Although this covers racism, poverty, bullying, addiction and violence, it has the same dreamy atmosphere of Where the Crawdads Sing where these subjects are raised but it feels like a fable so it lacks the visceral nature of grittier books.
I liked Diamond as a hero and the plot ticked along nicely. The mechanism of discovered letters felt a little hackneyed but I can see that the story of Clara would be difficult to convey to Diamond in any other way.
I found echoes of many other stories in this book. It felt familiar and comforting and if you like a historical narrative you will love it. It’s a particularly safe way of discovering the history of racism in the twentieth century if you don’t have the stomach for writers like Colson Whitehead. It’s a hopeful, heartwarming take on life and privations. A good summer read, it doesn’t break the mould but I predict it will climb up the bestseller charts.

What a novel!
For me this is a classic sitting right up there with the likes of "To kill a Mockingbird". Set in a town bordering Swift River it tells a story of sixteen year old Diamond as she struggles to find her own identity and sense of belonging in a community which holds systemic racism and discrimination against her. As the daughter of a black father and white mother she is subject to despicable hatred and prejudice throughout her childhood. The disappearance of her father seven years ago not only ensures her abject poverty but denies her of her black heritage.
Faced with those who taunt her and her quest to know about her relatives she seeks to find comfort and answers in her 'aunt Lena's letters.
The two strike up a correspondence which somewhat addresses her father's struggles and behaviour. One comes to the notion that he either committed suicide or was killed. These letters also introduce the very strong and wise story of Aunt Clara, It is Clara's story that outlines the terrible economic injustices put on African Americans and their subsequent exodus from Swift River in 191 5. There is tension and pain as we learn of Clara and Jacques attempt to hide in the woods for fear of being caught by members of the white community after a certain time. The false promises and abuse of power held against her by her employer the alcoholic doctor conjures up so many emotions.

We see the emotional torture caused to her Ma as the town forces her jump through hoops to certify that her husband is indeed dead and not out and about. Their refusal to approve this leads to the two embarking on dangerous decisions like hitch-hiking when their car is empty.
This book had me in tears. Chambers has a writing style which is nothing short of poetic. Thank you so much NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read this: truly powerful.

Thanks to #Netgalley and Dialogue Books for an #ARC of #SwiftRiver.

This book was a bit of a mixed bag, I feel like I have finished it feeling a little confused and unsatisfied with how the storyline did (or didn't) finish. I enjoyed each of the separate storylines, and the book dragged me in for one more chapter, so overall it was a good read.

Not what I expected but a reasonably good read, the book was emotional and touched on some strong subjects. Dimond and Shelly were strong characters.
My thanks as always to NetGalley and to Dialogue Books for the early read

Such potential with the storyline but lacking in the detail. The reason for all of the story lines is apparent but the execution, for me, lacks finish. The main plot, the father, is never fully explained or concluded and in real life that happens. Things fizzle and end with no real bang. But was the man in the garden her father and she did not want to admit it?
I too felt the timeline was jumpy, the aunt inclusion and the conclusion that comes with that a bit random and the mother unfortunate and obvious (thin vs overweight).
Perhaps this is more of a young adult read? Not a bad read and not a recommend.
Thank you NetGalley for the advance read.

Thank you NetGalley and Dialogue Books for this eCopy to review

Swift River details the prejudice a mixed race child/woman received growing up in America. Following the disappearance of her father, Diamond is bullied for her poor background and being mixed raced. She self-medicates by eating in the hopes that she becomes so repulsive no-one will be interested in her, told over different times from when she was little and her father went missing to when she was nearly grown up and learning to drive. I enjoyed her friendship with Shelley but found Shelley's relationship with their driving education instructor very weird.

The ending was good in the end, but the book was a bit long and confusing in places with the letters and different time lines

The things I really liked about the book were Diamond herself., (my heart went out to her), her friendship with Shelly, the correspondence with the paternal aunt she had never met, and the history of the town and why Diamond is the only person of colour living there.
It wasn’t the easiest book to read, but at its heart is a coming of age story about a girl who needs to understand her history amd her heritage, and to find her place in the world. It is a reminder than discrimination and racism is likely still an issue, even in a town in the North Eastern USA.

This book covers a lot in a way that is both expansive, and at times confusing with the changes in the timeline. However, the main character keeps you wanting to know more, and that's what made me read the book in two sittings. A good story about difficult things, Not life changing, but a solid good read.

I didn't know what to expect from this book and I was disappointed that it was based around race. The story didn't really go anywhere and the story about the missing dad was overpowered by the race issue which it didn't need to be. I found myself skipping entire pages that contained the letters from 1915, they didn't add anything to the story. This could have been so much better.

A story of white and Negro people in USA and the conflicts and fears generated. A quick read and thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the chance to ARC this book.

Swift River
By Essie Chambers

This was a very frustrating read for me. On one hand, I was intrigued by the premise of a is-he-dead-or-is-he-missing dad, and the promise of an insurance payout which the mom fantasises about, on the other hand, the author did not make this an easy story to follow. She dangles all kinds of dilemmas and juxtapositions, which if explored, could have made a very interesting read, but they never get resolved, just fizzle into the ether. The timelines are coming in for a hard time with early reviewers. I can see why that's a problem for some people. It's not that there are different timelines, more that there's a garbled quality to the letters and they don't do enough to feed into the narrative. Their effect on Diamond's personal growth is more told than shown. I had especial difficulty trying to decipher Diamond's mother's character. Diamond is urgently trying to get away from her, from Swift River.

