$21.30 with 24 percent savings
List Price: $27.99

The List Price is the suggested retail price of a new product as provided by a manufacturer, supplier, or seller. Except for books, Amazon will display a List Price if the product was purchased by customers on Amazon or offered by other retailers at or above the List Price in at least the past 90 days. List prices may not necessarily reflect the product's prevailing market price.
Learn more
FREE pickup Friday, July 26 on orders shipped by Amazon over $35
Or fastest pickup Thursday, July 25. Order within 20 hrs 22 mins

1.27 mi | ASHBURN 20147

How pickup works
Pick up from nearby pickup location
Step 1: Place Your Order
Select the “Pickup” option on the product page or during checkout.
Step 2: Receive Notification
Once your package is ready for pickup, you'll receive an email and app notification.
Step 3: Pick up
Bring your order ID or pickup code (if applicable) to your chosen pickup location to pick up your package.
In Stock
$$21.30 () Includes selected options. Includes initial monthly payment and selected options. Details
Price
Subtotal
$$21.30
Subtotal
Initial payment breakdown
Shipping cost, delivery date, and order total (including tax) shown at checkout.
Sold by
Amazon.com
Sold by
Amazon.com
Returns
Eligible for Return, Refund or Replacement within 30 days of receipt
Eligible for Return, Refund or Replacement within 30 days of receipt
This item can be returned in its original condition for a full refund or replacement within 30 days of receipt.
Returns
Eligible for Return, Refund or Replacement within 30 days of receipt
This item can be returned in its original condition for a full refund or replacement within 30 days of receipt.
Payment
Secure transaction
Your transaction is secure
We work hard to protect your security and privacy. Our payment security system encrypts your information during transmission. We don’t share your credit card details with third-party sellers, and we don’t sell your information to others. Learn more
Payment
Secure transaction
We work hard to protect your security and privacy. Our payment security system encrypts your information during transmission. We don’t share your credit card details with third-party sellers, and we don’t sell your information to others. Learn more
Kindle app logo image

Download the free Kindle app and start reading Kindle books instantly on your smartphone, tablet, or computer - no Kindle device required.

Read instantly on your browser with Kindle for Web.

Using your mobile phone camera - scan the code below and download the Kindle app.

QR code to download the Kindle App

Follow the author

Something went wrong. Please try your request again later.

Swift River: A Read with Jenna Pick Hardcover – June 4, 2024


{"desktop_buybox_group_1":[{"displayPrice":"$21.30","priceAmount":21.30,"currencySymbol":"$","integerValue":"21","decimalSeparator":".","fractionalValue":"30","symbolPosition":"left","hasSpace":false,"showFractionalPartIfEmpty":true,"offerListingId":"Dhy%2FgPmfW92i4HmpfKpJwS67zKnWR7ILknJRwVphkN9lDSaliYHjXnm0qE%2BqTEWOGOF5IYXgIGBFrA96ZplcBYW%2FWvQw63Zia12tYPf4yAV%2FPazj6OQold%2FMuQgcmYShrAMinRHeZ9dRor9UgPTRVA%3D%3D","locale":"en-US","buyingOptionType":"NEW","aapiBuyingOptionIndex":0}],"desktop_buybox_group_2":[{"displayPrice":"$21.30","priceAmount":21.30,"currencySymbol":"$","integerValue":"21","decimalSeparator":".","fractionalValue":"30","symbolPosition":"left","hasSpace":false,"showFractionalPartIfEmpty":true,"offerListingId":"Dhy%2FgPmfW92i4HmpfKpJwS67zKnWR7ILknJRwVphkN9lDSaliYHjXnm0qE%2BqTEWOGOF5IYXgIGBFrA96ZplcBYW%2FWvQw63Zia12tYPf4yAV%2FPazj6OQold%2FMuQgcmYShrAMinRHeZ9dRor9UgPTRVA%3D%3D","locale":"en-US","buyingOptionType":"PICKUP","aapiBuyingOptionIndex":1}]}

Purchase options and add-ons

A READ WITH JENNA TODAY SHOW BOOK CLUB PICK | A National Bestseller | A Most Anticipated Book from Today, Real Simple, Time, Los Angeles Times, and BookPage

“The book we all need to revive our souls” (Nicole Dennis-Benn): A sweeping family saga about the complicated bond between mothers and daughters, the disappearance of a father, and the long-hidden history of a declining New England mill town.

