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Summary
“Before the Swallows Come Back” by Fiona Curnow is a heartwarming story about love, family, and redemption. The novel follows two young people,Tommy and Charlotte, who both lead lives marked by solitude and struggle.
Tommy struggles with understanding or communicating with people. He lives traditionally, with his Scottish Tinker family but he prefers to be alone and in the outdoors.
Charlotte, also a country girl, cares for her father who is extremely unwell. One day, she meets Tommy by the riverside. An unexpected friendship begins and grows more deeply as they get to know each other.
Both families are struck by tragedy, which leads to Tommy and Charlotte losing touch with each other. Both Tommy and Charlotte face challenging times. The story follows them as they face their challenges alone, and fight for their survival.
Their very strong bond is tested, when tragedy strikes both families, leading to their separation. Charlotte is sent away, and Tommy faces accusations of a serious crime.
Published 2023.
359 Pages. Kindle edition.
My Thoughts
The marketing of this book has described it as a story that touches the soul, and “Perfect for fans of Where The Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens and The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah. On hearing this, I couldn’t resist, as these are two of my favourite books.
Before the Swallows Come Back is a story of the survival of two young people, society’s outsiders living in the wilderness, and their fight for justice. If you’re like me, your heart will be in your mouth one moment, and in the next moment, you will be laughing and feel happy for the main characters. This will occur over and over.
The plot is gripping with ‘edge of your seat’ tension, as Tommy and Charlotte are forced to do what is necessary to survive, after devastating changes to their lives force them apart. The drama is happening against the backdrop of the most beautiful bushland area. The descriptions of the outdoors and it’s beauty are wonderfully written, and many times I had to stop and re-read beautiful passages of writing.
Before the Swallows come back was unputdownable and I would recommend it as an unforgettable read.
Please note that my star rating system isn’t at all based on literary merit, but is based on my enjoyment for the book.
For me a book that gets five stars, is a book that I really enjoyed, and found difficult to put down.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Unputdownable. Would read it again.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Fantastic read. Not to be missed
⭐️⭐️⭐️ Enjoyable. Would recommend it.
⭐️⭐️ Wouldn’t read it again.
⭐️ Don’t recommend this book at all.
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