A sweet story of a Welsh mining family trying to make ends meet after their father leaves them. I’d like to know what happens to Mari next.

When Mari Evan’s father abandoned her family and brother Bryn is injured in a pit accident, it is up to Mari to find ways to support her family. She helps out in Mrs Jones shop and accepts food as payment., but the family needs money to survive. Unbeknownst to her family, she seeks work at the pit disguising herself as a boy enabling her to work underground. She is bullied by a group of workers but stands up to them determined they won’t discover her secret. This is a story about strength, love and compassion for others. A wonderful read.

I read this book in one sitting, a great story of hard times. Loved the characters and the setting is thought provoking. I hope to read more by this Author

The Evans family don’t have their troubles to seek, when the main breadwinner decides to leave the a pit accident hits them. How are they going to feed themselves? Desperate times call for desperate measures , Mari Evans decides to ask for a job at the pit, disguising herself as a boy. Apart from having to keep her secret some of the other men take against the young lads, who they reckon are doing them out of hours.
It’s a story of kindness in the form of Mrs Jones from the village store, and big Al & Dougie who look after the young lads. Then there is the other side, Gwynfor who just ups and leaves his responsibilities behind & the men who give Mari a hard time.

I read this story in one sitting and just loved it. Recommended reading.
My favourite character was Mari, least favourite was Pete who was a nasty piece of work.

When Mari's father takes up with another woman, life gets hard for her family, and things get worse when her brother is hurt in a mining accident. The portrayal of how hard life was for Welsh coal miners is realistic and sad, as this is set in 1866. But what was uplifting was the way people helped each other out. Characters like Mrs.Jones, Mam and Al were wonderful, and even Mari's Dad was worthy of compassion. Mari, herself, is a strong character and prepared to have a go, and she certainly did a lot of growing up in the time span of the book. Especially impressive was the way Mari's Mam rallied around Blodwyn and Mrs.Parry, very heartwarming and generous. This was an easy read despite some of the issues covered and was very enjoyable and informative. Thanks to NetGalley and Boldwood books for a chance to read and review this book.