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This Rough Ocean
It is December, 1648, and England faces one of the greatest crises in its history. Bands of renegade soldiers and broken men roam the countryside, looting, burning and raping. In Parliament, former allies are torn apart after six years of bloody conflict. Will there be peace instead of war, or a military take-over of the country? John Swynfen, a rising young MP and one of the leaders of the moderate party, is working for peace, but only if safeguards can be established to protect Parliament and control the powers of the king. Ranged against him and his friends are Oliver Cromwell and his son-in-law Henry Ireton, intent on seizing power by the sword and destroying not only the monarchy but the elected government. Within a few weeks, London is occupied by Cromwell's army, parliamentary government is in ruins, the king is executed. And John Swynfen is a prisoner. Anne Swynfen travels home from Westminster to Staffordshire with her young children through a desperate winter. There, uncertain whether she will ever see her husband again, she takes charge of the large estate, where starvation looms due to bad harvests, and violent danger threatens from outlaws and the armies of both sides. While she struggles against prejudice to do a man's job, John is shot, beaten, shackled, humiliated and tortured. Tempted by golden promises if he recants, threatened with death if he does not, he tries to cling to his sanity and his beliefs. When he finally escapes, he begins a terrible journey home across war-torn England to find his wife. This is a story about keeping faith – many kinds of faith – in the face of terror, anguish and despair.
475 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 22, 2015
83 people are currently reading
75 people want to read
About the author
Ann Swinfen
45 books217 followersAnn Swinfen spent her childhood partly in England and partly on the east coast of America. She read Classics and Mathematics at Oxford, where she married a fellow undergraduate, the historian David Swinfen. While bringing up their five children and studying for an MSc in Mathematics and a BA and PhD in English Literature, she had a variety of jobs, including university lecturer, translator, freelance journalist and software designer.
She served for nine years on the governing council of the Open University and for five years worked as a manager and editor in the technical author division of an international computer company, but gave up her full-time job to concentrate on her writing, while continuing part-time university teaching. In 1995 she founded Dundee Book Events, a voluntary organisation promoting books and authors to the general public.
Her first three novels, The Anniversary, The Travellers, and A Running Tide, all with a contemporary setting but also an historical resonance, were published by Random House, with translations into Dutch and German. Her fourth novel, The Testament of Mariam, marked something of a departure. Set in the first century, it recounts, from an unusual perspective, one of the most famous and yet ambiguous stories in human history. At the same time it explores life under a foreign occupying force, in lands still torn by conflict to this day. Her latest novel, Flood, is set in the fenlands of East Anglia during the seventeenth century, where the local people fought desperately to save their land from greedy and unscrupulous speculators.
She now lives on the northeast coast of Scotland, with her husband (formerly vice-principal of the University of Dundee), a cocker spaniel and two Maine Coon cats.
She served for nine years on the governing council of the Open University and for five years worked as a manager and editor in the technical author division of an international computer company, but gave up her full-time job to concentrate on her writing, while continuing part-time university teaching. In 1995 she founded Dundee Book Events, a voluntary organisation promoting books and authors to the general public.
Her first three novels, The Anniversary, The Travellers, and A Running Tide, all with a contemporary setting but also an historical resonance, were published by Random House, with translations into Dutch and German. Her fourth novel, The Testament of Mariam, marked something of a departure. Set in the first century, it recounts, from an unusual perspective, one of the most famous and yet ambiguous stories in human history. At the same time it explores life under a foreign occupying force, in lands still torn by conflict to this day. Her latest novel, Flood, is set in the fenlands of East Anglia during the seventeenth century, where the local people fought desperately to save their land from greedy and unscrupulous speculators.
She now lives on the northeast coast of Scotland, with her husband (formerly vice-principal of the University of Dundee), a cocker spaniel and two Maine Coon cats.
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
April 18, 2016
What an amazing book ~ I don't think I'm going to be able to read anything else for a day or so!
This Rough Ocean is about the fortunes of the Swinfen family in the English Civil War; it's fiction but much of it is based on the real life adventures of John and Anne Swinfen (Swynfen) and their family; the author's note at the back gives more information.
John Swynfen is a Member of Parliament, a 'moderate', and his family have joined him to live in Westminster from their country estate in Staffordshire, during the time when Charles I has been captured and Cromwell's men are ransacking the country. John is imprisoned, and Anne must take her family back to Stafford to safety ~ and assume the role of 'Lord of the Manor'.
