Customer Reviews

Earth Hums in B Flat

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

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.

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!

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.

Blood ... and foxes ... and flowers ... and flying ... So many images Mari Strachan weaves into this tale of a Welsh village. But it's the details that make her village and characters come to life. For instance, as I read about all the food served, my stomach became as queasy as the family one that narrator Gwenni has inherited.

I had some trouble with Welsh references and language: I still don't know what Toby jugs are, and had to look up words like quiff. But ultimately, this is a story about the impact of two world wars on people and families ... and how different individuals cope with the challenges of life -- with and without love.

While the book is challenging at first to get into, the story definitely has staying power for a reader. I'm hoping that author Strachan has a sequel to follow, as Gwenni is not yet thirteen, and there are so many questions that deserve answers!!!

Seen through the eyes of 12 year old Gwenni who lives with her mum, dad and older sister Bethan, in a small Welsh village in the 1950's, this is a lovely, quirky story, featuring characters such as Jones the Butcher, Edwards the Bank and Mrs Owen the Milk, a village where everyone knows everyone else's business and is full of secrets.

Gwenni wants to be a detective like her fictional hero, Albert Campion, and when one of her neighbours, Mr Evans, goes missing she decides that she will try and find him by looking at the clues and talking to Mr Sergeant Jones the policeman............but she finds more than she bargained for while learning a lot about her own family secrets and growing up.

This is a delightfully told and very descriptive story full of vivid and rich characters and sometimes I felt as if I was eavesdropping on private conversations, as if I was actually there in the room.

Gwenni was so sweet and innocent and serious and I very quickly warmed to her, she was always observing other people and is obsessed with being watched by inanimate objects such as her poster of Buddy Holly on her bedroom wall and the toby jugs on the living-room shelf

" .........the mantelpiece's clock's tick-tock is loud. I look up at the clock and see the Toby jugs almost falling off their shelf as they strain to watch and listen. They're straining so hard their faces are crimson."


It's a wonderful, funny, easy read and I loved it!

This book is one of those gems that you have probably never heard of, pick up by accident at a Friends of the Library sale, and can't put down. Coming of age story told by a young girl still in touch with the magic of life while learning to face some harsh realities. This is a great book. Thank you, Ms Strachan--a grandslam home run.

I meet some wonderful people in the books I read. Some are so sweet and charming I can't help but smile the days away as I read their stories. Jimmy from the Robert Whitlow book "Jimmy". Asta from the Jan Elizabeth Watson book "Asta In the Wings" and now Gwennie Morgan.
Gwennie is a sweet innocent 12 year old Welsh girl. I am charmed by her and her story , even when she is telling one of her many lies. She does cross her fingers first. Gwennie wants to find the truth to the many strange things in her life. Through her own unique perspective she does just that.
Her story is so endearing that when she finished the telling I hugged the book to my chest and just sat there , smiling and content.

This is a solid four star read for me. Gwenni is twelve years old, lives in Wales and dreams of being a detective. She is more herself than most characters I have ever encountered in a book. She soars in her dreams at night, ( or does she? ) flying above the countrysid and seeing things she doesn't always want to see.

She lives with Magda her mam and her Tada ( dad) and older sister Bethan. I never did manage to warm up to Bethan, and by the end of the book, liked her even less.

Nearby, live her paternal grandmother Nain, and auntie Lol. They and Tada and good people, kind and loving and caring in the face of any and all obstacles. Twelve is a difficult age, and I remember it very well. Perhaps I I was so drawn to Gwenni, because I remember being twelve and playing "spy" with my best friend. I also remember it being the summer that we met some boys. Gwenni, though, has no time for that. She, Like myself in fact, was looking for companionship, friendship and someone to discover things with. And believe me, it is no wonder she dreamed of being a detective. A clever girl she is, and nothing gets past her, not once she thinks about it. This cleverness and a misstep by a teacher bring this story to a fine climax.

Well, that and the death that changed everything.

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

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