The Earth Hums in B Flat

by Mari Strachan

Book Overview

A memoir of a family life in the Ebbw valley between the 1930s and the 1950s, then of foreign travels far beyond Offa's Dyke, and finally reconnection with the culture of Wales. The travels are not... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1847671926
• ISBN13: 9781847671929
• Release Date: June 2009
• Publisher: Canongate Us
• Length: 336 Pages
• Weight: 0.35 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 5.6" x 8.3"

Customer Reviews

Well written

This book was written in a seemingly dis-jointed fashion, but it was because the book was written from the perspective of a 12 year old. I personally loved this book, the way that the child's understanding of things mixes with our own understanding of what is really going on is honesty genius. I loved this book, definitely a reread.

A down to earth novel of personal flight

When our heroine needs to "escape" her crazy family she take flight over her village and the neighboring countryside. This affords her not only a birds eye view but a way to clear her mind of all the abuse and unnecesary details that clutter her life. I really enjoyed the language of this novel, the flow of it, the relationships and the story which unravels as a wonderful mystery though you are likely to figure the plot from the beginning. I was surprised that this fact takes nothing away from the story. Delightful read and an amazing story of growing up and human frailty that we call family. As a child that fancied herself a bit of a detective, I highly recommend this wonderful story.

the earth hums in b flat

haven;t read it yet but will let you know...friend loved it which prompted my to purchase it..

buy it!!

I loved The Earth Hums in B Flat. Try to picture a 62 yr. old lady writing as a 12 year old and it seems impossible but this one does it beautifully. I loved the simplicity of the telling of the story and how the young girl figures things out. Do yourself a favor and read it. Carol

Terrific, engaging book.

This book is one of those rare finds.... a book that is beautifully written, emotionally charged and entertaining. While the book is written from the perspective of a twelve year old girl, this is by no means a simple young adult story. The narrator's age allows for a very interesting look at the complex, multilayered dynamic between the family at the center of the story and the community in which they live. This is a book that you will be sorry to see end!

Endearing and enduring; a gem of a novel

Mari Strachan's début novel, "The Earth Hums in B Flat" is a deceptively dark tale of the charmingly naive Gwenni, an 12-and-a-half-year old growing up in north Wales in the early 1950s, with her quiet, implacable Tada; neurotic Mam; and a slightly older sister, Bethan, who has that somewhat supercilious sense of superiority that slightly older sisters so often have. The book is beautifully written, redolent of a time that is long gone but which yet remains within the memory of many of us; a time before today's modern domestic conveniences, when people still cooked and boiled kettles on the open range in the living room, kitchen walls were painted with flaking distemper and Toby jugs watched young children's every move from high shelves. And a time when everybody knew everybody else and their business, and yet nobody ever spoke of or admitted to any of it, and every family held secrets known to all (except often the family members themselves). Mari Strachan's writing evokes that time perfectly, often with merely the subtlest of phrase or passing mention of some small detail or other. Gwenni is an absolute gem, naive and gauche, for all her intelligence, and with an imagination and wisdom that far outstrips her knowledge and experience. She sharply observes all around her, but understands little of the darker ways of the world and how the seemingly innocent things she picks up can connect in often far-reaching and damaging ways. Comic and dark by turns, this book is engrossing and engaging from beginning to end. It is also beautifully paced, although I felt Mari Strachan does rush things just a tad towards the end, although this in no way detracts from the book's overall excellence. This is a book that can be read and reread, and savoured repeatedly for its simple effectiveness; a book that makes you laugh and cry by turn, over and over again. Heartily recommended.