I'd say this is probably the ultimate fiction about the period. It's impeccably and intricately researched, a book of adventure, great hardship, bravery, loss, the brutality within man but the goodness to be found in unexpected places, too; honestly, it's riveting. I liked the first half very much, when John is safe in Westminster, and the danger around the country is becoming more and more of a threat, but I ADORED the second half, which is told from the alternating points of view of Anne, with all her difficulties managing Swinfen estate, and John, as his life becomes more bleak, the possibility of escape back to his home and family seeming ever more impossible. Also woven into this part of the story is the tale of their wayward eldest son, Dick, who decides to walk from London to Stafford instead of going safely back to school....
In the first third of the book there is a fair bit of political detail which you might find a bit hard going unless you are already well versed in/particularly interested in this aspect, but it's an education in itself, and the book soon ups its tempo as it moves away from the London political arena and back to the stories of John, Anne and their family. Stick with it!
Ann Swinfen clearly has such insight into all aspects of life at this time, and I felt so involved with the characters all the way through this book; it even made me cry at three separate points. This Rough Ocean is something of a masterpiece ~ I can't recommend it too highly.
This Rough Ocean is about the fortunes of the Swinfen family in the English Civil War; it's fiction but much of it is based on the real life adventures of John and Anne Swinfen (Swynfen) and their family; the author's note at the back gives more information.
John Swynfen is a Member of Parliament, a 'moderate', and his family have joined him to live in Westminster from their country estate in Staffordshire, during the time when Charles I has been captured and Cromwell's men are ransacking the country. John is imprisoned, and Anne must take her family back to Stafford to safety ~ and assume the role of 'Lord of the Manor'.
I'd say this is probably the ultimate fiction about the period. It's impeccably and intricately researched, a book of adventure, great hardship, bravery, loss, the brutality within man but the goodness to be found in unexpected places, too; honestly, it's riveting. I liked the first half very much, when John is safe in Westminster, and the danger around the country is becoming more and more of a threat, but I ADORED the second half, which is told from the alternating points of view of Anne, with all her difficulties managing Swinfen estate, and John, as his life becomes more bleak, the possibility of escape back to his home and family seeming ever more impossible. Also woven into this part of the story is the tale of their wayward eldest son, Dick, who decides to walk from London to Stafford instead of going safely back to school....
In the first third of the book there is a fair bit of political detail which you might find a bit hard going unless you are already well versed in/particularly interested in this aspect, but it's an education in itself, and the book soon ups its tempo as it moves away from the London political arena and back to the stories of John, Anne and their family. Stick with it!
Ann Swinfen clearly has such insight into all aspects of life at this time, and I felt so involved with the characters all the way through this book; it even made me cry at three separate points. This Rough Ocean is something of a masterpiece ~ I can't recommend it too highly.
May 5, 2018
A sensitively fictionalised novel of real 17th century people, founded on thorough research and an obvious love of the era. I enthusiastically recommend this to lovers of biographical historical fiction who want to understand the challenges of living in those times, while simultaneously embracing the beautifully-drawn characters, and their loves, fears and triumphs. A compelling account of a year in England's most turbulent times.
December 7, 2020
This story was loaded with historical details and interesting (real life) characters. However, after suffering through narration for several chapters, I eventually just downloaded the book. The cadence and inflection was just off (even though the reader had a nice voice). Initially I was listening in small doses until I changed courses and really started to enjoy it.
Interesting and educational story in English history.
Interesting and educational story in English history.
May 29, 2025
This took a while to get into as the style was so different from my previous book. But I was quickly glued, Swinfen's writing is great. It's in the epic style, the travails of a family during the early years of the English civil war as Cromwell seized power and executed the King. In her note at the end Swinfen says she stuck to the record as much as possible, but records of that time are few. Many of the main characters, John and Ann Swinfen in particular, existed, and as John was a member of parliament there are extensive records of his career as an MP, and patchy ones of his "exile" after being excluded from parliament and imprisoned for nearly 18 months. So much of the detail (and there's a lot!) is of Ann's return to the family land and running their estate. In those times (around 1650), roles were cast in stone and women did not run estates! So there's quite a bit about her difficulties with the locals across the social standing spectrum, and the mechanics of life on an estate in those times. John is transferred between various prisons so we see some of life in England, it took days to get anywhere - England was much larger then!
I got so worried about his fate that I had to look him up and find out whether he made it through the war and puritan years following. No spoilers, you must read the book! It was really involving and the characters well drawn and realistic. Ann was an amazing woman. The title is great too, a metaphor of weathering the difficulties of life.
