The Welsh Girl (edit title)

• Rated 0 stars

“excellent character studies, flowing story, amazing scenery, leaves you with things to think about”

• Rated 3 stars

“I finished this book with an increasing respect for the skill involved in it: mainly some interesing considerations on the whole psychology of war-time capture issue, particularly in the sections on Rudolph Hess but reflected throughout the story, and the adroit way in which Davies handles tense.



On the other hand, I found myself suspicious of occasional words and phrases that felt too recent to support the 1940s setting.

I don't believe this book will stand out in my memory. I didn't NOT enjoy it. It just doesn't seem to have particular value for me. Given what I said above, it might be one of the many books that I would grow to appreciate much more if I ever studied it in a class or group. But for now, it's a low 3 stars for me.”

• Rated 3 stars

“a nice read...engaging, empathic story set in a Welsh town, the site of a German POW camp during WW ll. The novel mines the reasons and consequences of war
on a personal level among the German prisoners, a pregnant farmer girl, her father's hatred of the English occupiers and the compromises we make to live and love. Below concepts of bravery, cowardice, Fatherland, and nationalism is cynefin-a sheep's innate sense of place and likewise-a people's connection to their origins. ”

• Rated 4 stars

“This is a marvelous novel. Written by Peter Ho Davies, http://www.peterhodavies.com/, it tells the tale of life in a Welsh village during World War II through the eyes of a bright and independent bar waitress. The novel's other lead voices include a German POW and a British interrogator charged with breaking Rudolph Hess. The Welsh suffer two invasions -- one by the English, and one by the Germans when a prison camp is set up near by. There are some very elegant plot twists. I learned a lot about sheep farming and the concept of cynefin too! Ho Davies teaches in the University of Michigan graduate writing program.”

• Rated 3 stars

“Hm. I can't say this had me diving into it at every opportunity. I was curious about this book as it's won awards and such and a lot of people seem to read it. It was an interesting story, but I wasn't enamoured. I didn't want to give it two stars because I didn't not like it, it just didn't grab me much either, and the ending wasn't very conclusive.”

• Rated 4 stars

“Fascinating book. It really gave me insight into the relationship between the Welsh and English, especially prior to and during World War II. ”

• Rated 4 stars

“A good read. I borrowed this book from Heather, a good friend who reads the same sort of book as I do.
”

• Rated 5 stars

“Outstanding. One of the finest novels I have read in the last 5 years. Set in Wales during World War II, an interesting setting historically and geographically. The Welsh people in a small village, their attitudes towards the war, the English and the Germans are very interesting. The heart of the book is the two main characters, Esther, the Welsh girl, and Karsten, a German prisoner-of-war. Both are drawn in great detail and depth, Esther more than Karsten. The book reflects on the meaning of war, of a person's place in the world (cynefin), the importance of country and, to a lesser degree, the importance of family.

The other people in the book are interesting and also given quite a bit of character development. Rotherham, the third "key" character, comes to the conclusion that having no country, no ties to a fatherland, makes him free. Esther and Karsten, on the other hand, find that their place in the world helps define them, and perhaps also limits them.

Beautiful. Short listed for the Booker prize. Read it!”

• Rated 3 stars

“The location was very entertaining since my mother was 18 years old in 1939 and lived in north Wales. The story is misrepresented on the cover though since there is very little contact between the two main characters. The character development is good and the story of the child evacuees educational. It does seem to straggle to an end and the side story on Rotherham and Hess seems almost an afterthought. Glad I read it but would not read it a second time.
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• Rated 1 stars

“again, yuck! starts with a rape scene and decends from there. except he never actually gets to the plot mentioned on the back of the book. how did this guy get on a literary award list at all? and again, the story line looked soooo great. peter, peter pumpkin eater had a reader and couldn't keep her!”