A Swift Pure Cry (edition 2007)

I grabbed this one up because the author of [b:A Monster Calls|8621462|A Monster Calls|Patrick Ness|http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51-pcxuY0yL._SL75_.jpg|13492114], a book that a number of people held in awe, said he had worked the idea from Siobhan Dowd, who had died before being able to do so herself.

While it's lovely and flits with very large heavinesses, I think I don't connect with an essentially Irish story. There are themes that are worldwide - the parent-hunger, faith and its lack, poverty, cattiness, teen pregnancy - but how it's dealt with in that kind of community with those reactions, I just don't feel it.

Jimmy and Trixie are the best siblings. Oh, those two, I do hug.

Dowd has only written 4 books. Try one out? ( )

Another YA read that will draw adults as well, this novel takes place in County Cork during the 1980s. For North American readers, the Talent family home’s lack of amenities will seem more typical of the 1950s. No TV, no malls or movies, the Talent siblings (15, 9 and 6?) play made up games with each other and cut out dolls from old magazines. When their alcoholic father wants to drink and count his stash hidden in the piano, he sends the children out to pick up stones in the field, no matter the weather. This is a wonderfully conveyed visual for their hard, dour life.

At 15, Shell, short for Michelle, has lost her mother to cancer and lost her faith. “In Shell’s mind, Jesus got off the cross and walked off to the nearest bar.” She starts “mitching”, skipping school, stealing from the local shops and devastatingly, gives in to the local Lothario, Declan Ronan. By the time Shell realizes she’s pregnant, Declan has run away from home to America. She hides her pregnancy under her father’s coat and in a believable, one-of-a-kind scene, gives birth at home with the help of her younger siblings. No melodrama, no Hallmark moments: just 3 traumatized children.

The plot takes a sharp turn here involving spoilers; let’s just say Shell’s trauma is just beginning….

There`s a delicate subplot involving a new parish assistant, Father Rose. The antithesis of the pedophile priest, Father Rose befriends Shell as much as he can within the restraints of 1980s Irish Catholicism.

This novel came recommended by Patrick Ness, author of The Knife of Neve Letting Go, who places it in a category with To Kill a Mockingbird; both are coming-of-age stories deeply true to their culture and time and at the same time, universal.

Something for teens and adults. Highly recommended 8 out of 10. ( )

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. ( )