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The Silver Sword
The Silver Sword
Oct 11, 2024 8:30 AM

Author:Ian Serraillier,Sarah McDonald Hughes,Stephen Hoyle,Hester Cox,Full Cast

The Silver Sword

A BBC radio full-cast dramatisation of Ian Serraillier’s classic wartime story.

When the Germans march into Poland in 1941, the Balickis’ happy family life is shattered. With their parents taken away by Nazis, Ruth, Edek and Bronia are forced to fend for themselves in the dangerous, war-ravaged city of Warsaw.

When Edek is captured too, the girls are desperate. Then they meet orphaned street urchin Jan, who carries with him a talisman of hope: a silver sword paperknife that they recognise as having belonged to their mother.

Realising that their parents may still be alive, Ruth and Bronia set off on an epic journey to Switzerland to search for them. With Jan by their side, they are determined to reunite the family – and their first step is to find Edek. But the road ahead is full of danger and hardship, and they will facemany challenges along the way...

This moving story of friendship, courage and solidarity brings to life the reality of a Europe laid waste by war.

Cast:

Ruth - Sarah McDonald Hughes

Edek - Stephen Hoyle

Bronia - Hester Cox

Jan - Aqib Khan

Margaret/Irka/Mrs Wolff - Maggie Fox

Joseph/German 1/Mr Wolff - Malcolm Raeburn

Ivan - David Fleeshman

Soldier/American GI - Andrew Blake

Doctor - Lloyd Peters

Cook/Mrs Borowicz - Szilvi Naray Davey

The Burgomaster/Captain Malinowski - Jonathan Keeble

Adapted by Chris Wallis.

Produced and directed by Charlotte Riches.

Reviews

A hard-bitten drama set in the Deep South in the middle of the last century – I immediately thought of William Faulkner …. Passions explode. It grips.

—— Evening Standard

Evocative and eloquently told … Mudbound is a powerful and heart-breaking story of injustice, race and family; and though it’s not always an easy read, it is ultimately an important one

—— Culturefly

Mudbound by Hillary Jordan is a powerful and relevant read in this Trump era where jingoism and racism is at fever pitch… The American struggle against Nazism and racism couldn’t be more pertinent to our times and this book depicts the unfairness and cruelty of prejudice and racial discrimination with blinding insight. If you are a fan of gripping and deeply resonant novels like Faulkner’s As I Lay Dying and The Help ,then I highly recommend you to buy Mudbound

—— BookRiot

This is storytelling at the height of its powers: the ache of wrongs not yet made right, the fierce attendance of history made as real as rain, as true as this minute. Hillary Jordan writes with the force of a Delta storm

—— Barbara Kingsolver

A page-turning read that conveys a serious message without preaching

—— Observer

Blatant injustice is heartbreakingly brought to life by Hillary Jordan in her debut novel...A tale that has echoes of the novels of John Steinbeck and Alice Walker...The varied viewpoints allow for an intimate insight into each character's thoughts and motivations that enriches the novel

—— Glasgow Herald

Jordan builds the tension slowly and meticulously, so that when the shocking denouement arrives, it is both inevitable and devastating...A compelling tale

—— Glasgow Herald

Richly imaginative, memorable story

—— Nick Rennison , Sunday Times

With its vivid Cornwall setting and a house full of shadows, The Stranger has echoes of Daphne Du Maurier but its riveting in its own right

—— Red Magazine

A beautifully written tale of family secrets, loves and losses, set against the magical Cornish coastline. I loved it

—— Amanda Jennings

A fabulous twisting tale, so beautifully written that the pages practically turned themselves. I couldn't put it down

—— Liz Fenwick

A beautiful and intriguing page-turner, where the secrets of the past cast long shadows. Cornwall springs to life in vivid colour

—— Dinah Jefferies

Beautifully written and unputdownable. I loved it

—— Katie Fforde

An enthralling tale of secrets, the twists and turns will have you hooked to the very last breathtaking page

—— Jane Bailey, author of What Was Rescued

An atmospheric whodunit set in the Second World War

—— The Sunday Post

A beautifully woven, immersive story that completely transported me

—— Judith Kinghorn

With such vivid, mysterious characters and an atmospheric setting, the echoes of Du Maurier's Cornwall are on every page. Brilliant!

—— Emylia Hall

A wonderful, gripping, beautifully written book. From the first page, I didn't want to put it down - and by the second half I literally couldn't put it down

—— Katherine Webb

Beautiful and haunting, you'll struggle to put down this mysterious tale

—— Take a Break

Wonderfully atmospheric and utterly engrossing. I hardly moved until I had read to the very last word

—— AJ Pearce author of , Dear Mrs Bird

Take an isolated house, family secrets, a divine Cornish setting, the tensions of war and you have all the ingredients for a tale where the pages take on a life of their own. The Stranger is wound tight as a clock, ticking down the days leading up to the disappearance of a young woman. It will stay with you long after the last breathtaking pages turn

—— Kate Lord Brown

So beguiling that I truly didn't want it to end. A captivating novel that pulls you into another time and place

—— Penny Parkes

The novel is cinematic, and the vividness of the Cornish landscape and its history of smugglers and pirates add to its charm. An engaging page-turner with a surprising twist at the end

—— The Lady

Praise for The Girl in the Photograph

—— -

Rich and atmospheric, like Rebecca this novel casts an enduring spell

—— Rachel Hore, Sunday Times bestselling author

Full of slow-burning tension

—— Essentials

A sweeping saga of secrets and ghosts

—— Good Housekeeping

A well executed, brooding, creepy atmosphere

—— Sunday Mirror

A prickly story full of tension

—— Sunday Express
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