Official Review: The Swing by sharon allen

Post by **Diana Lowery** » 04 Jul 2020, 09:36

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "The Swing" by sharon allen.]

3 out of 4 stars

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My motivation for reading The Swing came from the biographical information on the author page. Sharon Allen wrote this, her first novel, after a lifetime of dreaming of becoming an author. I was curious to see how her years of wisdom were conveyed onto the pages of a romance novel. There are some sex scenes, but they are described in a grandmotherly way and are always referred to as "making love." I was also enticed by the cover because it reminded me of all the swings in my life and the fond memories that I have of them.

We meet Mae, the protagonist of this saga, as a teenager. An attractive, young man comes into the drugstore where she is working and orders a dish of ice cream. Their storybook romance lasts through her senior year of high school until he is drafted. Thinking that waiting to get married until he finishes his training is a good idea, he leaves on his adventure. Circumstances prevent his return; eventually, Mae moves on with her life. Her first love, however, is not forgotten.

There are many characters in this story, but they are well-rounded and easy to follow. Mae's friends from high school stay close through all their marriages, births, deaths, and travels. Dialogue between these individuals is realistic and believable. The swing in the story actually becomes a character as it witnesses most of the important events in Mae's life.

The Swing is predictable, and the foreshadowing obvious, but it is a sweet, quick read. I liked the way that Mae's character was so honorable. She was steadfast in her relationships with her parents, her friends, her boss, and her lovers. She was even loyal to the old, beat-up truck that she nicknamed Jake.

There were times in the narrative when the point of view shifted and those times were confusing. There was an effort to make this distinction clearer by putting those lines in quotation marks, but it took a while before I caught on to what was happening. It was a clever idea, but it wasn't executed as well as it could have been.

Although the author credits her daughter with being her editor, I found enough grammatical and formatting errors to rate this as a 3 out of 4. I think this book would appeal to anyone who enjoys a formulaic plot with a fairy tale ending. I applaud the author for starting a new career late in life and look forward to reading more books by her.

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The Swing
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Miks_solon · Post by **Miks_solon** » 06 Jul 2020, 04:22

Thanks for the review. Your words really had me wanting to read the book. I miss reading books about traditional courtship and romance.

Chinelookeke · Post by **Chinelookeke** » 06 Jul 2020, 06:15

I love fairytale endings. The write up was attractive. Thanks for the beautiful review.

Topsey · Post by **Topsey** » 06 Jul 2020, 06:33

You have written a really compelling lovely review. Sometimes it is nice to read a traditional romance even if it is a bit predictable.

cyriladavan · Post by **cyriladavan** » 06 Jul 2020, 12:15

Topsey wrote: ↑06 Jul 2020, 06:33 You have written a really compelling lovely review. Sometimes it is nice to read a traditional romance even if it is a bit predictable.

This made me laugh because I am guilty of this habit. This made me ponder too. I do agree but what matters most is the awareness.

Karensoto1 · Post by **Karensoto1** » 06 Jul 2020, 12:47

The ending was amazing. I honestly think this has a beautiful review.

LinaJan · Post by **LinaJan** » 06 Jul 2020, 15:13

Not many fairytale endings in real life so I may just pick this up for a little light escape

Thank you for such a thorough review!

Ben97 · Post by **Ben97** » 06 Jul 2020, 17:19

I enjoyed reading your review and you captured the book so well. Nice work!

jennydelacruz · Post by **jennydelacruz** » 09 Jul 2020, 02:15

Your review is light and calming. I'm not into romance novels though, so I'm going to pass this one. Nevertheless, your review has a capturing and light vibe to it that a non-reader of romance like me might even consider taking a shot at this book.

TamaraBell · Post by **TamaraBell** » 10 Jul 2020, 14:33

You have written a very lovey review can't wait to see what the book has to offer

Thatonecupcake2 · Post by **Thatonecupcake2** » 11 Jul 2020, 04:47

This is so well written! Can’t wait to read the book!

Post by **Kirsi Cultrera** » 11 Jul 2020, 14:10

It is really great that the author was brave enough to follow her dream and start a neer career. Thumbs up for that!

This book sounds like it is not for me, though. I am not a big fan of fairytale endings... there's nothing bad about them but it is just often not realistic.

Anyway, thanks for a thorough review!

Post by **Diana Lowery** » 12 Jul 2020, 15:05

Miks_solon wrote: ↑06 Jul 2020, 04:22 Thanks for the review. Your words really had me wanting to read the book. I miss reading books about traditional courtship and romance.

Thanks for stopping by.

Post by **Diana Lowery** » 12 Jul 2020, 15:08

Chinelookeke wrote: ↑06 Jul 2020, 06:15 I love fairytale endings. The write up was attractive. Thanks for the beautiful review.

I appreciate your comments.

Post by **Diana Lowery** » 12 Jul 2020, 15:12

Topsey wrote: ↑06 Jul 2020, 06:33 You have written a really compelling lovely review. Sometimes it is nice to read a traditional romance even if it is a bit predictable.

I agree with you, sometimes these books are a nice escape.