3 out of 4 stars
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The Swan Garden by Anne Biggs is a historical fiction novel about one unmarried mother’s fate in Ireland’s notorious Magdalene Laundry system. The author explores themes of the Church’s patriarchal power, the remediation of myth into contemporary storytelling and the systematic abuse of women in this spare and haunting narrative. The story is a tribute to all the women and children victimised in Magdalene Laundries throughout the years of their operation; this is a story that needed to be told.
In 1949, fourteen-year-old Alice Brennan falls pregnant after a vagrant raped her. With the fear of scandal foremost on his mind, her father agrees with the parish priest to send Alice to the mother-baby home in Castlepollard to give birth. The supervising Sisters force these unwed mothers, called penitents, to work like slaves to atone for their “sins”. A week after she gives birth, the Castlepollard home transfers Alice to a Magdalene Laundry in Dublin because her father refuses to pay for her release. Her newborn, Finnuala, is sent to an unknown orphanage in the city. The conditions at the Laundry are appalling, filled as it is with masochistic wardens who brutalise the women in their care. With fellow penitent Sara, Alice plans a successful escape, after which she settles in Howth, a small town near Dublin. Determined to lead a normal life, she marries Aidan, a policeman, with whom she has three daughters. The novel then follows Alice’s life after her ordeal at the Laundry; she keeps her years there a secret as she raises her children in wedded contentment. However, she never forgets her firstborn, Finn, and attempts to find her, although the Dublin Laundry and the nuns at the mother-baby home in Castlepollard refuse to help Alice make headway in her search.
The Swan Garden is an unforgettable, beautiful novel. Strong symbolism referenced from The Children of Lir legend bound the story together from beginning to end; Biggs includes the legend as an epilogue, and once I read it, her novel gained another layer of meaning and poignancy. The pace flies through Alice’s life, but manages to focus on and develop important trials and milestones. The narrative alternates between raw emotion and distance, but it never slips into melodrama. The Swan Garden lingered in my mind long after I turned the last page.
What impresses me about the author’s writing is her ability to open the story world without ornamentation, and that the symbolism carried the narrative so adeptly. Readers who have an interest in myths and legends worked into present-day narratives would appreciate The Swan Garden novel for this feature.
There was nothing wrong with the layout of the book, but I noticed some spelling mistakes and commas placed where they should not have been, but because the story is so riveting, these niggles didn’t distract me much, but I took them into account, which is why I reluctantly rate The Swan Garden 3 out of 4 stars. If not for these editing problems, I would have given it a full 4. I recommend it to every reader who appreciates fine storytelling, not only those who are fans of historical fiction.
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The Swan Garden
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