A Swift Pure Cry by Siobhan Dowd - 2007

David Fickling Books; Oxford, New York, 2007. First American Edition . Hardcover. New/New. 90x17x135. [YA]. Dowd, Siobhan. "A Swift Pure Cry." Oxford, New York: David Fickling Books, 2007. English language. Hardcover in jacket. 309 pp. 9 x 6 x 1 in. 22 x 15 x 3 cm. Text clean. New. ISBN: 9780385751087. "Ireland 1984.After Shell's mother dies, her obsessively religious father descends into alcoholic mourning and Shell is left to care for her younger brother and sister. Her only release from the harshness of everyday life comes from her budding spiritual friendship with a naive young priest, and most importantly, her developing relationship with childhood friend, Declan, who is charming, eloquent, and persuasive. But when Declan suddenly leaves Ireland to seek his fortune in America, Shell finds herself pregnant and the center of a scandal that rocks the small community in which she lives, with repercussions across the whole country. The lives of those immediately around her will never be the same again.This is a story of love and loss, religious belief and spiritualityit will move the hearts of any who read it.