'A Swift Pure Cry' : reviewed by Ellie Whittle

Home | Welcome | Shortlist | BGS Reviews | Contact us

A Swift Pure Cry

Reviewed by Ellie Whittle

Shell lives in Coolbar, a small religious town in county Cork, Ireland and life isn’t going so well. Her Mam’s dead and her father has turned to the drink as comfort, leaving her to look after her little brother, Jimmy and sister, Trix. Her only release is sharing cigarettes with her best friend Bridie and the charismatic Declan. Shell soon observes that the less religious she becomes, the more her father is. But then, to Shell, Jesus returns in the form of the young priest Father Rose and, drawn to his kindness, she finds refuge when everyone else is against her because of a shocking scandal.

A Swift Pure Cry is a beautiful and moving tale of loss, friendship, love and secrets. I really enjoyed and highly recommend it. I was slightly bored, however, at the beginning as it is overwhelmingly religious, but I soon found myself reading it late into the night, needing to read just one more chapter! I must admit, though, that I really didn’t want to start to read it but it surprised me; but I do agree with the notice on the back, not suitable for children.

I rate the this book 9/10, very good.