How Green Was My Valley

How Green Was My Valley is a historical novel by Richard Llewellyn published in 1939. The book tells the story of a working-class Welsh family working in a mining town called the Valley. Though Llewellyn claimed that the novel was based on his personal experiences as a young man, this was later found to be untrue. The novel has been adapted for film and television.

This guide refers to the 1981 Michael Joseph Ltd. edition.

Plot Summary

Huw Morgan is a scholarly young man with the intelligence and academic skills necessary to make a life for himself outside of the mining industry that dominates the society of the small Welsh town where he was born and raised. The Morgan family is well respected but poor. Huw’s father Gwilym rented his home for 20 years before he was able to purchase it. His mother Beth keeps order in a home filled with her children: Huw, his five brothers, and three sisters. His eldest brother, Ivor, is married to a woman named Bronwen, who Huw has loved for years.

When Huw is still quite young, he is aware of the troubles that plague his community. His brother Ianto is embroiled with the local drunks and troublemakers, while his brother Davy complains that workers’ wages are regularly being cut. When the men who work in the mines try to strike, they are fired and replaced with men who will work for less. The older men in Huw’s family are divided by the prospect of a strike. Davy wants to fight for better conditions, but Ivor, who is married, feels he must work to support his family. Seeing them in conflict teaches Huw that he must think for himself in every situation. Three of Huw’s brothers end up leaving home to join the strikers. However, they are eventually lured back by their mother Beth when she discovers that the boys are not taking care of themselves properly. Though the sons disagree with Gwilym, they agree to put their differences aside.

Beth and Huw sneak out of the house to witness a union meeting. There, Beth upbraids the men for being careless and reckless. On the way home, Huw is seriously injured when he falls during a snowstorm while trying to protect his mother. He spends the next five years confined to his bed and reads challenging books to pass the time. He reads the entire Bible and then gets in trouble for disagreeing with the local priest on religious matters. Gwilym tells Huw that he is not angry that he speaks up for what he believes, but says that he must learn the appropriate time and place. Several things that happen in the town suggest to Huw that life in the Valley is changing quickly. Several women become pregnant out of wedlock, and they are shamed in public. A young man is killed by a mob after being accused of rape. The Morgan family catch Elias the Shop stealing their turkeys. The Valley has no police force, so these crimes are dealt with by the community. Huw is concerned that such incidents seem to be happening more often. In addition, he notices environmental destruction in the Valley. The local river dries up and the lush vegetation begins to die while the nearby slag heap is piled high with the waste from the mine.

When Ivor is killed in a mining accident, Huw moves in with Bronwen. Even though they have been attracted to each other for some time, Bronwen refuses to let Huw get close to her out of guilt for her dead husband. Similarly, Huw refuses to allow himself to admit that he loves her. Finding work in the mines unsustainable, Huw’s other brothers gradually move away to make their fortunes in England or America.

Meanwhile, Huw’s sister Angharad marries the son of the mine owner, thinking that her new husband’s wealth will help her family. However, she does not love him, and the couple’s relationship is strained. They move to London. Gradually, many of the people Huw grew up with also begin to leave the Valley. In time, he is all but alone except for his father, mother, and Bronwen. Huw and Bronwen grow close over the years, but the law prevents them from marrying, as she was previously married to Huw’s brother. They continue to live together and raise Bronwen’s two children as co-parents, though people around the town begin to gossip about the true nature of their relationship. Bronwen does not care.

Another strike breaks out. Opposed to the strike, Gwilym goes into the mines that have been emptied by striking workers so he can check on a pump that has been left running. While he is underground, he is caught in a collapsing mine shaft and injured. Huw manages to uncover his father, but Gwilym dies in his arms. Following Gwilym’s death, the narrative flashes forward many years. Huw is the last person left in his small town; all the other people he knew have died or moved away. He has decided that it is time for him to leave as well, but he wants to write the story of the Valley’s past before he goes.