The Swift and the Harrier

Having read the blurb for this book, I wasn't particularly gripped. I am not somebody that would normally find a book about the civil war particularly interesting. However I am really glad that I picked the book up. The Swift and the Harrier centres around Jayne Swift, a physician during the period of the civil war. As a woman, Jayne is not allowed the title of Doctor despite being more than capable. Throughout the book we follow Mistress Swift as she treats patients from both sides of the conflict, regardless of their views. I thought that this was a really interesting way of portraying the civil war and allowed me to learn about the history from a perspective that wasn't entirely centred on the battles. I enjoyed learning about how families were split in their allegiances and how people at the time dealt with differing views among those they knew. Overall I really enjoyed this book and enjoyed viewing the civil war through the eyes of one trying to treat those at war, though I felt it was a bit long and found myself losing concentration a bit in the middle.

This book is set around the time of the English Civil war with the King fighting Parliament. A time I knew very little about, this book paints a good picture of this time. Allegiances within families are different, farm workers have been press ganged into fighting. The story tells of all of these things and the feelings of the people. At the heart of the story is Jayne Swift a physician which was very unusual around this time. Jayne tended the wounded regardless of their allegiances, living in Lyme which is under great siege. Throughout Jayne has dealings with William Harrier, a man she originally thought a footman, although he may not be what he seems. The book allows the reader to get to know Jayne, her family and their thoughts on this war. Jayne and William appear to be at odds as the war progresses but their friendship continues. I loved this book and couldn’t put it down. I felt I knew a lot more about the Civil War. All of the characters were necessary for the plot and I enjoyed the good and the bad. I will look out for more books by this author.