What do you think?
Rate this book
Swimming for England
Not yet published
Expected 2 Jun 26100 pages, Paperback
Expected publication June 2, 2026
3 people want to read
About the author
Martin Goodman
60 books27 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
Martin David Goodman is a historian and writer on Roman history and the history of the Jews in the Roman period.
Martin David Goodman is a historian and writer on Roman history and the history of the Jews in the Roman period.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 of 1 review
Review of advance copy received from Edelweiss+
✰ 2.75 stars ✰
A bizarre and surreal kind of reading experience, tbh. I would say it's more of a longish short story, not quite a novella, since everything takes place so swiftly in one specific time frame at one destination, where adoptive parents, Eileen and Brian await their son, Faisal's return upon swimming the English Channel, but accompanied - not by their volition - a young Scottish-Jamaican, Cameron, who has his own reasons for being there. 🏊🏻♀️
A strange kind of dialogue then ensues amongst them, one where Brian and Eileen shift the tone and perspective of how warm and inviting they are of all their adoptive sons with almost a disquiet air to how they aim for each of them to thrive to new heights as they saved them from their previous bleak and meager backgrounds. 🧐
“We recognize what’s inside, but then we bring it out. We make it show.”
There is a hint of foreboding to their thought process that permeates at times, one that is both questionable and disconcerting and disturbing with how they even flap about in avoidance of some serious undercurrents of - not exactly malice, but not quite welcoming or loving either. 😥 It's unnerving and unsettling. And Cameron serves as that honest voice of unapologetic reason that shakes their stance.
The writing keeps that edge alive even upon Faisal's reunion, a son who offers them not so much a cold shoulder, but a foreboding one that Cameron takes no pains to point out that something truly is amiss in their way of thinking and their offhand aggressive nature towards their children. how noble is their intention, when their expectations are insurmountable, let alone problematic. 😟
“Some things a man has to do on his own.”
So whether Faisal is a brave enough son to stand his ground, or Cameron has enough to offer to shake Eileen and Brian to their end's wits was what propelled me to wade forth as tiny clues emerged of the undeniable truth. A turn of the tide in an unexpected reveal that does leave you shocked and shaken, but with a hopeful finish.
The satirical wit may have been lost on me, but Eileen's exaggerated nuances and Brian's belligerent tone may fall into that department, while Cameron's matter-of-fact, no-nonsense attitude and Faisal's innocence is their vice to their mindset. It is almost a cautionary tale that reminds us to be mindful of how people can take abusive advantage of their intent when no one is there to question it. 🙏🏻
*Thank you to Edelweiss for a DRC in exchange for an honest review.
“Everyone needs to swim for themselves.”
A bizarre and surreal kind of reading experience, tbh. I would say it's more of a longish short story, not quite a novella, since everything takes place so swiftly in one specific time frame at one destination, where adoptive parents, Eileen and Brian await their son, Faisal's return upon swimming the English Channel, but accompanied - not by their volition - a young Scottish-Jamaican, Cameron, who has his own reasons for being there. 🏊🏻♀️
A strange kind of dialogue then ensues amongst them, one where Brian and Eileen shift the tone and perspective of how warm and inviting they are of all their adoptive sons with almost a disquiet air to how they aim for each of them to thrive to new heights as they saved them from their previous bleak and meager backgrounds. 🧐
“We recognize what’s inside, but then we bring it out. We make it show.”
There is a hint of foreboding to their thought process that permeates at times, one that is both questionable and disconcerting and disturbing with how they even flap about in avoidance of some serious undercurrents of - not exactly malice, but not quite welcoming or loving either. 😥 It's unnerving and unsettling. And Cameron serves as that honest voice of unapologetic reason that shakes their stance.
The writing keeps that edge alive even upon Faisal's reunion, a son who offers them not so much a cold shoulder, but a foreboding one that Cameron takes no pains to point out that something truly is amiss in their way of thinking and their offhand aggressive nature towards their children. how noble is their intention, when their expectations are insurmountable, let alone problematic. 😟
“Some things a man has to do on his own.”
So whether Faisal is a brave enough son to stand his ground, or Cameron has enough to offer to shake Eileen and Brian to their end's wits was what propelled me to wade forth as tiny clues emerged of the undeniable truth. A turn of the tide in an unexpected reveal that does leave you shocked and shaken, but with a hopeful finish.
The satirical wit may have been lost on me, but Eileen's exaggerated nuances and Brian's belligerent tone may fall into that department, while Cameron's matter-of-fact, no-nonsense attitude and Faisal's innocence is their vice to their mindset. It is almost a cautionary tale that reminds us to be mindful of how people can take abusive advantage of their intent when no one is there to question it. 🙏🏻
*Thank you to Edelweiss for a DRC in exchange for an honest review.
Displaying 1 of 1 review