The Storm of the English Civil War

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I've read many historical novels and quite a few set in the English Civil War, and this one, The Swift and the Harrier by Minette Walters is up there with the best of them. Jane, the Swift of the title, chooses not to take a side in the English Civil War whilst treating the injured from both sides as a physician. But being a neutral in a time of war is not easy. As the war continues in Dorset she keeps coming across William Harrier, a man who appears to be someone different each time they meet. Where Walters excels is in the effect of the war on families and communities, the breakdown, the anguish, the despair, you really do feel you're there. You don't need to know about the Civil War and the factions as Walters explains as the story goes on though at times it feels as though a factual paragraph has crept in. The relationship between Jane and William is a strong one, an intellectual one. I would have liked to have seen more passion, more physical need between them. Both likeable a further volume of their lives is much needed!