“A powerful novel about how our family history shapes us. Swift River broke my heart, and then offered me hope.”Ann Napolitano, New York Times bestselling author of Hello Beautiful

It’s the summer of 1987 in Swift River, and Diamond Newberry is learning how to drive. Ever since her Pop disappeared seven years ago, she and her mother hitchhike everywhere they go. But that’s not the only reason Diamond stands out: she’s teased relentlessly about her weight, and since Pop’s been gone, she is the only Black person in all of Swift River. This summer, Ma is determined to declare Pop legally dead so that they can collect his life insurance money, get their house back from the bank, and finally move on.

But when Diamond receives a letter from a relative she’s never met, key elements of Pop’s life are uncovered, and she is introduced to two generations of African American Newberry women, whose lives span the 20th century and reveal a much larger picture of prejudice and abandonment, of love and devotion. As pieces of their shared past become clearer, Diamond gains a sense of her place in the world and in her family. But how will what she’s learned of the past change her future?

A story of first friendships, family secrets, and finding the courage to let go,
Swift River is a sensational debut about how history shapes us and heralds the arrival of a major new literary talent.

"Layla" by Colleen Hoover for $7.19
From #1 New York Times bestselling author Colleen Hoover comes a novel that explores life after tragedy and the enduring spirit of love. | Learn more

Frequently bought together

$21.30
Get it as soon as Friday, Jul 26
In Stock
Ships from and sold by Amazon.com.
+
$23.36
Get it as soon as Friday, Jul 26
In Stock
Ships from and sold by Amazon.com.
+
$19.35
Get it as soon as Friday, Jul 26
In Stock
Ships from and sold by Amazon.com.
Total price:
To see our price, add these items to your cart.
Details
Added to Cart
Choose items to buy together.

From the Publisher

Swift River
Swift River

Editorial Reviews

Review

A Most Anticipated Book from Time, Real Simple, Los Angeles Times and Today

“A sparkling debut about a young girl you’ll never forget…. Chambers weaves irony and gut-punch emotion throughout this gorgeous debut. With the smart and curious Diamond at its vibrant center, “Swift River” has a real sense of humor…. Swift River shimmers and shines with acute observations and carefully crafted lines…. The book brims with gemlike sentences, striking imagery, metaphors and juxtapositions…. Deceptively naturalistic and lyrical rather than showy, Chambers has produced a rare and rewarding thing: a fast-moving novel that you want to slow down and savor.”
—Washington Post

“A heartbreaking, yet hopeful coming of age story about the high cost of family secrets.”
—Time

“Poetic and propulsive.”
—NPR

“An intimate family tale full of grace, beauty and humor.”
—Elle

“Rich and insightful…. Chambers is particularly skilled at depicting the way frustration and affection intertwine…. A frank examination of family mystery and loss, set in a landscape of economic and racial turmoil.”
—Minneapolis Star Tribune

“Chambers’ funny debut is set in a 1980s New England mill town in decline. Seven years after her father’s disappearance, Diamond Newberry and her mother are struggling, but Diamond’s observations provide comic leavening. During the summer of 1987, her mom files to have Pop declared dead, which is when things get complicated. Diamond receives a letter from an unknown relative, which starts her on a path to learn her family — and the nation’s — history.”
—The Los Angeles Times

“A deeply moving portrayal of a girl you will absolutely fall for and cheer on through every scene of this remarkable debut.”
—Real Simple

“A captivating debut. Infused with the bright and vulnerable voice of its young narrator, Swift River unspools a poignant coming-of-age story about hard and hopeful truths.”
Esquire

"Astonishing.... In Swift River, Chambers illuminates how the sprawling, twisted branches of our family trees traverse both genealogy and time—tracing not just ancestral lineages but history writ large."--
The Nation

"Riveting....
Swift River takes a deep dive into the psychological and historical trauma that accompanied living and navigating in a “sundown town”, family secrets, and more."--Essence

“Insightful, moving, and wryly funny, Chambers’ debut is sure to be a book club favorite.”
—Booklist, starred review

“This novel’s assured plotting and emotional resonance should render it a breakout book. Call your book club: This symphonic debut is your next read.”
—Kirkus

“A poignant coming-of-age story about a Black girl growing up in a predominantly white New England town north of Boston in 1987…. Chambers’s assured first novel sings.”
—Publishers Weekly

"Readers are transported to 1987 New England in Essie Chambers’ captivating debut novel. Ever since her Pop disappeared, Diamond Newberry is the only Black person in all of Swift River. But when she gets a letter from a relative she’s never met with insight into Pop’s life, she’s introduced to two generations of African American Newberry women. As Diamond uncovers the past, how will it change her future?"
--Woman's World

