t already done so, that Stephen considers sharing more tales from Eschol. There were, I felt, one or two loose ends – not out of any negligence on the author’s part, by any means, but rather because the interconnected tales of everyday life have a soapy feel – which I would love to revisit in another book, and perhaps one or two small teases or characters which could be expanded by their own stories.
All in all, a very enjoyable read for those who favour the simple, cosy drama of Sunday evening TV, in the mould of Heartbeat or Doc Martin. Even if you don’t like that sort of thing, I recommend you take a break from the serious stuff and take a look at this clever, light-hearted drama.
Displaying 1 of 1 review