I got so worried about his fate that I had to look him up and find out whether he made it through the war and puritan years following. No spoilers, you must read the book! It was really involving and the characters well drawn and realistic. Ann was an amazing woman. The title is great too, a metaphor of weathering the difficulties of life.
April 27, 2020
A fascinating and gripping tale set during the puritan/royalist era. I struggled to put this one down at bedtime.
March 3, 2019
It started better than it ended up. I felt it was too long.
There are two lines of storytelling, the husband (John) and the wife (Anne), and Anne's part is far more interesting and exciting. It is not by any means a surprising, never-heard story at all generally speaking but it is always fascinating to read about how women were considered to be second class citizens in the past, and what happened to those who broke out of this social prison for this reason or another. I have always liked novels where we witness a rebuilding/restoration (of an estate, a career, a character, a business, and such) from ruins/ashes through struggle and hard work, and I really enjoyed this feature of the novel (the restoration of the property), the details of the everyday farm work, the slow steps to get a bit better and better in time, the occasional disheartening set backs, and so on and so forth.
I found John's story very tedious, and somewhat unexplained. I never had a clear knowledge why he was kept captive in the way he was; it seemed quite haphazard which man was set free as we never learn anything about their lives (or just small tidbits) before and after the Cromwell coup, just like we read almost nothing about John's professional life, something that would give any explanation why he was the one who was tortured (as far as I could see he was the only one from the whole company), and sent to Wales to a remote prison. The gazillion repetitions of 'he was the best speaker in the House' somehow just don't do it, and definitely don't give a plausible explanation. He gives a reason, but that is pretty weak and quite implausible, mainly because there is no sign or scene or anything that would back it up - namely, there is no evidence in the book that either Cromwell or any of his associates knew him or followed his career; you would think that if he is as important figure as we are supposed to think he is, there is some direct contact between the new regime and him. Hard to explain what I want to say, but if you read the book you know what I mean. Anyhow, because of this, it seems to me that the purpose of all his suffering, drifting and whatnot is to simply make the book long enough to tell Anne's story, which would be dull and and quite repetitive without taking short breaks. John's parts merely fill out these gaps but don't add anything to the novel unfortunately.
As for Anne's story, as I mentioned it is far more interesting than John's, but it is also too much. There are a gazillion sub-stories going on, and reading them I kept having the feeling Swinfen grabbed too much, wanted to tell too much about that era, covering everything from social theories, farming history through inheritance law, Irish issues, to mental health issues, education, women's place in society, and everything in between.
As for the audiobook, there was an interesting feature of it; the narrator was pretty dull and uninteresting during the story telling and description parts, but became quite enjoyable and inventive when it came to dialogues and inventing different voices for the different characters.
There are two lines of storytelling, the husband (John) and the wife (Anne), and Anne's part is far more interesting and exciting. It is not by any means a surprising, never-heard story at all generally speaking but it is always fascinating to read about how women were considered to be second class citizens in the past, and what happened to those who broke out of this social prison for this reason or another. I have always liked novels where we witness a rebuilding/restoration (of an estate, a career, a character, a business, and such) from ruins/ashes through struggle and hard work, and I really enjoyed this feature of the novel (the restoration of the property), the details of the everyday farm work, the slow steps to get a bit better and better in time, the occasional disheartening set backs, and so on and so forth.
I found John's story very tedious, and somewhat unexplained. I never had a clear knowledge why he was kept captive in the way he was; it seemed quite haphazard which man was set free as we never learn anything about their lives (or just small tidbits) before and after the Cromwell coup, just like we read almost nothing about John's professional life, something that would give any explanation why he was the one who was tortured (as far as I could see he was the only one from the whole company), and sent to Wales to a remote prison. The gazillion repetitions of 'he was the best speaker in the House' somehow just don't do it, and definitely don't give a plausible explanation. He gives a reason, but that is pretty weak and quite implausible, mainly because there is no sign or scene or anything that would back it up - namely, there is no evidence in the book that either Cromwell or any of his associates knew him or followed his career; you would think that if he is as important figure as we are supposed to think he is, there is some direct contact between the new regime and him. Hard to explain what I want to say, but if you read the book you know what I mean. Anyhow, because of this, it seems to me that the purpose of all his suffering, drifting and whatnot is to simply make the book long enough to tell Anne's story, which would be dull and and quite repetitive without taking short breaks. John's parts merely fill out these gaps but don't add anything to the novel unfortunately.
