Swift River

Hardback Published on: 04/07/2024
Price: £16.99
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Bookseller Reviews

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Swift River
Understated beauty
Telling the story of a family and trauma across generations, this is a lovely book. Each word is deliberately and beautifully placed, guiding the reader to... READ MORE
Olivia at Telford
Swift River
Quietly beautiful
This is one of those quietly beautiful books. The writing is so lyrical, it was so easy to get lost in the flow of it, and I could picture everything the a... READ MORE
Katie in Darlington

Synopsis

Discover a sweeping story that will break your heart and mend it again, perfect for fans of Where the Crawdads Sing and The Vanishing Half.

'I love a novel this much maybe just once or twice a year.' - Curtis Sittenfeld, author of RODHAM and ROMANTIC COMEDY

'A beautiful multi-generational story of belonging, identity and what it means to find yourself when you've lost your family. Sentence by sentence, the writing can take your breath away.' - Elizabeth Day, author of FRIENDAHOLIC

What if the price of moving forward is losing the only family you've ever known?

Summer, 1987. On the sweltering streets of the dying New England mill town of Swift River, sixteen-year-old Diamond Newbury is desperately lonely. It's been seven years since her father disappeared, and while her mother is determined to move on, Diamond can't distance herself from his memory. When Diamond receives a letter from a relative she has never met, she unearths long-buried secrets of her family's past and discovers a legacy she never knew she was missing. The more she learns, however, the harder it becomes to reconcile her old life with the one she wants to lead.

So begins an epic story spanning the twentieth century that reveals a much larger picture of prejudice and love, of devotion and abandonment - and will change Diamond's life forever.

'Told with warmth and humor by a memorable, irrepressible heroine.' - Rumaan Alam, author of LEAVE THE WORLD BEHIND

'Swift River broke my heart, and then offered me hope.' - Ann Napolitano, author of HELLO BEAUTIFUL

'Infused with that satisfying feeling one gets when you realize the missing piece to the puzzle is a sense of self . . . a sensational debut.' - Paul Beatty, author of THE SELLOUT

Publisher information

  • Publisher: John Murray Press
  • ISBN: 9780349703862
  • Number of pages: 304
  • Dimensions: 236 x 156 x 38 mm
  • Weight: 580g
  • Languages: English

Customer Reviews

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Swift River
Sheer brilliance
What a novel! For me this is a classic sitting right up there with the likes of "To kill a Mockingbird". Set in a town bordering Swift River it tells a st... READ MORE
Paula Sterling-stead
Swift River
Strong Heroine
I was immediately drawn into this book and the disappearance of Diamond's dad and was so excited to see where this story took us. Unfortunately somewhere a... READ MORE
Renee_Reads
Swift River
A powerful debut...
Diamond Newbury is one of the few people of colour in the neglected settlement of Swift River. She’s young, confused and overweight. She doesn’t understand... READ MORE
Jim Sweetman
Swift River
Not my cup of tea and I found the story confusing!
1987, Diamond Newberry is sixteen years old, extremely over weight and lonely and she’s the only biracial person in Swift River. Diamond lives with her mot... READ MORE
Karren's Reading Nook
Swift River
Thank goodness for family
Heartwarming though this tale is, ultimately, at times I felt it could be better laced together. Insightful happenings and observations notwithstanding, I ... READ MORE
Jayne Southern
Swift River
Beautiful
Swift River is such a beautiful story, sensitive, compassionate and often so sad it beaks your heart.
ANNE ROGERS
Swift River
Your circumstance don't have to define you
What I really like about this story is that the main character Diamond keeps on going even if her life isn't where it should be. I also like when Diamond i... READ MORE
Regina Mastrogiacomo