The Swift and the Harrier, Minette Walters
The Swift and the Harrier, Minette Walters
List: $22.95 | Sale: $16.07
Club: $11.47

The Swift and the Harrier

Author: Minette Walters

Narrator: Emma Gregory

Unabridged: 14 hr 53 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 07/12/2022

Synopsis

A sweeping historical adventure set during one of the most turbulent periods of British history—featuring a heroine you’ll never forget ...Dorset, 1642.When bloody civil war breaks out between the king and Parliament, families and communities across England are riven by different allegiances.A rare few choose neutrality.One such is Jayne Swift, a Dorset physician from a Royalist family, who offers her services to both sides in the conflict. Through her dedication to treating the sick and wounded, regardless of belief, Jayne becomes a witness to the brutality of war and the devastation it wreaks.Yet her recurring companion at every event is a man she should despise because he embraces civil war as the means to an end. She knows him as William Harrier, but is ignorant about every other aspect of his life. His past is a mystery and his future uncertain.The Swift and the Harrier is a sweeping tale of adventure and loss, sacrifice and love, with a unique and unforgettable heroine at its heart.

About Minette Walters

Minette Walters is a British mystery writer. After studying at Trevelyan College, University of Durham, she began writing in 1987 with The Ice House, and followed this with The Sculptress, which received the 1994 Edgar Award for Best Novel. She has been published in thirty-five countries and won many awards. The Sculptress has been adapted for television in a BBC series starring Pauline Quirke. Her novels The Ice House, The Echo, The Dark Room, and The Scold’s Bridle have also been adapted by the BBC.

About Emma Gregory

Emma Gregory has enjoyed an extensive and varied career. Some of her many radio titles include The Diary Of Samuel Pepys, Don Quixote (with Paul Schofield), The Bell, In the Native State (with Peggy Ashcroft), Dombey and Son, The Quatermass Memoirs (with Andrew Keir), and Great Expectations. She has also recorded Shakespeare on CD for Riverrun Productions and the soundtrack of The Beggars Opera for the Royal Shakespeare Company. She works regularly as a voice-over artist for various companies, including the History and Biography channels.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Ellie on February 09, 2022

Rounded up from around 4.5 stars ⭐️ The Swift and the Harrier follows the lives of Jayne Swift, a female doctor defying societal expectations, and William Harrier, a man determined to prove himself. Their lives are forced to intertwine throughout the civil war. I admit, I have studied the civil war......more

Goodreads review by Ceecee on July 23, 2021

It’s 19th August 1642 and physician Jayne Swift tries to negotiate a path through the crowds gathered in Dorchester to watch the execution of Catholic priests as the city has enthusiastically embraced Puritanism. She wants to get to her cousin Ruth’s house as her son is gravely ill. She waits in a d......more

Goodreads review by Annette on March 21, 2022

England, 1642. The story is set during a time when King Charles I wants to have absolute power and the Parliament is asking for shared power. Jayne Swift, whose father is Royalist, was trained to be a physician by a doctor, who made no distinction between political or religious belief. Her pledge is......more

Goodreads review by Janelle on April 23, 2022

Really enjoyable historical fiction set in Dorset during the English Civil War. The main character Jayne Swift is a physician and William Harrier is a bit of a mystery man. When Jayne first meets him he is acting as a footman for Lady Alice Stickland. The setting and time period is interesting to me......more

Quotes

“Gripping and fascinating.”

Elizabeth Buchan, New York Times bestselling author

“Walters draws wonderfully on her crime-writing skills…This well-researched novel of seventeenth-century warfare shows the perils and rewards of sticking to one’s principles.”

Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

“Endearing characters spark life into centuries-old history in Walters’s latest, which will appeal to fans of Philippa Gregory, Margaret George, and Sharon Kay Penman.”

Library Journal (starred review)

“I loved every moment of this brilliantly evocative saga of struggle, love, and danger set against the horrors of civil war.”

S. W. Perry, bestselling author of the Jackdaw Mysteries

“A truly, utterly gripping English Civil War love story that is as fleet and majestic as the birds of the title. This is Minette Walters at her brilliant best.”

Paul Blezard, LoveReading

“This well-researched, atmospheric tale is as gripping as any of her thrillers.”

Joanne Finney, Good Housekeeping

“The author best known for her crime fiction sets this enthralling, tender love story against the brutal background of the English Civil War.”

The i

“Minette Walters, a stalwart of crime fiction, is excellent on the horrors of civil war in Dorset, and Swift is a memorable and spirited…heroine.”

Antonia Senior, The Times

“This is historical fiction at its finest…Jayne is a fantastic character, a woman very much in a man’s world, living and working to bring succor to those in need.”

Belfast Telegraph

“A cleverly crafted combination of romance and adventure story.”

Sunday Times

Awards

  • Library Journal Editor’s Pick
  • Hasty Book Reviews
  • Barnes & Noble Pick
  • AudioFile Earphones Award
  • BookTrib Pick
  • ALA Reading List Award
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