As for Anne's story, as I mentioned it is far more interesting than John's, but it is also too much. There are a gazillion sub-stories going on, and reading them I kept having the feeling Swinfen grabbed too much, wanted to tell too much about that era, covering everything from social theories, farming history through inheritance law, Irish issues, to mental health issues, education, women's place in society, and everything in between.
As for the audiobook, there was an interesting feature of it; the narrator was pretty dull and uninteresting during the story telling and description parts, but became quite enjoyable and inventive when it came to dialogues and inventing different voices for the different characters.
July 26, 2017
This Rough Ocean is historical fiction and set during the English Civil War. It begins in 1648 at a point when Cromwell's supporters and soldiers take over leadership of the country by force.
This book is about John Swynfen and his wife Ann. John is a representative in the House of Commons, he seeks peace between the warring factions, but finds himself arrested when Cromwell's New Model Army seize control of London. He spends a year imprisoned; suffering torture, neglect and is on the brink of death, all because he refuses to weaken and agree to support Cromwell.
John's wife Ann, is heavily pregnant, but escapes London with her children and servants before she is used as a porn in the war. After a premature birth of her daughter, she arrives at the Staffordshire home of John's parents. Expecting to be welcomed and comforted, she is shocked to find both in-laws bedridden, the estate looted and almost in ruin.
Ann's only answer is to take charge and step into the male role, find food to keep them from starving, and turn the place around. Many refuse to deal with her because she is a women, but she wins around the servants and her strength comes from her one hope that John will, one day, return.
I chose to read this book from a verbal recommendation and I really enjoyed it, the details of the everyday life took the reader right into the storyline. We followed both John and Ann's struggle to survive in two different threads which worked well; I was equally interested in both their dilemmas. Added historical details about the times were a delight; like the remedy for a bloated cow, methods of dealing with blight in cereal crops and the burning of moss from apple trees. I was even interested in goal fever and the mental effects of isolation and hunger faced by John during his imprisonment.
I would recommend this book to anyone interested in excellent historical fiction or the plight of families during the English Civil war.
This book is about John Swynfen and his wife Ann. John is a representative in the House of Commons, he seeks peace between the warring factions, but finds himself arrested when Cromwell's New Model Army seize control of London. He spends a year imprisoned; suffering torture, neglect and is on the brink of death, all because he refuses to weaken and agree to support Cromwell.
John's wife Ann, is heavily pregnant, but escapes London with her children and servants before she is used as a porn in the war. After a premature birth of her daughter, she arrives at the Staffordshire home of John's parents. Expecting to be welcomed and comforted, she is shocked to find both in-laws bedridden, the estate looted and almost in ruin.
Ann's only answer is to take charge and step into the male role, find food to keep them from starving, and turn the place around. Many refuse to deal with her because she is a women, but she wins around the servants and her strength comes from her one hope that John will, one day, return.
I chose to read this book from a verbal recommendation and I really enjoyed it, the details of the everyday life took the reader right into the storyline. We followed both John and Ann's struggle to survive in two different threads which worked well; I was equally interested in both their dilemmas. Added historical details about the times were a delight; like the remedy for a bloated cow, methods of dealing with blight in cereal crops and the burning of moss from apple trees. I was even interested in goal fever and the mental effects of isolation and hunger faced by John during his imprisonment.
I would recommend this book to anyone interested in excellent historical fiction or the plight of families during the English Civil war.
December 19, 2016
Riveting Story!
There are no spoilers in this review. Very few books I review get five stars, but after reading this book I couldn't give it fewer as it is genuinely a five-star book.
The book is compelling reading and is so well written that I could only stop reading when my eyes wouldn't focus! In my head I knew the dialogue and many of the things that happened was fictional, but I was so pulled into the story, I found myself believing it was all true. Now THAT is the skill of a born storyteller.
The historical facts have been meticulously researched, as has the family genealogy. The story is a fictional account of Ann Swinfen's ancestors, John and Anne Swynfen, who lived in the 1600s. It is set during the English civil war/s (1642-1651 in total, but broken into three separate wars, 1642-1646, 1648-1649, 1649-1651). This book is set in 1649 mainly, but spilling over to 1650 by the end. They are brutal times, with famine and death throughout much of the country. The beginning sets the stage, with John Swynfen, along with his other "moderate" colleagues in the House of Commons, debating peace or war with other factions of the Commons. I found this background fascinating and learned so much that I didn't know, although I have studied the period. John's great weapon is his oratory, and it is this that singles him out as a danger to Cromwell.
