In a a 2005 review of Richard Benson’s first book, The Farm, I described it as “a neat little tribute to a lost way of life” on the Yorkshire Wolds. I also lamented, “If only a miner’s son could emulate his achievement. Perhaps it is too soon, yet.”Little did I know then that Benson came from a long line of coal miners in the valley of the Dearne in South Yorkshire, and that he would be the author to write precisely, and magnificently, the book I wanted to read.It was too soon, then. We have it now. The Valley, a reimagined history of the Hollingworth family over a century, ending with the death of both its matriarch Winnie and the mining industry, comes to us after a decade of research and finely honed observation.Richard Benson has not just got under