Gwales Review
This is a simply written little volume, but nonetheless it has a magnetic appeal.

John Idris Jones has a captivating style of prose, and his characters catch the reader's imagination and intrigue. I wanted to know more of William Madocks' eventful life, and that of his great friend and business partner John Williams, of Madocks' revolutionary and inventive mind, and his philosophy of life. Also, what do we know of Madocks the politician and Member of Parliament, and of his constituency, which was not in his beloved Wales but in Boston, Lincolnshire?

Why is it that the man who created the towns of Tremadog and Porthmadog together with its harbour, now lies in a long-neglected grave in a cemetery in France? After all, Williams, Madocks' business partner and the pioneer who had the insight and inspiration of thought to realise that by the building of two massive embankments, all this could become a reality, is buried in a vault in St. John's Church, Tremadog.

What the reader has to remember is that this is a fictional tale, based on the lives of two great but very different men. Despite their contrasting social and educational backgrounds, they remained good friends throughout their lives. It was Madocks who had the imagination and highly contagious enthusiasm, and benefiting initially from his family's fortune he was able to combine with and encourage the practically-minded Williams to make Madocks' vision into a reality.

Fact or fiction? That's the brain-teaser. A fascinating read.

Norma Penfold 

A review from www.gwales.com  with the permission of the Welsh Books Council.