The story switches between John and Anne as they are separated by war and shows how they both handled themselves in the different adversities that beset them. Could they rise above them and overcome, or would they be overwhelmed as so many were?
This book is exceptionally well -written and an amazing story and I recommend it.
There are no spoilers in this review. Very few books I review get five stars, but after reading this book I couldn't give it fewer as it is genuinely a five-star book.
The book is compelling reading and is so well written that I could only stop reading when my eyes wouldn't focus! In my head I knew the dialogue and many of the things that happened was fictional, but I was so pulled into the story, I found myself believing it was all true. Now THAT is the skill of a born storyteller.
The historical facts have been meticulously researched, as has the family genealogy. The story is a fictional account of Ann Swinfen's ancestors, John and Anne Swynfen, who lived in the 1600s. It is set during the English civil war/s (1642-1651 in total, but broken into three separate wars, 1642-1646, 1648-1649, 1649-1651). This book is set in 1649 mainly, but spilling over to 1650 by the end. They are brutal times, with famine and death throughout much of the country. The beginning sets the stage, with John Swynfen, along with his other "moderate" colleagues in the House of Commons, debating peace or war with other factions of the Commons. I found this background fascinating and learned so much that I didn't know, although I have studied the period. John's great weapon is his oratory, and it is this that singles him out as a danger to Cromwell.
The story switches between John and Anne as they are separated by war and shows how they both handled themselves in the different adversities that beset them. Could they rise above them and overcome, or would they be overwhelmed as so many were?
This book is exceptionally well -written and an amazing story and I recommend it.
February 20, 2018
Terrific book! The characters were new to me but deeply drawn with every word in the book. The book also explained from the people's point of view what was going on during this tumultuous time in England. As an American I knew little about this time. Having a woman play such a strong role in this book was also a delight. Highly recommend this book.
March 28, 2018
A truly outstanding book. Ann Swinfen is an intelligent, gifted storyteller who is able to seamlessly weave history throughout her books which is palpable. This is perhaps one of the best historical fiction books, if not books in general, that I have ever read. Ann is one of my favorite authors for a reason. I am thankful she is prolific!
February 26, 2024
Love, love, love
This my 8th book by this author and I plan to read more. But this book is special because the main characters are truly her ancestors. She does a wonderful job of blending history and fiction. I never felt that I was reading a textbook yet felt the characters were real flesh and blood people.
This my 8th book by this author and I plan to read more. But this book is special because the main characters are truly her ancestors. She does a wonderful job of blending history and fiction. I never felt that I was reading a textbook yet felt the characters were real flesh and blood people.
March 11, 2021
a good symbiosis of history and fiction
The time of Cromwell was a forecast of the rebellion in North America and of the French Revolution. It was interesting to learn how people thought and how they lived, how families fared.
The time of Cromwell was a forecast of the rebellion in North America and of the French Revolution. It was interesting to learn how people thought and how they lived, how families fared.
August 10, 2017
A nice long wallow of an historical novel set in the English Civil war. and based upon the author's own family history.
August 20, 2017
Great book
I could hardly wait to finish the book. What individuals had to endure was terrible. One would hope we could learn from this
I could hardly wait to finish the book. What individuals had to endure was terrible. One would hope we could learn from this
July 3, 2023
Excellent detailed book about the trials of the Swinfen family when Cromwell was taking over. Although it is fiction, the historical detail is accurate and fascinating and the story built around what is known of the characters is gripping. Highly recommended.
August 4, 2023
A 17th Century Odessey across England during its Civil War.
February 24, 2025
What a wonderful book! It is a bit hard to get into at first if you are not well versed in English history, but what follows is a great story with wonderful characters. I highly recommend it.
February 21, 2015
Quite a good book, I give it 4.5 Stars although it does not show that. The only thing that kept it from being great read is that I personally found the Parliament details a bit of a slog. I am sure they were necessary to the tale, I just wanted to skip over some of that and get to the people details.
Anne and John Swinfen lived an absolutely amazing and fulfilling life. That John remained victorious apparently is evidenced by Samuel Pepys Diary 10 November 1662 "By and by came in great Mr. Swinfen, the parliament-man"
I recommend it highly and was entranced with it.
Anne and John Swinfen lived an absolutely amazing and fulfilling life. That John remained victorious apparently is evidenced by Samuel Pepys Diary 10 November 1662 "By and by came in great Mr. Swinfen, the parliament-man"
I recommend it highly and was entranced with it.
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews