The Soldier and the Swan | Book Review

Lisa Harvey
44 minutes ago
2 min read

By Catherine Brooks

A BITTERSWEET STORY OF FORBIDDEN LOVE

⭐️⭐️⭐️

SUMMARY

In 1943, Vivienne Hartley was a prima ballerina with the San Francisco Ballet when she fell in love with and married Charlie Sterling, a handsome soldier. But shortly after they married, she had to give up the spotlight to care for Charlie, who was paralyzed in the war. Living in her husband’s wealthy and overbearing mother's home is difficult, and she can’t seem to do anything right, according to her mother-in-law, Eleanor Sterling. Charlie is so buried in his crossword puzzles and self-pity that he doesn’t notice the horrible way Eleanor treats Vivienne..

When Charlie’s brother, Danny, also a soldier, returns home after two years away with battle fatigue, he brings warmth and laughter back to the Sterling home, at least for Vivienne. The two have never met. With Danny’s encouragement, Vivienne auditions for Swan Lake and even lands the lead. But as rehearsals consume her and Danny pursues her, she must fight to keep her marriage vows.

REVIEW

The Soldier and the Swan is an emotionally intense WWII-era historical romance. It’s a bittersweet story of forbidden love and impossible choices. The writing is seamless and well-structured, and the characters are well drawn. I loved how the ballet Swan Lake was woven into the story.

For me, the back-and-forth tension of Vivienne and Danny's relationship, while necessary, was tiresome and unending. Every time the two met, the same conversation was repeated, over and over again. Despite that, I like the way the story was eventually resolved.

I listened to the audiobook and loved the narrator’s voice, tone, and pacing. It was a nice listen. This will be a good listen for a day at the beach. Thank you to Netgalley for an advance copy of this audiobook. All opinions expressed here are my own.

Publisher Bridgeport Press

Published May 26, 2026

Narrator Heather Daniel

Review www.bluestockingreviews.com