A Swift Pure Cry

by Siobhan Dowd

Book Overview

Ireland 1984.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, who is charming, eloquent, and persuasive. But when Declan suddenly leaves Ireland...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0440422183
• ISBN13: 9780440422181
• Release Date: September 2008
• Publisher: Rh Childrens Books
• Length: 320 Pages
• Weight: 0.55 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 5.3" x 8.0"

Customer Reviews

Hope in the midst of Struggle

in a sentence or so: Shell's mam died a year ago. she and her brother, her sister, and her dad have been hobbling along ever since...until Father Rose comes to town and changes the way Shell experiences her life without her mam in the world. Shell is 15 and raising her brother and sister on her own. sure, her dad is around, but he's either drunk or off collecting for the church's charity (and pocketing some for his booze). on the rare occasion that he is home, he orders Shell and siblings to pick rocks in the field (that he never plows), eats, and passes out. then, one Sunday during mass, Shell discovers a new priest in the pulpit. Father Rose is kind, warm, genuine, and fills Shell with a sense of purpose and love that she hadn't felt in a year. things seemed to be going well for Shell - Father Rose giving her a new hope and purpose in life, her best friend Bridie and friend Delcan Ronan as solid school companions, and she was balancing being nice to her siblings while raising them at the same time. then, as soon as things become great, they turn sour. Bridie up and leaves without explaining to Shell why she's mad at her, and Declan (her eventual boyfriend) ditches, leaving Shell alone and feeling hollow. again. i don't want to give anything away plot wise because things i expected to happen in a seemingly predictable coming-of-age-plot turned out not to be that way at all. in fact, there was even a real life gasp+hand over the mouth moment. no joke. this is still a coming of age in that Shell is 15, motherless, raising her sibs, and having to learn the hard (and incredibly awkward) way about periods, bras, and boys. even though i felt the plot was really solid and took some interesting and unexpected turns, it was the writing that really made this book shine. the opening line -"The place brought to mind a sinking ship"- is vivid and set the tone of helplessness and struggle for the entire book. the writing style was crass and raw, yet tender and emotional. the overarching theme of emotional conflict and spiritual duplicity threaded the multiple plot points together to create a multi-faceted view of Shell and her community. ultimately, this was about Shell figuring out life in the midst of grief and loss, with hope and struggle, failure and success. the thoughtful choice of writing in the Irish vernacular to illustrate delicate and vivid images is icing on this cake. read it, you'll like it. fave quote : "The place fell silent. Mrs Duggan led her down the aisle to the front. She saw a hundred fork-prong eyes, noses twitching, hands fluttering: like small animals salivating." (260) fix er up: the resolution felt cyclical to me. like i wound up where i started...even though Shell was in a different place and the events shaped her.

Enjoyed it a lot

I really liked this book. It was a little hard to get into, but once I did I couldn't put it down. It had lots of twists and turns you would never expect, the ending is NOT predictable at all. It shows the struggles of a teenage pregnacy very well. I really did like this book.

With its lyrical prose and no-holds-bar of emotional turmoil is a heartbreaking yet hopeful family d

Fifteen-year-old Michelle (Shell) Talent's life has been difficult since her Mam died a year earlier. Her father has turned to Scripture and alcohol, in an attempt to escape reality and his inner demons. Shell looks after her younger brother and sister, Jimmy and Trix, whom she cares for very much. But other than this, her life isn't a very satisfying one. She's bored of church and embarrassed by her father's newfound religious zeal, which includes gathering --- and taking from --- the collections for the church's various charities and then spending many of his evenings at the local pub. As a result, there isn't much money for his children to live on, but Shell manages to keep her siblings happy, even if she's not. Things begin to get better when Father Rose arrives in Coolbar. On the surface, it may seem that Shell has a schoolgirl crush on him, but the young priest is a breath of fresh air in the oppressive Irish community. Around the time of his arrival, Shell begins to sense her mother's spirit and clutches the memories and the few material items that belonged to her Mam --- including wearing the pink satin dress kept in the back of her father's wardrobe. Unfortunately, this act brings forth a disturbing incident of mistaken identity. Shell seeks support from both the church and her friends --- the smooth-talking altar boy Declan Ronan and bold Birdie Carroll --- skipping class to share cigarettes and hear the cheeky rhymes that Declan usually makes up. However, the support she does get from Birdie doesn't last very long. Birdie accuses a confused, naïve Shell of being involved with Declan. Later, Shell does begin a relationship with Declan, though it is kept secret at his insistence. The following summer, Declan leaves for the bright lights of New York City to find better opportunities than the ones available in Coolbar despite his family's financial wealth. Shell's life is the same, but now she has no friends and can't really rely on Father Rose, whose best intentions are being frowned upon as he also begins to reconsider his calling in life. Unluckily for Shell, she discovers that she's pregnant and must rely on herself to prepare for the life-changing moment. Then a scandal erupts in the small community affecting Shell, her family and the church. A terrible crime has been committed, and Shell tries to protect those she cares about. But who will protect Shell? Despite its themes of family dysfunction and teenage pregnancy, A SWIFT PURE CRY is not a typical fictional example of the dire consequences of teen rebellion. With its lyrical prose and no-holds-bar of emotional turmoil is a heartbreaking yet hopeful family drama centered on a young woman as she struggles to care for her family while trying to understand the life her Mam left behind. --- Reviewed by Sarah Sawtelle

A Super Read for Young Adults and Mothers!

A Swift Pure Cry will take you into the emotional turmoil world of 15 year old, Shell. In her world she struggles with her mother's death, a drunken father, taking on the leadership of role of caring for her younger brother and sister, and if that wasn't enough she finds out that she .... You guessed it... is pregnant by her childhood friend, Declan! With all these social issues in one story I couldn't help but be grateful that this story addressed some serious issues that involve both teens and adults. It was also a story that we as adults and teens can relate to rather that some hyped-up Hollywood film relaying an idealistic fantasy or an against-all-odds romance. This is a story of hope and "A Swift Pure Cry" has something for everyone, young and old. I would certainly recommend this novel for all young adults and mothers.

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"