On March 30, 1924, on what was known then as Mothering Sunday, Jane’s life changed dramatically.

It was a gorgeous day, more like June than March and the Nivens were having the cook pack a large picnic hamper in anticipation of spending the day celebrating with the Hobday’s the upcoming marriage of their daughter. Traditionally on Mothering Sunday the staff of the great houses were given the day off to visit their mothers, and even though the numbers had now dwindled considerably, Jane, as a maid was still offered the day off. As an orphan, Jane had no mother to visit and had told Mr. Nivens, when he inquired, that she would likely spend the day reading a book from the estate library, which he allowed her to use on occasion. And that was indeed her plan until she got the phone call from Paul.

After the Nivens left, Jane took her book and the bicycle that they let her ride and left the estate. But instead of going to her favorite place to read, she instead rode her bike to the neighboring estate and there she met Paul Sheringham, the heir and fiance to Emma Hobday whose upcoming wedding her employers were celebrating.  Jane and Paul had been lovers for some time, but today was the first time that Jane had ever been in his room or wandered the halls of his great house. It was also time to end their affair since Paul’s wedding was fast approaching. But events unfold in a vastly different way than Jane expects on that Sunday afternoon resetting the trajectory of her life in a way that she could not have anticipated.

Like Ian McEwan or Julian Barnes, Swift, writes eloquently of a time that we can barely imagine. Yet Jane leaps off the pages, vibrant and alive, confronting both the hard truth’s about her position in life and grabbing a hold of opportunities when and where she saw them. Told from alternating perspectives of time, Jane offers us her feelings of that Sunday from her perspective as a twenty year old and as an older woman looking back at that day and her life afterwards. At just under two hundred pages this is really more novella than novel, but despite its short length it is a profound meditation on love, and the importance of seizing life and living into its fullness.

Brenda’s Rating: ****(4 out of 5 Stars)

Recommend this book to: Sharon, Marian Lauren and Keith

Book study worthy? Yes

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