Saville Study Guide

Saville Plot Summary

Preview of Saville Summary:

Colin Saville's life is a blank canvas. As a young boy, he is full of promise and hope for the future. His parents, Ellen and Harry Saville, work hard to give Colin every opportunity, opportunities that they never had growing up.

The story begins before Colin is born. The family then consisted of Ellen, Harry and Andrew, the oldest son. Andrew's death from pneumonia forever changes the lives of Harry and Ellen Saville. Despite having three more sons, Ellen never recovers from the grief of losing her firstborn child.

Harry Saville works down in the pit in a nearby coal mine, called a "colliery." The family lives in a miner's cottage and, since it is pre-World War II, the cottage is not outfitted with running water or a stove. Although Ellen tries to make her house a home, she can never escape its rundown poverty.

After Colin is born, brothers...
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