Peggys not so keen on telling her own story, but each of her family and neighbours has a story to tell, revealing not just Peggys life but that of her village, tucked beneath Cader Idris on the southern fringes of Snowdownia. Bookended by Peggys own shocking testimony, each chapter has a different voice and a different take on events, from the jolly fat woman who is feeding not just Peggy but her own sense of emptiness, to the generous shopkeeper and his young son, who has had his eye on Peggy for a long time, and Peggys best friend, whos not sure shes cut out for marriage to the church and its curator. As the village voices fill out the picture of life in Llanegryn, slowly the reader realises that all is not well, and that Peggys eccentricities have a terrible dark secret hidden behind them - and not just that she was a neglected child.

- Honno,

The Seasoning is Manon Steffan Ross own translation of her award-winning Welsh-language novel Blasu. It is a superb translation, and a real gift to English readers who would not otherwise have access to this moving and tender tale. The Seasoning is a story of love, not just between a couple, but also between friends and family, within a community, and of a place. It speaks of the way in which a sense of belonging enriches our lives and enhances our sense of who we are. It is a lovely, easy page-turner with a real warmth at its heart.

The novel opens in 2010, at the end of Peggys eightieth birthday party in the village caf run by her son, Jonathan, a man approaching old age now. Her adored and adoring husband, Francis, is there too. So, when chapter 2 wings us back to 1937, we can rest assured that, whatever happens in between, Peggy will find happiness, and have a family, and survive into old age. This is wonderful, comfort storytelling, allowing the reader to ride the vicissitudes of a characters life, knowing that all will be well in the end. And it is quite a life, tracked from the moment when little Peggy, just six or seven years old, seeks help from Mrs Davies Beech Grove late one night because her mother does such strange things sometimes and has put a dead rat in the soup for supper. Mrs Davies offers the child comfort and sanctuary and a square of dark, dense ginger cake.

Each chapter telling the story of Peggys long life begins with a recipe: the barley pudding that her grandmother makes her for breakfast, the freshly caught trout a gypsy boy cooks for her on a simple fire on the riverbank, the raspberry ice-cream the adoring Francis offers her as solace, the pork and apples in cider sauce that she makes for her dear friend Annie and her family. Like Prousts famous madeleines, food triggers memories and emotions and lies at the centre of pivotal events, running as a theme throughout the novel.

Manon Steffan Ros has created a cast of characters who, though flawed and battered by lifes challenges, are immensely likeable. Even the not-so-nice ones, like Peggys deeply troubled mother and Franciss vicious-tongued father, find the readers empathy. So we are drawn through the story, caring about what happens to each of them and to the close community they are a part of. What happens, I find myself wondering at the end, to the kindly gardener, Gwynfor Daniel, who prays to God to please make the tomatoes grow nice and fat and dont send any greenfly ?

Suzy Ceulan Hughes


It is possible to use this review for promotional purposes, but the following acknowledgment should be included: A review from www.gwales.com, with the permission of the Welsh Books Council.

Gellir defnyddio'r adolygiad hwn at bwrpas hybu, ond gofynnir i chi gynnwys y gydnabyddiaeth ganlynol: Adolygiad oddi ar www.gwales.com, trwy ganiatd Cyngor Llyfrau Cymru.

- Welsh Books Council,