Swim

"Set against the backdrop of the suffragette movement, the First World War and the Paris Olympics, Swim is a powerful novel about skill, courage and determination. I was completely invested in the story of Lucy Morton and her quest to become a champion swimmer. Lisa Brace's writing moves seamlessly between tension, poignancy and humour in a compelling story. The perfect book for Olympic year." Gill Thompson, author of bestselling The Oceans Between Us

Paris, 1924. The Olympics.

Lucy Morton, an ambitious Blackpool swimmer waits to find out if she's won against her American rival.

If she has, she'll be the first British woman to win Gold in an individual event. If she has, it'll upset the apple cart. The Americans have been sweeping the boards and, at 26, she's a veteran in the sport.

If she has, it'll be despite the car accident she was in just 48 hours before, which saw her lose five teeth, crack a rib and be out cold until the morning of the biggest race of her life.

If she has, it'll be a long way from the 10-year-old who almost drowned the first time she tried swimming, thrown into a pool to rectify her 'dunce like' ways.

Morton's biopic is one of a pioneering British woman, who represented Great Britain in the Olympics at a time when the male athletes outnumbered the female competitors 22 to one.

A woman who gained World Records, competed during an air raid and had to battle against sexism and politics, whilst the First World War took place and suffragettes fought on their own frontlines.

Coming up to the centenary of Lucy's Olympics in 2024 and with women still battling to be allowed to compete in sports across the world, her story is as relevant now as it was then.

It is one of courage, perseverance and belief.

It needs to be told.