The narrative tells a different story about the mom than Diamond does. The sub plot of the driver ed teacher and the friend feel gratuitous and the court case is anti-climatic.

I was very interested in the history of sundown towns. There maybe a missed opportunity there.

Despite the messy structure and mixed messages I actually enjoyed reading this, but I don't expect it to take up space in my memory.

Publication date: 4th July 2024
Thanks to #Dialoguebooks and #NetGalley for the ARC

Summer, 1987. On the sweltering streets of the dying New England mill town of Swift River, sixteen-year-old Diamond Newbury is desperately lonely. It's been seven years since her father disappeared, and while her mother is determined to move on, Diamond can't distance herself from his memory. When Diamond receives a letter from a relative she has never met, she unearths long-buried secrets of her father's past and discovers a family and heritage she never knew she was missing. The more she learns, however, the harder it becomes to reconcile her old life with the one she wants to lead.

So begins an epic story spanning the twentieth century that reveals a much larger picture of prejudice and love, of devotion and abandonment - and will change Diamond's life forever.

This book is beautifully written and I found myself transported to Swift River from the first line. I enjoyed the different narratives from Diamonds Aunt Clara and Auntie Lena. The only down side for me was that the ending seemed a bit rushed.

This historical coming-of-age novel tells the story of Diamond, a young teenager grappling with bullying and a sense of not belonging. We witness her family's journey, marked by the disappearance of her father years ago and her mother's struggles to maintain a job and provide proper care. One day, Diamond receives a letter from her aunt that offers a deeper understanding of her father's side of the family and the challenges faced by the Black community in her town.

The book is a relatively easy read, never boring, and not overly long. It contains some engaging sections, but I never quite connected with the story or the characters. The concept of the novel is compelling, as I enjoy historical fiction that delves into themes of race, family, and legacy, however, despite both storylines being easy to follow, I never felt the intended power and emotion, nor did I sense a cohesive connection between them.

While the book features beautiful prose and an important underlying story, it felt somewhat disjointed. I believe it had the potential to be more impactful than it ultimately was, and for me, it was just "okay." Additionally, there were some unresolved matters, particularly regarding Diamond's father, that I wish had been explained further.

Overall, this is a decent piece of historical fiction, a quick read, and definitely beautifully written. However, it won't become a favorite or linger in my memory for long.

i spent the whole of this book waiting for the payoff, which never really felt like it happened. It's well written, but ultimately not for me.

Its the summer of 1987.
Diamond Newbury is lonely, eating for company and missing her dad who disappeared 7 years ago.
her mother is preparing to declare him dead but Diamond doesn't want to forget him.
She receives a letter from a relative who tells her about her dad and his life growing up and this will change her life forever.
Felt the ending of the book was abrupt and left questions unanswered.

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6606996392

An interesting book, with an interesting lead character, and lots of themes to chew on. But not a light or easy read. I also found some parts of the plot really hard to follow (and looking at other reviews I may not have been the only one). And there is quite a lot of ambiguity built in, which some may love but I just tend to find frustrating! So not quite my cup of tea but many thanks to the (very talented) author, publisher and NetGalley for the ARC in any event.

I went into this book not knowing what to expect but came out having read a beautiful written and very moving story. The main character is very lovable, and the way her living and family situation is described was exceptional.

The story depicts not only Diamond’s battle with racism and prejudice in her little town of Swift River, but also that of her female ancestors in the form of letters from the past. I think the shift to the past of the protagonist is perfectly used to present the story-line of love and loss, and the mix of emoltionaland mental struggles that come with it.

At the start I found it a bit confusing to grasp the plot and the past/present slips - hence the lower marking - but later in the book it was something I was really looking forward to.

I think it is not only a moving story but one that is worth reading to see the world from a different perspective.

I found this a shocking reminder of black lives in a white community in the USA. The mother is white and the father black, and they have a mixed daughter. The issues that she faces and hides from her parents are distressing for the reader and bewildering for the child, who obviously increasingly realises their significance as time passes. The father and daughter are there only non white members of the community and are also coping with poverty.
This story seems to be a reminder of the race and poverty issues still reported in small town America. As the family faces more problems the daughter tries to protect her mother and everything becomes more complicated.
The story is really sad, recognising that long standing issues are still very much present with little sign of progress.

I enjoyed this book despite the fact that the essential tale told was not very pleasant, but sadly true in a lot of parts of the world, essentially about poor black people trying to overcome all of the adversity that they met.
The tale did not have the style of James Everett but was nevertheless absorbing.
For me this was a story that lost momentum due to the present day trend of switching between different parts of the story.
Indeed the narrative flow was spoilt by the apparent need to cover all of the requirements of modern day publishing, when a narrower, punchier narrative, that would have been achieved by concentrating on the main storyline, would have enhanced the book.
My thanks to the author for the hours of enjoyment that the book has brought me, I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Diamond is a young woman growing up in a predominantly white area, with a white mother and black father. The book does go backwards to 1915 and her black relatives and how racist people where. Although Diamond in the 1970/80's realises nothing much has changed. The story describes her lifes ups and down.
I did find it a little confusing when the story flips backwards and foreword in time but I eventually got quite engrossed in her story.