Very pleased to welcome Barbara Spencer to the Cafe and Bookstore with her books. Today I am featuring the historical fantasy – The Year the Swans Came.
About the book
Growing up amidst the ruins of war, four children play among the bridges and cobblestone walkways of an old city, using them as a backdrop for their games. Pieter Bader, the eldest, wants nothing more than to work with their father in the family business, designers of mirrors for royalty since the 17th century, while his young sister, Maidy, dreams of becoming a writer. She has her own special bridge, the smallest in the city, around which she weaves stories of swashbuckling pirates and princesses, dressed all in silver, who wear sandals made from the silken thread of a spider’s web. Her best friend is Ruth, a young Jewish girl whose family returned to the city as refugees after the war. Slightly the older, and both rich and very beautiful, Ruth dreams of marrying Pieter, only for him to vanish from their lives late one night.
Is his disappearance linked to the arrival of the swans, feared as cursed and birds of ill-fortune? What will happen when they return six years later, on the morning of Maidy’s sixteenth birthday? And who exactly is the charismatic and mysterious Zande? Follow Ruth and Maidy’s cursed tale of love as they discover what happened to Pieter, how the appearance of Zande will affect both their lives, unleashing events as tragic and fantastical as one of Maidy’s stories
The Year the Swans Came won Bronze in the Coffee Pot Book Cllub Book of the Year Awards for Historical Fantasy.
One of the five star reviews for the book
“The Year the Swans Came” was a beautifully-written, compelling story with truly unforgettable characters. This historical fiction with elements of fantasy/supernatural essentially dwells on the two subjects that run parallel in this novel – love and friendship – and on the importance of both as the consequences of one wrong decision may be indeed deadly. I absolutely loved the central heroine, Maidy, and I grew to actively dislike her “best friend,” Ruth. Both coping with the aftermath of the war and their small town rebuilding its life, they differ greatly personality-wise, which eventually leads to a rapt between the two and inevitable tragedy. The mystery surrounding the swans, even though it mostly takes place in the very end, added even more to an already fascinating story, which I thoroughly enjoyed. I’d definitely recommend it. Great read.
Read the reviews and buy the book: Amazon UK – And: Amazon US
A selection of other books by Barbara Spencer
Read the reviews and buy the books: Amazon UK – And: Amazon US – Follow Barbara: Goodreads
About Barbara Spencer
In 1967, Barbara Spencer hi-tailed it to the West Indies to watch cricket, the precursor to a highly colourful career spanning three continents, in which she was caught up in riots, wars, and choosing Miss World.
A regular visitor to both primary and secondary schools, in 2010, the publication of Running, a Y/A thriller, took Barbara countrywide, her travels eliciting a series of Blogs and short stories which were published in 2017 as Age and the Antique Sideboard. This marked her retirement from writing, since when Barbara has written several books for an older audience.
The first of these, The Year the Swans Came, a magical fairytale for adults/top teens, was published at the end of 2018.
Connect to Barbara Spencer: Blog: Barbara Spencer Author – Twitter: @BarbaraSpencerO – Facebook: Barbara Spencer Author – Facebook: Barbara Spencer
Thanks for dropping by today and it would be great if your could share Barbara’s books.. thanks Sally.
This book sounds lovely. Thank you for the review.
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Oh thank you for reading and commenting. The Year the Swans Came really was a labour of love, a completely new style for me, I originally got the idea back in 2010 when I was visiting Holland with my granddaughter to celebrating the publication of Running – a futuristic thriller. best wishes Barbara
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Good review, Sally. Thank you. Hugs xx
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Thanks Joy… glad you enjoyed..hugsx
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Hi – this is Barbara. Thank you so much for commenting. I have finally completed the sequel which will be out in March – fingers crossed.
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hello Joy thank you so much for reading and commenting on Sally’s blog. The Year the Swans Came has inspired some great reviews and I am delighted to say a sequel – out in March.
