Thumbs up for #helynt by Rebecca Roberts, which won the Tir na n-Og Award for childrenās fiction this year. (Young adult category.)
#helynt translates as #trouble, in the sense of getting in trouble, or someone being trouble. One day Rachel misses the bus to school, and ends up skiving off because she canāt afford to get a taxi. This turns out to be the start of a chain of events which changes her life forever.
Iād say itās fairly easy to read, with fairly straightforward vocabulary and language. Iād put it on a par with Fi a Mr Huws iān terms of difficulty. However domestic violence is a key theme, so be aware.
I cried repeatedly and I loved the main character. I can see why it won the prize and I definitely recommend. If only it were in English Iād be recommending it to the young adults in my life.
Iām not going to deny it, this wasnāt an easy read, more for the theme than the language. From the back:
āTwo girls and one continent. One lord eager for profit. An unflinching story about a slave girl, a maid, a ship and a castle, and suffering beyond all imagination.ā
So not an easy story, but worth reading. I knew nothing about Castell Penrhyn and its owners, for a start.
Theme warning: violence and sexual assault. I would say not graphic, but pretty unflinching about whatās happening.
Linguistically, its harder than Helynt and several of the Bethan Gwanas books Iāve read. Firstly, Iām not familiar with the vocabulary of eighteenth century life so there were a lot of new words. Secondly I believe it uses more literary and possibly some more archaic forms/wordings, to give a flavour of the period. It was written in 2020 for a modern audience so still readable, but took more effort.
If anyone else has read it Iād love to try and discuss in Welsh. Let me know.
I finished #helynt a couple of weeks ago and I completely agree with you - itās an excellent book, the writing style is very engaging and sounds very authentic for a teenager (not that I know any Welsh teenagers, but I imagine thatās what a 15 y.o. girl would sound like). Itās also one of the most touching depictions of what victims of domestic violence feel - too often the authors concentrate on how bad the abusers are leaving the readers wondering why the victim doesnāt just run away, but Rebecca Roberts shows the complexity of the situation where the abuser also takes care of you and protects you, throwing the victim into an endless circle of being at the same time afraid of the abuser, feeling sorry for them and hoping theyāll go back to being the nice person they sometimes can be. Very sad and very true to life.
The theme of this yearās Tir na n-Og seems to have been violence. Who killed beautiful, perfect Gwenno?
Emotionally this was an easier read for me than the other two as itās a more conventional whodunit and not told from the point of view of the victim, though there are still themes of violence and abuse. Definitely gripping: I stayed up far too late last night finishing it off.
Linguistically a great next read once youāre ready to take the stabilisers off and read fiction not written for learners. The contemporary theme and the genre makes the vocab very accessible, and I donāt think the language was too complex either. Itās also comparatively short compared to most of the books Iāve reviewed above.
I hope this isnāt off-topic but I was wondering if anyone could recommend a good book about the history and development of the Welsh language? Iām interested in the linguistics side as well as the social history side, so something reasonably in-depth (but yn Saesneg) would be great - or failing that a good introduction! Diolch pawb. Happy to be redirected to a different thread if there is a better place to ask about this.
I have āA pocket guide - The Welsh Languageā by Janet Davies ISBN 0-7083-1516-X which I can recommend. Itās not a very big book but Iād say itās reasonably in-depth, but certainly a god introduction if youāre looking for something even more in-depth.
This is a fictionalised account of the Long Walk of the Navajo, in which they were forcibly removed from their homelands and made to walk hundreds of miles to what was effectively an internment camp in Bosque Redondo, during the American Civil War. They were moved on order of the President so that white settlers moving west could occupy the land.
I didnāt know about the Long Walk so Iām really glad I read it, but clearly violence, abuse and death are recurring themes, and you know the outcome from the start, which makes it pretty grim reading.
Linguistically it wasnāt the easiest read because thereās a lot of period- and subject-specific vocabulary to learn at the start (e.g. Llwyth - tribe, Ceunant - canyon, ysgarmes - skirmish) and it also uses the literary verb forms. However once youāve picked up the key vocab itās fairly smooth sailing.
Iād say one tip is to write down who is Navajo and who is Apache at the start, and how theyāre related. In addition to the Long Walk the characters make a number of other journeys, and itāll be easier to follow the story if you know whoās connected to who. I was too busy trying to get into the story at the beginning to keep track of names, so had to go back and do it.
Overall thumbs up, and for me a marvellous example of how learning Welsh has broadened my horizons in non-obvious ways.
