Gwers Mewn Cariad – a tale about a Welsh tutor’s romantic re-awakening

Gwers Mewn Cariad is a romantic drama about tutor Liz who is frustrated about being taken for granted at home and seeks to rediscover herself.

The book is written by Beca Brown, with pop art style illustrations by Hywel Griffith, and was recommended in Unit Eight of the Learn Welsh intermediate course.

The blurb says: “Mae Liz yn diwtor Cymraeg i oedolion. Mae hi’n wraig i Dilwyn, prifathro prysur a phwysig. Mae Sara, eu merch, yn symud allan i fyw efo’i chariad cyn bo hir. Ond beth – neu bwy – fydd yn dod â chyffro i fywyd Liz?”  

In English: “Liz is a tutor teaching Welsh to adults. She is wife to Dilwyn, a busy and important headteacher. Sara, their daughter, is moving out to live with her boyfriend soon. But what – or who – will bring excitement to Liz’s life?”

Useful words and phrases:

achub y dydd – to save the day

cannwyll fy llygad – the apple of my eye

gwneud yn fawr o – to make the most of

mewn gwirionedd – in truth, in reality

magu hyder – to gain confidence

Samsara review – a powerful story about gender identity

The book is around 80 pages long, including nine pages of vocabulary. It was published by Gomer Press in 2018 and is part of the Amdani series for learners.

Main character Liz juggles working as a Welsh tutor with caring for her elderly mother and supporting her husband and daughter.

The story was only published three years ago but the gender roles are somewhat stereotyped – the frustrated wife who does all the housework and the useless husband who can’t find his own socks.

I struggled with these depictions, although the story of a woman rediscovering her own identity after defining herself primarily as a daughter, wife and mother was compelling.

Darllenais i Gwers Mewn Cariad gan Beca Brown. Drama ramantus yw’r stori.

Mae’r stori am Liz, tiwtor Cymraeg i oedolion. Mae hi’n cael ei rhwystro achos mae ei theulu hi’n ei chymryd hi’n ganiataol. Mae hi eisiau ailddarganfod ei hun.

Mae lluniau gan Hywel Griffith yn y steil pop art. Cafodd y llyfr ei gymeradwyo yn Uned Wyth o’r cwrs Canolradd.

Mae 80 tudalen yn y llyfr, yn cynnwys naw tudalen o eirfa. Cafodd y llyfr ei gyhoeddi yn 2018 gan Wasg Gomer. Mae e’n rhan o’r Cyfres Amdani i ddysgwyr.

According to UN Women, women carry out at least two and a half times more unpaid household and care work than men and the story draws attention to this issue.

The last couple of books in the series have been set in a Welsh class context, but I don’t think it’s necessary to make books for learners all about Welsh tutors and lessons.

Overall, this wasn’t my favourite book in the series so far, as I found it difficult to relate to the characters, but the language level was spot on and I learned a lot of useful vocabulary.