Miriam, Daniel and Me by Euron Griffith

Release: 27 July 2020
Format: Ebook
Publisher: Seren
Source: Love Books Tours
Find it at: Amazon UK,Serenbooks

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When he smiled, it really felt as if the chilly Caernarfonshire wind stopped for a few seconds and as if the place got warmer.

When Miriam fell in love with Padraig, life seemed simple. But soon she discovered how treacherous life is. Everything changed when she met Daniel. She took an unexpected path that would dictate and dominate the rest of her life.

Spanning three generations of a North Wales family in a Welsh-speaking community, Miriam, Daniel and Me is an absorbing and compelling story of family discord, political turmoil, poetry, jealousy…and football.

About the Author:

Born in Bangor, Euron Griffith has a Creative Writing MA from the University of Glamorgan. Between 2011 and 2016 he published three novels in Welsh – Dyn Pob Un (about a TV researcher who becomes an accidental serial killer), Leni Tiwdor (about a private eye who is also a record collector), Tri Deg Tri (about a hitman who can talk to animals), and a children’s novel Eilian a’r Eryr. His English language short story collection, The Beatles in Tonypandy appeared in 2017 from Dean Street Press. Griffith lives in Cardiff, where he works as a radio and tv producer and plays in a band. His first novel in English, Miriam, Daniel and Me, is forthcoming from Seren in July 2020.

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Miriam, Daniel and Me Review:

Miriam, Daniel and Me is a compelling family saga that takes you on an unforgettable journey across Wales.

Family sagas have always been one of my favorite type of novels to read. My very first book was Master of the Game by Sidney Sheldon when I was a boy (which told the story of a family across three generations). Similarly, Miriam, Daniel and Me also showcases the ambitions, heartbreaks, and turmoil of the Meredith Family. What I really liked was how the author highlights how unpredictable life is, but no matter which way it takes you, there’s always hope for a better future. I loved the main characters, and my heart went out to Miriam. The story ends in a bittersweet manner that had me in tears.

The author covers a variety of topics like religion, mindsets and culture of the Welsh during the 60s, which I found interesting. I also enjoyed the subtle nuances and similarities between each generation, even if the circumstances varied.

However, there were two things that I had difficulty with. For one, the story shifts timelines randomly between chapters and threw me off. I would have preferred if the author listed a date or timeline to give the reader a heads up of which character the chapter focuses on. Secondly, there were some characters like Gerry, Hoppy and Moonglow who were interesting. I thought they were pivotal to the characters and the plot, but they appear only for a few scenes, make their mark, and leave. Hence, apart from the main characters, I felt like none of the supporting characters were memorable.

Apart from that, this was very well written for a debut novel and I enjoyed reading it.