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3.87 AVERAGE
3.87 AVERAGE
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Lewis and Benjamin are identical twins born to a farming family on the Black Hill in the southeastern part of Wales near the Wye River. This book is their story along with neighbors and friends who lived there in the late 19th century up until about 1980-ish. It's a hard life but rewarding in the connection to nature and God. The twins are joined in a manner that many identical twins have - they can feel each other's pain and are connected very tightly. This is both a blessing and a hindrance because it's hard to have a life outside the other.
I was just hiking in this area and I can envision their farm, in fact, I probably stayed in a similar place turned into a B&B but still having sheep and other animals. This is beautiful writing, evoking exactly what that section of Wales looks like with the different colored fields, flowers, and animals. The stone houses and barns dotted along my walk probably looked much the same as when Lewis and Benjamin were born, and Mr. Chatwin does a lovely job with it.
The characters are all interesting; they make me think of Thomas Hardy's works in the way they go about their daily lives. This is a lovely book, one I enjoyed very much and would heartily recommend.
I was just hiking in this area and I can envision their farm, in fact, I probably stayed in a similar place turned into a B&B but still having sheep and other animals. This is beautiful writing, evoking exactly what that section of Wales looks like with the different colored fields, flowers, and animals. The stone houses and barns dotted along my walk probably looked much the same as when Lewis and Benjamin were born, and Mr. Chatwin does a lovely job with it.
The characters are all interesting; they make me think of Thomas Hardy's works in the way they go about their daily lives. This is a lovely book, one I enjoyed very much and would heartily recommend.
Beautiful vintage writing, set in mid 20th century Wales.
dark
emotional
reflective
relaxing
sad
medium-paced
dark
reflective
slow-paced
On the Black Hill is the story of a farming family in Wales. It begins in the last years of the lives of the identical twins named Lewis, marked with a cross to show he was born first, and Benjamin, both white-haired and venerating their mother's memory. From this follows the story of their parents' meeting, courtship, and marriage. The pages covering the birth of the twins and the circumstances and characters that made their parents' stormy marriage were the ones I found most absorbing.
The boys grow up as two halves of a whole rather than as two separate people, and this is reflected as much in what they experience apart as together. Every attempt they make to widen their experience seems to result in tragedy, and it is understandable that they withdraw into "The Vision", their parents' farm acquired at great cost.
As the years pass, unexpected visitors arrive, bringing fresh breezes from the outside world as well as fresh hurt. They bring, too, the unexpected fulfillment of lives filled with endless work and little joy.
It is astonishing how much humor there is in this tale, and perhaps the best of it is very black indeed.
The boys grow up as two halves of a whole rather than as two separate people, and this is reflected as much in what they experience apart as together. Every attempt they make to widen their experience seems to result in tragedy, and it is understandable that they withdraw into "The Vision", their parents' farm acquired at great cost.
As the years pass, unexpected visitors arrive, bringing fresh breezes from the outside world as well as fresh hurt. They bring, too, the unexpected fulfillment of lives filled with endless work and little joy.
It is astonishing how much humor there is in this tale, and perhaps the best of it is very black indeed.
Not the best novel I have ever read, but certainly not the worst. There are colorful characters aplenty as well as intergenerational drama and intrigue. I just couldn't connect to the characters very well, a reflection on myself rather than the quality of writing or storytelling.
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
relaxing
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Seemingly very simple, and ‘quiet,’ yet it kept me hooked. There is something strangely fascinating about reading about ordinary human lives and the way they intersect.
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
relaxing
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Domestic abuse, Racial slurs, Death of parent, War
Minor: Animal death, Blood, Murder, Alcohol