Product Description

After Shell's mother dies, her obsessively religious father descends into alcoholic mourning and Shell is left to care for her younger brother and sister. Her only release from the harshness of everyday life comes from her budding spiritual friendship with a naive young priest, and most importantly, her developing relationship with childhood friend, Declan, charming, eloquent and persuasive. But when Declan suddenly leaves Ireland to seek his fortune in America, Shell finds herself pregnant and the centre of a scandal that rocks the small community in which she lives, with repercussions across the whole country. The lives of those immediately around her will never be the same again.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #120239 in Books
• Published on: 2007-01-04
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 320 pages

Nick Tucker, The Independent, March 31, 2006
Movingly written, this debut novel is a fine and memorable achievement.

Julia Eccleshare, lovereading4kids.co.uk, April 4, 2006
A superb first novel, beautifully written, deeply moving and full of heartbreak.

The Irish Post, February 15, 2006
Brilliant and heartbreaking... this story will have you hooked.

Customer Reviews

Courtesy of Teens Read Too
After her mother died, fifteen-year-old Shell is left to take care of her younger brother and sister and her drunken father. They live in a small Irish village in a little farmhouse. Her mother's death has caused her father to drink even more than he did before, and in sudden religious zeal, he goes out daily to make his "collections." These donations are meant for the church, but he takes out more than his fair share before turning in the remains.

Life is difficult. Shell is teased at school and skips out as much as possible. She attempts to look to the church for support, and a new young priest seems to offer a shoulder to lean on. Eventually, Shell seeks emotional release in a relationship with an older boy. They begin a secret relationship spent mostly hidden in the barley field where Declan takes advantage of Shell's need for tenderness. The inevitable happens - Shell becomes pregnant. Without her mother to confide in, Shell hides her condition, using a stolen library book to help her understand what is about to happen.

Shell is an amazing young girl. She struggles to hold the family together and deal with her circumstances as best she can. As the story unfolds, readers will be surprised at the unpredictable turn of events for Shell, her father, the young priest, and all involved in the unfortunate tragedy.

A SWIFT PURE CRY uses Irish dialect and lyrical prose to draw the reader into Shell's world. Her courage and faith shine clearly through this heartbreaking tale.

Reviewed by: Sally Kruger, aka "Readingjunky"

A swift pure cry Review March 2006
I really enjoyed this book and was captivated from the first page.

It is a beautifully written, thought provoking novel, dealing sensitively with the complexities of love, loss and faith.
The characters are well developed and believable. I was entranced by fifteen year old Shell, whose courage and emotional strength is inspirational.

I found the story uplifting but at times heartbreaking. Ultimately I was filled with a sense of hope throughout.

Brilliant
I couldn't put it down - the most compelling, beautifully written book I have read for a very long time. Shell is a heartbreakingly lovely heroine and the book is written with such a lightness of touch and depth of feeling that what is essentially a tragic story is ultimately uplifting and full of hope.