Reviewed by Kimmy (Class of 2012)
Who is the father of Shell’s baby? In A Swift Pure Cry by Siobhan Dowd, fifteen year old Michelle “Shell” Talent lives in County Cork, Ireland with her father and her two younger siblings. Shell’s mother has died and it’s her responsibility to take care of her family. Siobhan Dowd had won many awards for her writing, including the 2007 Branford Boase Award for outstanding novel for younger teens. In this story, Shell becomes pregnant by somebody she knew and who leaves her alone and pregnant. The mystery in the book is who is the father of her unborn baby. The thing I didn’t like about this book is that I didn’t understand the part who was the father of the baby, and there were so many people involved in this part. My favorite part was that her younger siblings were learning something new every each day during the pregnancy they were becoming more talkative. This book has a lot of drama going on and if you like that type of book, you would love reading A Swift Pure Cry. ( )

Reviewed by Sally Kruger, aka "Readingjunky" for TeensReadToo.com

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. ( )

Shell, an Irish teen whose mother has died and whose father is an alcoholic, is struggling to take care of her two younger siblings. She becomes involved with a boy and gets pregnant but conceals it. Her father and the other adults either don't see her condition or ignore it. This book does a good job of projecting the helplessness that young people can feel when they are in an overwhelming situation without any adults in charge. A very moving book. ( )

Shell Talent lives with her dad and younger brother and sister in the Irish village of Coolbar near the sea. Her mam has been dead for a year or more and the family still misses her greatly.

Shell's only tangible tie to her mam is a pink dress hanging in the back of her dad's closet. One night she tries it on and starts a chain of events that leads to a scandal the likes of which Coolbar has never known. Misunderstandings and secrets abound as Shell tries to make sense of what has happened.

This is a haunting story of a young girl still grieving for her dead mother and caught up in events that quickly spiral out of her control. Through it all, though, Shell looks after her younger siblings and never loses her bond with her mam.

Review by Ms. DuVall

I didn't really enjoy this book. I think others would find it enjoyable but it just sort of felt like i dragged on for me. You can find my full review here:
http://anotherbookblogwhore.blogspot.... ( )