“A mesmerizing account of inherited trauma in what was once a sundown town. Diamond is a gutsy girl with a keen intellect and an irrepressible, hopeful outlook, and her often-humorous narration is the novel’s cen­tral, propelling force. Chambers masterfully delivers the message of Swift River: ‘Our instincts, our deepest intuitions, are really our ances­tral memory; our people speaking through us.’”
—BookPage

“Darkly funny and fiery, heartbreaking and healing, with language so gorgeous I went back to read sentences again and again. What a beautiful debut.”
—JACQUELINE WOODSON, National Book Award winning author

“In the tradition of all great mother-daughter stories,
Swift River is complicated, frank, yet infused with that satisfying feeling one gets when you realize the missing piece to the puzzle is a sense of self. Page by beautifully vibrant page, Swift River comes at you in whirring Kodachrome snapshots of memory, classic rock, and hidden New England lore. A sensational debut.”—PAUL BEATTY, author of Man Booker Award winning novel The Sellout

“A powerful novel about how our family history shapes us; it is only when Diamond learns about the women that came before her—their strengths and losses mirroring her own—that she can finally imagine a better future for herself.
Swift River broke my heart, and then offered me hope.”—ANN NAPOLITANO, New York Times bestselling author of Hello Beautiful

“Truly amazing. Such an incredible blend of intimate and epic, so smart and funny and honest and generous-spirited. I like plenty of books but I love a novel this much maybe just once or twice a year.”
—CURTIS SITTENFELD, New York Times bestselling author of Romantic Comedy

“Swift River is the book we all need to revive our souls. It’s told with such grace, humor, and above all, heart. I could follow Diamond and her captivating journey forever. It’s heartbreaking. It’s beautiful. This epic novel deserves all the attention in the world. A must read!”
—NICOLE DENNIS-BENN, award-winning author of Patsy and Here Comes the Sun

Swift River is a tender coming-of-age novel, a story of grief both personal and historical, one told with warmth and humor by a memorable, irrepressible heroine. Essie Chambers writes powerfully about the bonds of family, the many ways people fail and save one another, and the human instinct for resilience.”—RUMAAN ALAM, author of National Book Award finalist Leave the World Behind

Swift River is a fearless, cinematic exploration of loss and inheritance, written with fierce urgency and overflowing compassion. From the very first image of river-mud-caked shoes, Diamond’s story—part coming of age, part epistolarian excavation of grief— instantly pulled me in and held me close through an addicting mix of hope and suspense.”—XOCHITL GONZALEZ, New York Times bestselling author of Olga Dies Dreaming

“Essie Chambers masterfully weaves this story together, building characters and worlds so real I felt pangs of nostalgia while turning the pages. This is a voice I’d follow anywhere.”
—DAWNIE WALTON, author of The Final Revival of Opal & Nev

About the Author

Essie Chambers earned her MFA in creative writing from Columbia University and has received fellowships from the MacDowell Vermont Studio Center, and Baldwin for the Arts. A former film and television executive, she was a producer on the documentary Descendant, which was released by the Obamas’ Higher Ground production company and Netflix in 2022. Swift River is her debut novel.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Simon & Schuster (June 4, 2024)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 304 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1668027917
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1668027912
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.05 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6 x 1.2 x 9 inches
  • Customer Reviews:

About the author

Follow authors to get new release updates, plus improved recommendations.
Essie Chambers
Brief content visible, double tap to read full content.
Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

Essie Chambers earned her MFA in creative writing from Columbia University and has received fellowships from MacDowell, Vermont Studio Center, and Baldwin for the Arts. A former film and television executive, she was a producer on the documentary Descendant, which was released by the Obamas’ Higher Ground production company and Netflix in 2022. Swift River is her debut novel.

Customer reviews

3.9 out of 5 stars
3.9 out of 5
469 global ratings

Customers say

Customers find the writing style powerful, beautiful, and compelling. They also say the plot is unique, compelling, and moves seamlessly.

AI-generated from the text of customer reviews

Select to learn more
5 customers mention "Plot"5 positive0 negative

Customers find the plot compelling, uplifting, and inspiring. They also describe the voice as unique, compelling, and haunting.

"Essie Chambers’s writing is so vivid, so lush, so immersive that you are taken fully into the world of Diamond - I felt the cool it the river, the..." Read more

"Swift River is a beautiful summer read that shares authentic experiences in an exceptional story!" Read more

"...Her voice is unique, compelling and in this book – moving seamlessly between time periods that connect and intersect – Chambers creates characters..." Read more

"Beautiful, haunting, uplifting, inspiring!..." Read more

5 customers mention "Writing style"5 positive0 negative

Customers find the writing style powerful, beautiful, and puzzling. They also say the language pulls them into the story.

