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Fiona was the winner of the Federation of Writers (Scotland) short story competition, 2023. She is a Scottish writer who spent fifteen years teaching in international schools, predominantly in Eastern Europe. After becoming ill she had to return home. Not one to remain idle, she turned to the Open University where she studied creative writing, completing both courses with distinction, and discovering a new passion. She has since written five books, four under the pen name of F J Curlew, but she has now reverted to using her given name. She finds it difficult to be content without a work in progress. That escape into a world of her own making is something very special! Before the Swallows Come Back was sparked by a meeting she had with a Tinker family many years ago, in rural Perthshire. They invited her to sit by their fire, outside their bender, and listen to stories. It was fascinating, inspirational and never left her. The conservation of natural habitats and their wildlife is hugely important to her (yes, she a bit of an eco-warrior!) and the Tinkers and their way of life seemed to lend themselves to carrying this theme.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ This is a truly lovely book, full of heart. It's a gripping and moving plot about two young people separately affected by devastating life-changes which uproot them and force them to learn self-reliance. All this against a backdrop of the most beautiful, lyrical description of the natural world of woodlands and streams, and good people. All of this brings them together and helps to heal them. Reading Before the Swallows Come Back feels like forest bathing on a stiflingly hot day, or being borne up in the gloss and buoyancy of a river running clean and clear. This is total immersion in the natural world. All this as background to a storyline that's epic in scale and characters rendered so intensely that hours go by before you realise you really should pull yourself out of their world and back into your own. What a mesmerising treat! This is total immersion in the natural world. An absolutely heart-filling and lyrical novel. Fiona Curnow has crafted an immense story, and an incredibly rich one. Carol McKay ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ It is impossible to avoid falling under the spell of Before the Swallows Come Back. K Bookish Life ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ I absolutely LOVED this book. I was mesmerised by all the beautiful and vivid descriptions. I was rooting for the two main characters: they were quite innocent (and slightly naive) young people who lived on the outskirts of society, a bit different from the others. A beautifully written book with lyrical and poetic passages. Monika Reads ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ It's very rare that I would reread a book but this is one I can imagine doing so. I adored this book! It was lyrically beautiful with its lush descriptions of nature but it was the characters that make it stand out. Books By Bindu ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ As an animal lover, I found the relationship Tommy had with his animal family beautiful. Andrew Lees ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ This was a story that really moved me. From the get-go I was so devoted to the main characters and their journey through hell and back and the hardships they had to endure!!...I absolutely loved it. It's so beautifully written and I was completely invested in it! It felt like I was there, in Scotland, amongst the countryside and surrounded by nature!! Perfect escapism!! Jade Nomura
