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The Welsh Girl

Author: Peter Ho Davies
Publisher: Sceptre
Category: Book

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Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

20 reviews
Sales Rank: 421

Media: Paperback
Pages: 352
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.5
Dimensions (in): 7.7 x 5 x 1.1

ISBN: 0340938277
EAN: 9780340938270
ASIN: 0340938277

Publication Date: December 27, 2007
Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days
Shipping: International shipping available
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Customer Reviews: Read 15 more reviews...

4 out of 5 stars

a real sense of time and place June 17, 2008
2 out of 3 found this review helpful

In his debut novel Resistance, the Welsh writer Owen Sheers imagined a Wales occupied by Nazi troops and in one particular valley, deserted by its men, who have taken to the hills, it is the women who have to learn to live with the real meaning of occupation and the cost of survival. In Peter Ho Davies' own debut there are German troops in Wales again, this time as prisoners of war, but these are still two cultures learning to live in close proximity and questions arise about loyalty, honour and identity. Whilst Sheers' novel had the advantages of immediacy and confrontation, Davies' novel creates an equally strong sense of place with subtly nuanced detail and beautiful structure. Both books provide a unique perspective on war and whilst Davies gets off to a slow start the three strands of his narrative come slowly together, the tension increasing between them as he ties up the loose ends.

The Welsh Girl of the title is Esther, a 17 year old growing up quickly whilst frighteningly naive about the world around her. Having turned down a proposal of marriage from local boy Rhys she is subjected to a violent assault from one of the English soldiers building a new camp nearby. In fact she is raped but she herself is confused by the nature of the attack.

'If she had to call it anything, she thinks now, groping for the word, she'd call it a misunderstanding. He meant one thing, she meant another.'

She will spend the rest of the novel dealing with the fallout from this event whilst at the same time looking after Jim, a young evacuee. For both of them, the building of the new prisoner of war camp brings the war very much to their doorstep, forcing them both to think honestly about the real differences between themselves and the men on the other side of the wire. For the whole village in fact, the arrival offirst the English soldiers and then the new prisoners gives rise to different expressions of nationalism.

Rotheram is a young German in exile now working with British forces and sent to interrogate Rudolf Hess. The question: Is he sane enough to stand trial? Hess is quick to spot the Jewish heritage of Rotheram and so a dialogue starts between them about identity.

'We have something in common, you and I. The same dilemma. Are we who we think we are, or who others judge us to be? A question of will perhaps.' He glanced over Rotheram's shoulder, and then back, meeting his eyes. 'How can you hope to judge me, Captain, if you can't decide about yourself?'

The Hess episodes are a small part of the whole, bookending the narrative, but Rotheram will appear again to interview one of the German POW's being held in a new constructed camp. Karsten Simmering, having surrendered from his position during the D-Day landings, is subjected to abuse from his fellow prisoners as well as putting himself through the ringer.

'It comes to Karsten slowly that their surrender wasn't that one moment already past, at the mouth of the bunker, but somehow will go on and on. He wonders what more they'll have to give up before it's over. Everything but their lives, probably.'

From the camp the prisoners are watched by a group of local boys who are fascinated by these new arrivals. They grow in confidence, edging ever closer to the wire to hurl their insults and make fun of the internees. It is here that Karsten is able to befriend Jim, hoping to learn first of the all the name of the young girl he has seen him with. His first gift, a pair of planes, crudely crafted from bed slats with propellers made from gun casings are well received.

'For a slow moment Karsten feels bereft...But when he sees the boy running uphill, the planes whipping over the long grass, banking around the tree trunks, sailing towards the crest, it comes to Karsten that this is what he has wanted all along, for the planes to go where he can't.'

A moment of opportunism will bring all of these characters closer together and force Esther to make her biggest steps into the adult world. Crucial to this book is a single word that Esther's father teaches her whilst tending their sheep; cynefin, 'the flock's sense of place, of territory' This sense, passed down from mother to daughter (with male lambs being sold off it is the females that remain in place) is emblematic of what many of the characters realise during this turbulent period. Esther will come to realise that cynefin 'is the essential nationalism, not her father's windy brand, but this secret bond between mothers and daughters, described by a word the English have no equivalent for.'

3 out of 5 stars

Lacks feeling June 15, 2008
1 out of 2 found this review helpful

As other reviewers have stated, The Welsh Girl consists of three stories, that of Esther, the Welsh girl of the title, Karsten, a German prisoner of war, and Captain Rotheram, a German whose father was Jewish, working for British Intelligence and sent to assess whether Rudolph Hess was fit to stand trial. Without spoiling the story for those who haven't read it, suffice it to say that while Esther's and Karsten's stories became intertwined as the book progressed, I could see little connection with Rotheram, apart from a brief interlude in the village where Esther lived. Indeed, I wonder whether omitting the Rotherham/Hess sections would resulted in any significant loss, although the book would have had a slightly narrower perspective.

