Summary of All Things Betray Thee
Set in 1831 in South Wales, āAll Things Betray Theeā tells the story of Alan Hugh Leigh, a travelling harpist who becomes embroiled in an industrial dispute between local ironworkers and the capitalist owners of the foundries and coalmines.
Reasons to read All Things Betray Thee
Written by the celebrated Welsh author Gwyn Thomas, āAll Things Betray Theeā is a fictionalised retelling of the āMerthyr Risingā, a historic event in 1831 when industrial workers in Merthyr Tydfil, South Wales, rebelled against wage cuts. The British Army was eventually called in to restore order. This historical novel offers a good introduction to the social struggles of the Welsh working classes during the Industrial Revolution. Other notable works by Gwyn Thomas include āThe Dark Philosophersā and āThe Alone to the Aloneā.
Setting: Merthyr Tydfil (Wales, UK)
The fictional town of Moonlea in the novel is inspired by the real-life Merthyr Tydfil.
Original title: All Things Betray Thee
Year of publication: 1949
Nr of pages: 350
