The Swift and the Harrier Audiobook By Minette Walters cover art

The Swift and the Harrier

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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.

©2021 Minette Walters (P)2021 W. F. Howes Ltd Historical Historical Fiction Women's Fiction

Critic reviews

"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. Both gripping and fascinating. The civil war in Dorset is evoked brilliantly, the characters are real and intriguing and the love story tender." (Elizabeth Buchan)

"I loved every moment of this brilliantly evocative saga of struggle, love and danger set against the horrors of civil war." (S W Perry, best-selling author of the Jackdaw Mysteries)
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As always I enjoyed reading Walters novels a lot. This time however I found the main characters too heroic, almost mythological. I would recommend the book to my teenage daughters, but I doubt it is a true reflection of history. It is eyed too much from today's perspective to give the feeling of how reality was perceived at that time. Otherwise, great research and a moving love story with the main characters swiffeling around one another. Well read, especially for accents, but not for laughs.

more of a teenager's historical novel, but enjoyable nevertheless

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