What do you think?
Rate this book
Edau bywyd
An intriguing novel which is a skilful weave of striking images, providing the reader with a brief snapshot of the lives of a number of people on one particular day. We gradually come to realise that their lives are entwined, and the bond is a taut one which can't be broken ...
140 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2013
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 of 1 review
October 12, 2015
[English follows]
Edau, thema cystadleuaeth yr Eisteddfod Genedlaethol ym 2013 (?). Ni wnaeth y nofel yma ennill, ond mae yma mwy o stori na beth sydd yn yr un a enillodd, os ydw i'n cofio'n iawn. Mae popeth yn digwydd mewn un diwrnod ac yr ydym ni'n cael cip ar fywydau pobl gwahanol mewn rhannau gwahanol o Gymru, rhai ohonynt yn gysylltiedig a'u gilydd. Meddwl bod y syniad yn un da iawn: gan fod dim ond un diwrnod, tyngedfennol i rai, sydd, nid oes modd gwybod beth sy'n mynd i ddigwydd nesaf, felly mae'n gadael lot o gyfle i ddychymyg y darllenydd weithio. Er bod ni yn gwybod am y cysylltiadau nid yw'r cymeriadau eu hunain yn ymwybodol bob tro. Yr unig peth nad oeddwn i'n hoffi cymaint oedd bod bron popeth a oedd yn digwydd yn arswydus, neu yn cyfleu hunllefau pob riant, neu hyd yn oed yn ddelwedd o dudalennau y wasg boblogaidd yn geisio rhoi ofn i bawb. Felly, mae bwrgleriaeth yn ystod angladd (ond yr un yma wedi cael ei drefnu gan aelod y teulu); hen ddynes yn dioddef ymosodiad yn ei chartref; menyw canol oed yn cael ei threisio yn ei chartref; rhieni wedi colli eu plant; plant wedi colli eu rhieni; plentyn sydd wedi diflannu (mae nifer o fomentau Madeleine McCann yn ymddangos mewn ffuglen bellach); llofruddiaethau; salwch terfynol; salwch meddwl; marwolaeth mewn damwain - ayyb. "Rhy gormod", fel nad ydynt i fod i ddweud! Ond, mae'r syniad o ddiwrnod a chysylltiadau cuddiedig neu fel arall rhwng y bobl yn un da, ac bydd y nofel grefftus hon yn aros yn y cof.
"Threads", the competition theme for the National Eisteddfod's prose medal in 2013 (?). This novel did not win, but if I remember the winner correctly it had less of a story than this one. Everything happens over the course of one day and we get glimpses of different people in different parts of Wales, some of them connected to each other. I think the idea is good: as there is only one - fateful, for some - day we cannot know what is going to happen next, which leaves a lot of scope for the reader's imagination. Although we know about the connections the characters themselves are often not aware of them. The one thing I did not like was that nearly everything that happened was horrific, or conveyed the nightmares of every parent, or was even like the reflection of the sensational popular press trying to frighten everyone. Thus, there is a burglary which takes place during a funeral (but this one has been arranged by a member of the family); an elderly lady attacked in her own home; a middle aged woman raped in hers; parents who have lost children; children who have lost parents; a child who has disappeared (Madeleine McCann moments are appearing quite often in fiction); murders; terminal illness; mental illness; death in an accident - and so on. All a bit too much! But, the idea of the connections, hidden or otherwise, between people in the framework of a single day is a good one, and this carefully crafted novel is a memorable one.
Edau, thema cystadleuaeth yr Eisteddfod Genedlaethol ym 2013 (?). Ni wnaeth y nofel yma ennill, ond mae yma mwy o stori na beth sydd yn yr un a enillodd, os ydw i'n cofio'n iawn. Mae popeth yn digwydd mewn un diwrnod ac yr ydym ni'n cael cip ar fywydau pobl gwahanol mewn rhannau gwahanol o Gymru, rhai ohonynt yn gysylltiedig a'u gilydd. Meddwl bod y syniad yn un da iawn: gan fod dim ond un diwrnod, tyngedfennol i rai, sydd, nid oes modd gwybod beth sy'n mynd i ddigwydd nesaf, felly mae'n gadael lot o gyfle i ddychymyg y darllenydd weithio. Er bod ni yn gwybod am y cysylltiadau nid yw'r cymeriadau eu hunain yn ymwybodol bob tro. Yr unig peth nad oeddwn i'n hoffi cymaint oedd bod bron popeth a oedd yn digwydd yn arswydus, neu yn cyfleu hunllefau pob riant, neu hyd yn oed yn ddelwedd o dudalennau y wasg boblogaidd yn geisio rhoi ofn i bawb. Felly, mae bwrgleriaeth yn ystod angladd (ond yr un yma wedi cael ei drefnu gan aelod y teulu); hen ddynes yn dioddef ymosodiad yn ei chartref; menyw canol oed yn cael ei threisio yn ei chartref; rhieni wedi colli eu plant; plant wedi colli eu rhieni; plentyn sydd wedi diflannu (mae nifer o fomentau Madeleine McCann yn ymddangos mewn ffuglen bellach); llofruddiaethau; salwch terfynol; salwch meddwl; marwolaeth mewn damwain - ayyb. "Rhy gormod", fel nad ydynt i fod i ddweud! Ond, mae'r syniad o ddiwrnod a chysylltiadau cuddiedig neu fel arall rhwng y bobl yn un da, ac bydd y nofel grefftus hon yn aros yn y cof.
"Threads", the competition theme for the National Eisteddfod's prose medal in 2013 (?). This novel did not win, but if I remember the winner correctly it had less of a story than this one. Everything happens over the course of one day and we get glimpses of different people in different parts of Wales, some of them connected to each other. I think the idea is good: as there is only one - fateful, for some - day we cannot know what is going to happen next, which leaves a lot of scope for the reader's imagination. Although we know about the connections the characters themselves are often not aware of them. The one thing I did not like was that nearly everything that happened was horrific, or conveyed the nightmares of every parent, or was even like the reflection of the sensational popular press trying to frighten everyone. Thus, there is a burglary which takes place during a funeral (but this one has been arranged by a member of the family); an elderly lady attacked in her own home; a middle aged woman raped in hers; parents who have lost children; children who have lost parents; a child who has disappeared (Madeleine McCann moments are appearing quite often in fiction); murders; terminal illness; mental illness; death in an accident - and so on. All a bit too much! But, the idea of the connections, hidden or otherwise, between people in the framework of a single day is a good one, and this carefully crafted novel is a memorable one.
Displaying 1 of 1 review