That said, I enjoyed reading it. The descriptions of life in a Welsh village in the closing months of the second World War were realistic and often vivid, and there was an enormous sense of nationalism, sometimes almost to the point of being overstated. The characters were real and interesting, but the book lacked emotional content, especially so far as Esther was concerned. What did she actually feel when various significant things happened to her? It's as if I was a bystander, being told about these events but never fully engaging with her.

Despite the shortcomings though it's quite a good read. Give it a try and see what you think.

2 out of 5 stars

Disappointing May 13, 2008
4 out of 6 found this review helpful

I'm really sad to say that I did not really enjoy this book. I think a lot of reviews have picked up on the fact that the blurb on the back of the book in no way resembles the actual storyline, which causes a bit of confusion, and also that the book does meander along for a while before any real plot or drive kicks in. By which time, I had lost any passion for the book. I did like the character of Esther and the German soldier but I felt that the storyline wasn't fluid enough. At times, I would really start to enjoy the book and get immersed in it, but then it would go off on a tangent or begin rambling, that I would lose interest all over again. It isn't a long book - only 250ish pages - but it still took me ages to read because I just wasn't that enthusiastic to pick it up. It wasn't so awful that I stopped reading it and I perservered all the way to the end. But in a world of so many beautiful books, i felt this one was a bit of a waste of time and I wouldn't recommend it. Another disappointing R&J pick I think.

3 out of 5 stars

"a short-story writer" May 10, 2008
1 out of 3 found this review helpful

I had huge hopes for this book having read extracts published by Granta. The characters are well defined to begin with and there are intelligent balances at play - such as the German refugee at work interrogating his fellow countrymen (and meeting his match in Hess), the line between bravery and cowardice, or how the English soldiers and German POWs are viewed in the Welsh village.

However the book dips through the middle section - the characters seem to blend into each other and all the wartime cliches are slowly worked over. Time seems to slow, like we are being held as prisoners, although I am not sure this is intentional!

The interrogator and Hess are merely a side show with little if any bearing on the main plot - indeed the whole thing looks bolted together in a clumsy way.

In short - some excellent writing in parts which has not been sustained throughout. Davies is know as a short-story writer, and on this basis, sadly, that would appear to be his strength.

4 out of 5 stars

A well written novel - but lacks wow April 28, 2008
9 out of 9 found this review helpful

The Welsh Girl is an odd compendium of different stories. Firstly, we have the intriguingly named Rotheram, a German emigre who is working for the British army in 1944, trying to work out whether Rudolph Hess is fit to be tried.

Then we have the story of Esther Williams, the Welsh Girl of the title, as she adapts to the arrival of evacuees and her own little bundle of joy, whilst she deals with the loss of her mother and various friends.

And then there is the story of Karsten, a German prisoner of war.

The three stories overlap only tangentially, due to collocation in a Welsh speaking village. They have common themes, though, in exploring concepts of loss, shame, guilt, nationalist patriotism, freedom and, perhaps, hope. The stories are competently told - although there does seem to be some needless fuzziness over whether and when Karsten learns Esther's name. They have some complexity but are told in perfectly lucid fashion. The language feels plain, but probably isn't.

The characterization is strong. The key characters have depths of feeling and insecurity that are graphically communicated. This depth of character extends even to careful, albeit brief, depiction of some of the bit part players: Jack the barman, Jim the evacuee; the Major; Hess and all. The imagery of the Welsh countryside is also strong, with the fields and the slate mine adding a contrast of textures.

In terms of style, there is a good balance between the serious themes and the humour provided by Harry and Mary, a couple of radio entertainers who are broadcasting from the relative safety of Wales. This is welcome relief in what might, otherwise, be a rather intense work. There are also some metaphors that would probably dazzle if one thought about them for long enough - the instinct of sheep to remain within their territory is perhaps laid on a bit too thick, but is effective nonetheless.

But the Achilles heel of the novel is that it feels a little too clinical. Like the stylized travel poster cover, the novel feels just a bit sterile. There isn't quite enough emotion to draw the reader into any of the characters and the direction of the story lines is rather predictable. The reader has a role of impartial observer rather than feeling involved in the process. The final epilogue is too long and would have detracted from any emotional crescendo at the end of the final chapter - had there really been a crescendo.

The Welsh Girl is a well written novel of substance, but it does seem to lack the wow factor that could have made it a great.