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Copy/paste the text below into your blog. <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40496.How_Green_Was_My_Valley?utm_medium=api&amp;utm_source=blog_review" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px"><img alt="How Green Was My Valley (Penguin Modern Classics)" border="0" src="http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1169436630m/40496.jpg" /></a> <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40496.How_Green_Was_My_Valley?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_review">How Green Was My Valley</a> by <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/22698.Richard_Llewellyn">Richard Llewellyn</a><br/><br/> <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/20310301?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_review"><h3>My review</h3></a> rating: 5 of 5 stars<br/>I have lost count of the number of times I have read this book, but I just finished it again after putting it away for a year or two. Nearly every time I read it I think maybe I had overrated it in my memory and maybe I will be disappointed that it wasn't as good as I remembered, but every time it is better and better and I appreciate the beauty and language and exceptional characters more and more. It really is poetry. This is a book that makes you realize what life should be about. <br/>I truly agreed with the review by Wesley and hope he will forgive me for quoting him because it sums up the feelings I had about this book even though I was not so able to voice them - <br/>"I feel I belong in that small Welsh mining town, that I should be spending all of my time supporting my family and town, singing with friends, learning voraciously, worshiping God intelligently and recognizing Him in every aspect of life, fiercely defending my friends, loving foolishly and uncontrollably, revering nature and losing myself in valleys, groves, creeks, and hill sides, or fighting and fighting and fighting with passionate words and quick fists for people, places and ideas that need me." <br/> <br/>One of my favorite passages comes when Huw is walking back over the mountain from taking Bronwen and Olwen to town. The imagery is glorious. <br/>"The sky became a sudden gold, and the mountain was of silver, and the river ran free and wide as a sea in a brilliance of precious stones. All about the mountain-top was a sparkling of unsheathed steel, and I saw, with a loftiness of fear, that a host of men were standing there looking into the Valley, and armour was shining on head and breast, and colours were gay on shields, and hands were clasped on the hilts of swords that pointed into the ground...The Men of the Valley were marching again. My fathers were singing up there. Loud, triumphant, the anthem rose, and I knew, in some deep place within, that in the royal music was a prayer to lift up my spirit, to be of good cheer, to keep the faith, that Death is only an end to the things that are made of clay, and to fight, without heed of wounds, all that brings death to the spirit, with Glory to the Eternal Father, for ever, Amen." pages 422-423 <br/> <br/> <br/> <br/> <br/> <br/><br/><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/list/1089142?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_review">View all my reviews.</a>