"Essie Chambers’s writing is so vivid, so lush, so immersive that you are taken fully into the world of Diamond - I felt the cool it the river, the..." Read more

"...Thank you, Ms Essie Chambers for the pleasure of reading your well written book. Xoxo 💗..." Read more

"I could not put this book down. The language puled me into the story. Essie Chambers is a brilliant storyteller - brava!!!" Read more

"...Terrific character development, beautifully written, impossible to put down. I heartily recommend it." Read more

History, nostalgia, and teenage confusion
4 out of 5 stars
History, nostalgia, and teenage confusion
I received a digital advance copy of Swift River by Essie J. Chambers via NetGalley. Swift River is scheduled for release on June 4, 2024.Swift River follows Diamond through the summer of 1987. She is learning to drive in secret, rebelling against her mother’s insistence on hitchhiking everywhere they go. Through this summer, Diamond’s mother is working to get her missing Pop declared legally dead to save their home and future. This quest results in relatives from Pop’s side of the family contacting Diamond and sharing pieces of their family’s past.Diamond is the strength of this novel. She is a mess. She is overweight, mixed race in an all-white town, and plagued by rumors that her dad isn’t really dead, just moved to the next town over to escape her and her mother. She has no confidence, and no understanding of herself and the world she lives in. Through this novel, we see her start to find herself as she takes actions different from those her mother dictates and begins to explore her family’s past.Chambers has also nailed the setting of this novel, particularly the time period. The 80s ooze out of the pages, present in every scene in the fictive present. Letters from Diamond’s ancestors give us a different view, taking us back in time in a way that provides both contrast and reinforces the issues in the current story. It did take me almost the entire novel to sort out who was writing the letters, as we have two different letter writers from two different points in time. This was probably more a me issue than an issue with the narrative, however.It is worth noting that the end of this novel is very open. Many of the threads followed throughout the story are not resolved in the end. While this worked for me, and allowed me to imagine how Diamond moved forward into her life, it might not work for a reader who wants to feel that all of the story lines have been resolved by the end of a novel.Overall, Swift River swirls together history, nostalgia, and teenage confusion to create a lovely story of a girl trying to figure out who she is.
Thank you for your feedback
Sorry, there was an error
Sorry we couldn't load the review

Top reviews from the United States

Reviewed in the United States on July 9, 2024
Essie Chambers’s writing is so vivid, so lush, so immersive that you are taken fully into the world of Diamond - I felt the cool it the river, the smell of Jergens, the heat of the summer- I was surprised and delighted by the humor which only further establishes Essie as a prominent new voice - bringing a fresh new perspective to a history that we all think that we know. I have been waiting for a read like this for a while.
One person found this helpful
Report
Reviewed in the United States on July 19, 2024
This is not your typical mother daughter story. There is definitely some sadness to it. It is just Diamond and her mother after her dad walks out on them. They are living in poverty in a town with a deep history of racism. Sometimes they can't afford to keep the electricity on and hitch hike wherever they need to go. Diamond stands out at her high school being the only Black and gets bullied about being overweight.
Diamond comes out of her shell when she makes her first real friend at driving school. I was a little creeped out at her friend's inappropriate relationship with an older man. I felt hope when she started communicating with a member of her dads' African American side of the family. The story really showed that family history and connection can play a big role in shaping a person's identity and understanding of themselves. The writing flowed well, and I wanted to keep turning the pages of Diamonds story.
Reviewed in the United States on July 6, 2024
First off, one thing I was not expecting but pleasantly surprised by was that the main character Diamond was a fat teenager. This immediately piqued my interest. The way the author wrote how Diamond viewed herself as well as other adults around her -"She's like a wise person from the future, come to tell me things I'll need to know, give me things I'll need to fight my way out of here. 'Here' being this town and my body." We really get to see Diamond through a lot in this book including her first time with a boy and navigating friendships and more importantly her relationship with her mother. Diamond is biracial (white mother, black father) and just doesn't know where she belongs.

I was really into the whole mystery of her dad disappearance 7 years prior and honestly thought we would get more of that? But it seemed like we did not get a resolution on where his whereabouts truly were. Could I have missed it? That is very likely. I was very confused through most of this book. I did not think the letters from the relatives that Diamond didn't know about were relevant as I was more interested in the coming of age aspect of Diamond and the mystery of her dad.

These two quotes stuck out to me while listening & made me say wow :
"I didn't know there could be such a lonely laugh. I got to wondering, who is this person without their people? How am I Clumsy Clara, silly and stubborn Clara, Clara with her head in the clouds - how am I that girl without anyone who loves me saying it, seeing me. I think, maybe I am a ghost. Maybe I died with the others."

