Love From Blodwen is a captivating memoir that takes the reader on a haunting journey through the life of Margaret, a small child who moved with her family from the valleys of industrial south Wales to rural west Wales in the 1930s. A curious and imaginative child, Margaret’s world is full of wonder and mystery, where the minutiae of Welsh folk traditions, chapel and rural life pervade her vivid mental landscape, offering us an almost magical view of an already vanishing way of life.

Our understanding of Margaret’s colourful world is deepened by the inclusion of letters from Blodwen, Margaret’s mother, to her close friend, Miriam. The humour and intimacy of these letters belie the harsh reality of the times, tracing a picture of a community facing the impact of Depression, World War, and economic, social and political upheaval on their daily lives.

Such a unique and private view of Wales has rarely been committed to record with such powerful and engaging prose. ’Love From Blodwen’ is a fascinating snapshot of a monumental time in which the trials and triumphs of one child’s family become the tale of how modern Wales - and the modern world - was forged.