Shadow of the Sickle

Set in the wake of World War II, this gripping tale of rural Welsh life has themes that still resonate today, its vivid young protagonists struggling to find their place in the world in the face of great change and clashing with the traditional ways of their parents. Harri Vaughan, brilliant student and wartime conscientious objector, returns to Lleifior, farmed by his ancestors for two centuries. He is engaged, naturally, to Lisabeth Pugh, daughter of wealthy neighbouring farm Trawscoed. But change is inevitable. Harri's university career has left him uneasy about the traditional way of life, and he has met Gwylan Thomas, a striking girl who introduces him to communism. Hearts are soon broken and lives changed forever.