A collection of Welsh short stories. But there's precious little fun to be had here (why are so, so many Welsh books like this?). The first one's miserable as anything, and the next two were short on interest and full of moping and lack of pleasure from the protagonist. Even when someone's relating anecdotes there's a shadow over the story. There's not a mite of fun to be seen, and I gave up at the end of the third story. Good thing too. I just found this on a page about the stage adaptation: "Stories of growing up and loss of innocence, of a child striving to understand the complexity of the world and its people, and accepting that disillusionment is part of life." Right barrel of laughs, eh? Life's too short to read miserable books. ( )

8 short stories by the grand dame of Welsh literature. Vignettes from the life of Begw, 4 years old in the first story, 9 in the last. This book has become a classic, and remains very appealing in its picture of life in a quarry community in Gwynedd in the early 20th century. Never emotional or condescending, all stories draw you into Begw's world immediately, and are a joy to read.” ( )