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ilegnealle's review against another edition
4.0
After reading and loving "Bog Child", I had to read this book by Siobhan Dowd as well.
What to say? In short, it is heartbreaking and mesmerizing at the same time. Where does Shell get her strength from? Yet she never gave up. She did not seem to be depressed for the majority of the book, just very realistic and accepting of her situation.
It took me a few chapters to get into the book, because it confused me that as a reader, you don't really get close to Shell. It's like she's keeping you at arm's length, though you can read her deepest, darkest thoughts. But after some time it grew on me, and I was desperate to keep reading, to be somewhat close to Shell, to protect her...
I definitely recommend this book to anyone who likes novels set in Ireland, and "Coming-of-age" stories, which is what I would somewhat categorize this book as.
I have to add some trigger warnings, though, and I'm sorry if I missed any. I'll also hide some of them, as they are pretty big spoilers. But if you don't want to know what it is but still be warned, they revolve around pregnancy.
Alcoholism, mention of domestic violence, death of a parent, sex, sexual assault, gaslighting/manipulation, (teen) pregnancy, abusive police officer, violence, mention of blood
What to say? In short, it is heartbreaking and mesmerizing at the same time. Where does Shell get her strength from?
Spoiler
Being 15/16 years old, essentially mothering both of her younger siblings, having an absent at best and abusive at worst alcoholic father and finding herself pregnant by a boy who left for America, without any knowledge on how pregnancies and births work... and without any support.It took me a few chapters to get into the book, because it confused me that as a reader, you don't really get close to Shell. It's like she's keeping you at arm's length, though you can read her deepest, darkest thoughts. But after some time it grew on me, and I was desperate to keep reading, to be somewhat close to Shell, to protect her...
I definitely recommend this book to anyone who likes novels set in Ireland, and "Coming-of-age" stories, which is what I would somewhat categorize this book as.
I have to add some trigger warnings, though, and I'm sorry if I missed any. I'll also hide some of them, as they are pretty big spoilers. But if you don't want to know what it is but still be warned, they revolve around pregnancy.
Alcoholism, mention of domestic violence, death of a parent, sex, sexual assault, gaslighting/manipulation, (teen) pregnancy,
Spoiler
stillbirth, infanticidesohxpie's review against another edition
5.0
An utterly heartbreaking read. Before reading, I had an inkling that this was going to be a sad book but I never would have guessed to what extent. It felt like it took a little while for the story to get properly started but once the hits started, they didn't really stop. There were points where I thought the story couldn't possibly get any worse but I couldn't have been more wrong. The novel was well-written, presenting such a sad, horrific story in an authentic way. It's a fantastic example of how a book can be awful yet at the same time a great read. Some of the descriptions throughout the book gave fantastic images, they helped set the scene without taking you out of the story. I feel like feelings and events were the most important elements of this story which is why I think those descriptions stood out that much more. I think the novel was a perfect length but a longer novel could have allowed for more character exploration which also could have been interesting. I enjoyed reading this book and think it will stick with me for a long while.
caffeineaddict980's review against another edition
4.0
A Swift Pure Cry is a novel set in 1984's Ireland. After Shell's Mum dies, her religious father becomes depressed and spirals into alcohol abuse while Shell takes care of her brother and sister. Relief for Shell comes from her friendship with a naïve young priest and with childhood friend Declan, who she has a secret relationship with.
When Declan leaves to make a fortune in America, Shell realises she is pregnant and is soon at the centre of a scandal.
This was an emotional read with mature themes and a poignant writing style. This all comes along with a sympathetic set of characters that you can mostly empathise with!
When Declan leaves to make a fortune in America, Shell realises she is pregnant and is soon at the centre of a scandal.
This was an emotional read with mature themes and a poignant writing style. This all comes along with a sympathetic set of characters that you can mostly empathise with!
johnnymacaroni's review against another edition
5.0
This is heart wrenching right from the beginning. It's beautifully written and I couldn't put it down.
mikimeiko's review against another edition
4.0
This book kind of took me by surprise. It was kind of hard getting into it in the beginning, but then the story unfolded with a gentleness and a simplicity that captured me completely. It's a hard story, but the way it's narrated lets you feel the emotions in a soft, deep way.
zoebasson's review
5.0
“has it ever occurred to you that where there is no anger, there is also no love?”
THIS WAS SO SAD 3
i didn’t fully cry, despite what i predicted, however, there were teary eyes at some points and, with the right music and setting i definitely could have descended into sobbing (i read most of it at school).
i feel like this needs to be added to the accepted list of sad girl literature, and mostly just more appreciated because although i knew about this book - mainly due to reading the london eye mystery in year 5 and seeing it listed as one of the author’s other works - i’ve never had it recommended to me or mentioned in circles of readers online (or in person).
anyway, justice for this book :)) it was beautiful, and heartbreaking, and, i believe, inspired by a true story <3
tessofthetales's review against another edition
5.0
The feels were so real, I can't even stand it. One of the most heart wrenching books I've ever read!
holly_117's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 stars I liked this book a lot. I got interested in Ms. Dowd after reading "A Monster Calls," which was written from her idea by Patrick Ness after her death.
A Swift Pure Cry is the story of a 15 year old Irish girl named Shell whose mother is dead and father is a drunk, leaving her to care for her two younger siblings. She gets pregnant, which sets the small town she's living in abuzz with gossip and sparks a criminal investigation when a baby is found abandoned in a local cave.
Shell is a bit naive, and sometimes you want to shake her, but overall her character is believable and draws you into the story. The only thing I didn't really like was the ending. It felt a little too happy, given the dark place that Shell and her family were in for most of the story. I'm not saying it's impossible to end a kind of sad tale on a happy note, I just thought everything worked out a little too perfectly.
A Swift Pure Cry is the story of a 15 year old Irish girl named Shell whose mother is dead and father is a drunk, leaving her to care for her two younger siblings. She gets pregnant, which sets the small town she's living in abuzz with gossip and sparks a criminal investigation when a baby is found abandoned in a local cave.
Shell is a bit naive, and sometimes you want to shake her, but overall her character is believable and draws you into the story. The only thing I didn't really like was the ending. It felt a little too happy, given the dark place that Shell and her family were in for most of the story. I'm not saying it's impossible to end a kind of sad tale on a happy note, I just thought everything worked out a little too perfectly.