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I love the title, the cover, and the description. Definitely one for my list! Thanks for sharing, Sally. Hugs xx 🙂
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That’s great Harmony..thank you..hugsx
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Hi Harmony – you can imagine how exciting it is to have ‘comments’. Since this was uploaded Swans (as I casually refer to it) has won the bronze medal in the Coffee Pot Book Shop Annual Awards for Historical Fantasy.
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Reblogged this on Campbells World and commented:
So Pleased and Privileged to see friend and fellow author Barbara Spencer featured here.
Thanks Sally for hosting yet another of my Totally Talented Clients!
Great job Barbara!
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Thanks for sharing Patty..hugs
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Thank you for introducing me to Sally – Patty.
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A warm welcome to Barbara. The book sounds wonderful. I’ve added it to my wish list. Congrats to Barbara on the fantastic review. Thanks for sharing, Sally.
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Thanks Diana…xx
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D. Wallace Peach – this is Barbara. Thanks so much for your comments. It was my first real adult book and took a year to write but definitely worth it.
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My pleasure, Barbara. I’m a fantasy reader, so I always perk up when Sally shares a new fantasy book. This is a wonderful blog to discover new reads! Congrats.
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There is the prequel series which is a trilogy – The Click of a Pebble which starts it all off.
Barbara
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Thanks Diana for the promo…hugsx
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The book sounds excellent, as do the rest of her offerings. Thanks for introducing us, Sally!
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Thanks Jacqui..always lovely to add new authors to the bookstore. x
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Hi Jacqui – it was a big change for me. My YA thrillers were always so well received but after reading Girl with a Pearl Earring I was challenged to write a very different type of story in a new style. Of course there is a sequel – out hopefully in March.
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Lovely to get to know a bit about Barbara here today and what looks a beautiful book. ❤
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Thanks Debby..hugsx♥
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Hugs Sal ❤ xx
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dgkaye – this is Barbara responding. You can imagine how exciting the writing of this particular book has been. After so many years writing for children. Defeinitely ‘changing horses in mid stream.’ And of course there is a sequel. And a prequel series because everyone wants to know more about Zande.
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Well so do I! Lovely to meet you here Barbara 🙂
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Hi Sally, A warm welcome to Barbara, and her book sounds fabulous. It was interesting reading about her background. Toni x
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Thanks Toni.. I am sure she will appreciate that..hugsx
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Hi Toni – thank you so much for reading Sally’s blog – she does a fabulous job and I am so grateful to her for hosting me this weekend. The Year the Swans Came marked a very different style for me and of course because it has been well received … there is a sequel out in ’21. Barbara Spencer
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Thank you for introducing, Sally! Sounds interesting, and the covers itself are amazing. Will look for picking at least one or two as gifts. Michael
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That is great thank you Michael…hugsx
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xx
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Hi Michael – this is Barbara. Thrilled you like the title. With my children’s books they were always original drawings but covers-styles have changed and this took for ever to track down. My YA novels were thrillers but very popular but I wanted to write in a different style hence The Year the Swans Came and of course its sequel – out in March.
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This sounds like a wonderful read, Sally! And it’s so great to meet Barbara!
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Lovely to meet you too, Jan. It was a book that has been with me for 10 years since I went to Amsterdam with my granddaughter to celebrate the publication of Running which also visits Holland. And yes, there will be a sequel due out in March.
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Thanks Jan..delighted that Barbara has joined the Cafe.. xx
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Beautiful cover and intriguing title – I’m sure the inside is as enticing!
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Thanks Trish.. I am sure it is..have a lovely weekend. hugsx
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Hi Aex – if you enjoyed Girl with a Pearl Earring, I think you will enjoy The Year the Swans Came. It was the book that inspired me to write something with memorable characters.
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Another great-sounding book, Sally. You always find new gems. Thanks for sharing it, and good luck to Barbara!
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