Before the Swallows Come Back

By: Fiona Curnow

Narrated by: Steve Worsley

Perfect for fans of Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens, The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah, and Sal by Mik Kitson, with its celebration of the natural world, its misunderstood central characters living on the outside of society's norms, their survival in the wilderness, and the ultimate fight for justice.

Before the Swallows Come Back is a story of love, found family, and redemption that will break your heart and have it soaring time and time again as you sit on the edge of your seat desperately hoping.

Tommy struggles with people, with communicating, preferring solitude, drifting off with nature. He is protected by his Tinker family who keep to the old ways. A life of quiet seclusion under canvas is all he knows.

Charlotte cares for her sickly father. She meets Tommy by the riverside, and an unexpected friendship develops. Over the years it becomes something more, something crucial to both of them. But when tragedy strikes each family, they are torn apart.

Charlotte is sent far away.

Tommy might have done something very bad.

©2023 Fiona Curnow (P)2024 Fiona Curnow

Plot

I liked everything about the book, the story, the reading with Scottish accent descriptions of nature and the length

Epic tale

It's a long book with a slow start, but ended up being a great read!

Such a Touching Story

Even though this was a book written about another time and place from my own, I appreciate the telling of this story, and the reality of how awful things can be when times are tough. I’m so thankful there are ways out of dark troubles, and then wonderful endings.

Warm story about family, love, and redemption

What a nice story. The description promised love, family, and redemption, and while those themes were definitely present, they were explored in a lighter, less deep way than I expected. It was an enjoyable read overall. At times, it felt a bit wordy, and I found myself wanting the story to move along. The ending was sweet, not entirely predictable, but still tied up neatly with a bow.

l liked the characters

just felt it ended all of a sudden
wasn't quite finished
all of sudden the book was finished