"Being here in Woodville makes me uneasy, like I'm in between places, waiting to start my life again. Your hometown makes you and breaks you and makes you again. Daddy said that to me. I wonder if that's how you'll feel about Swift River if you ever leave it?"

Even though there was a lot that confused me while reading, I did enjoy the book and will check out this author's future work.

Check this book out if you like multi-generational stories, set in the Northeast in the late 80s, coming of age!
One person found this helpful
Report
Reviewed in the United States on July 18, 2024
Reading this book, I knew I was reading the first novel of one of America’s greatest writers. Her voice is unique, compelling and in this book – moving seamlessly between time periods that connect and intersect – Chambers creates characters whose lives illuminate universal emotions experienced within some of the most powerful forces shaping our nation’s history. But Chambers never broadcasts ideas or outcomes, rather she slowly interweaves memory, desire and longing. Her imagery makes the ordinary become unexpectedly revelatory, often gut ripping. There are some books that once you begin them, all else falls aside. Swift River is one of those. It took my breath away.
Reviewed in the United States on June 4, 2024
I received a digital advance copy of Swift River by Essie J. Chambers via NetGalley. Swift River is scheduled for release on June 4, 2024.

Swift River follows Diamond through the summer of 1987. She is learning to drive in secret, rebelling against her mother’s insistence on hitchhiking everywhere they go. Through this summer, Diamond’s mother is working to get her missing Pop declared legally dead to save their home and future. This quest results in relatives from Pop’s side of the family contacting Diamond and sharing pieces of their family’s past.

Diamond is the strength of this novel. She is a mess. She is overweight, mixed race in an all-white town, and plagued by rumors that her dad isn’t really dead, just moved to the next town over to escape her and her mother. She has no confidence, and no understanding of herself and the world she lives in. Through this novel, we see her start to find herself as she takes actions different from those her mother dictates and begins to explore her family’s past.

Chambers has also nailed the setting of this novel, particularly the time period. The 80s ooze out of the pages, present in every scene in the fictive present. Letters from Diamond’s ancestors give us a different view, taking us back in time in a way that provides both contrast and reinforces the issues in the current story. It did take me almost the entire novel to sort out who was writing the letters, as we have two different letter writers from two different points in time. This was probably more a me issue than an issue with the narrative, however.

It is worth noting that the end of this novel is very open. Many of the threads followed throughout the story are not resolved in the end. While this worked for me, and allowed me to imagine how Diamond moved forward into her life, it might not work for a reader who wants to feel that all of the story lines have been resolved by the end of a novel.

Overall, Swift River swirls together history, nostalgia, and teenage confusion to create a lovely story of a girl trying to figure out who she is.
Customer image
4.0 out of 5 stars History, nostalgia, and teenage confusion
Reviewed in the United States on June 4, 2024
I received a digital advance copy of Swift River by Essie J. Chambers via NetGalley. Swift River is scheduled for release on June 4, 2024.

Swift River follows Diamond through the summer of 1987. She is learning to drive in secret, rebelling against her mother’s insistence on hitchhiking everywhere they go. Through this summer, Diamond’s mother is working to get her missing Pop declared legally dead to save their home and future. This quest results in relatives from Pop’s side of the family contacting Diamond and sharing pieces of their family’s past.

Diamond is the strength of this novel. She is a mess. She is overweight, mixed race in an all-white town, and plagued by rumors that her dad isn’t really dead, just moved to the next town over to escape her and her mother. She has no confidence, and no understanding of herself and the world she lives in. Through this novel, we see her start to find herself as she takes actions different from those her mother dictates and begins to explore her family’s past.

Chambers has also nailed the setting of this novel, particularly the time period. The 80s ooze out of the pages, present in every scene in the fictive present. Letters from Diamond’s ancestors give us a different view, taking us back in time in a way that provides both contrast and reinforces the issues in the current story. It did take me almost the entire novel to sort out who was writing the letters, as we have two different letter writers from two different points in time. This was probably more a me issue than an issue with the narrative, however.

It is worth noting that the end of this novel is very open. Many of the threads followed throughout the story are not resolved in the end. While this worked for me, and allowed me to imagine how Diamond moved forward into her life, it might not work for a reader who wants to feel that all of the story lines have been resolved by the end of a novel.

Overall, Swift River swirls together history, nostalgia, and teenage confusion to create a lovely story of a girl trying to figure out who she is.
Images in this review
Customer image
Customer image
6 people found this helpful
Report