I enjoyed āI Bleār Aeth Haul Y Boreā gan Eirug Wyn too Caroline! I knew of the Long Walk and Canyon De Chelly as I visited the Navaho there some time ago - there are still visible signs of their forced removal - and its a credit to their strength and their bond with the land that they are still there now. I read āI Bleār Aeth Haul Y Boreā as part of my plan to read all of the set texts for TGAU Llenyddiaeth Cymraeg and you might enjoy reading some more of the novels on that list too! Its very handy that the BBC produce revision notes and these can be very helpful! Follow this link and scroll down for the novels: https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/subjects/z3s2bk7 Thereās poetry on there too, but I havenāt ventured there yet! Iāve written an article about my visit to the Navajo - Iāll share it when it comes out later this year
Iām a bit meh about this one to be honest. Itās a short, easy read and I found the main character likeable.
However as a story I canāt say it grabbed my interest. It all felt a bit superficial and never really moved me. #helynt and Lechi are in the same genre but Iād recommend them over this any time.
Just finished āreadingā Y Castell Siwgr I had to use a dictionary a lot so would have missed some subtler things. I think I will try Pluen by Manon Steffan Ros next.
Iāve read a couple of books written especially for learners, and thought I should try and move on; so earlier this year I bought Y Bwthyn but itās far too difficult for me at this stage. Then, last week we were in Cardigan and found this Welsh bookshop, and I bought two books: Llechi (which I will read at some later stage) and this one: Welsh legends retold for children. Perfect!
** A chance to join me to discuss books youāve been reading recently and to help others decide on which books to read for welsh learners.
If youād like to be in a video discussing a book youāve enjoyed recently please contact me.
You can follow the #books-llyfrau channel on 6/6 support on slack or #clwb-darllen on Welsh Speaking Practice to view the two Iāve already made. I am a novice at this stuff but itās very enjoyable and I hope itās going to be a chance to meet new people ( and read more!) **
Youāve probably seen Ffion Dafis in Amdani, Rownd a Rownd and/or Byw Celwydd, and sheās also made episodes of documentary series like Mynyddoedd, Waliau and one about the Gobi (probably called anialdiroedd). Ffion really laid herself bare with this autobiography and it made for a fantastic read, I really feel like Iāve come to know her as a person not just a face on the telebox.
There are sections about her travels making the documentaries, which are really interesting and informative, of course, and there are sections about her family and friends, which are great at building a picture of her day to day life, but itās the other chapters that let you know who she is ā¦ like, really is. She talks about what it means to her to have never had children and how she reacts to societies pressures and expectations on this. She talks in depth also about her relationship with alcohol and a period of 9 months without drinking. I have a new found fondness of Ffion after reading this.
Advanced reading so definitely not for beginners. Dictionary recommended.
Translated from the back cover ā¦ āRambo. Aaron Ramsey. My hero. The poster of him was bigger than the others because he was my favourite.ā
Sam loves football - playing with his friends and the local team, watching goals and videos with Mo, discussing games with his dad and supporting Wales of course.
But, to Sam, football is more important than just a game. It gives comfort when worrying about everything and gives him new and exciting experiences. But one aweful event on the field threatens his relationship with the game.
I think I like Manon more and more with every book I read. Thereās always an important message behind the story and something always stays with you to think about.
This is just a story about a lad who likes football and as with Fi a Joe Allen you donāt need to like football to enjoy it. Very well written and extremely entertaining as youāve come to expect from MSR.
Thereās a great section about not correcting anyoneās grammar unless asked to do so. Another bit about the importance of talking through your worries with someone and that weāre never alone. Then a part about never giving up no matter how bad things may look in your life. Important lessons that arenāt taught in school ā¦ or werenāt when I were a lad.
This is aimed again at the young teenage market and the language reflects that. Easy enough for all levels.
Who killed beautiful, perfect Gwenno?
I knew of the Long Walk and Canyon De Chelly as I visited the Navaho there some time ago - there are still visible signs of their forced removal - and its a credit to their strength and their bond with the land that they are still there now. I read āI Bleār Aeth Haul Y Boreā as part of my plan to read all of the set texts for TGAU Llenyddiaeth Cymraeg 
and you might enjoy reading some more of the novels on that list too! Its very handy that the BBC produce revision notes and these can be very helpful! 
Follow this link and scroll down for the novels: 
**
Eva is arriving tomorrow 
