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The Heart's Invisible Furies

John Boyne

Start date: November 15, 2023

Finish date: December 15, 2023

Discussion: Reading List

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Reading List

* The Schedule for July through Dec. 2025
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What Members Thought

Feb 10, 2018 Renata rated it it was amazing

Outstanding book! I wouldn't be surprised if it's my favorite of the year. ...more

33 likes · Like · see review

Feb 09, 2019 Laura rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: historical-fiction, read-2019, e-books, viciados-em-livros, irish-literature, fiction, contemporary-fiction, glbt

Cyril Avery is not a real Avery or at least that's what his adoptive parents tell him. And he never will be. But if he isn't a real Avery, then who is he? Born out of wedlock to a teenage girl cast out from her rural Irish community and adopted by a well-to-do if eccentric Dublin couple via the intervention of a hunchbacked Redemptorist nun, Cyril is adrift in the world, anchored only tenuously by his heartfelt friendship with the infinitely more glamourous and dangerous Julian Woodbead.

Some boo ...more

9 likes · Like · see review

Sep 23, 2018 Dree rated it it was amazing

Shelves: lgbtq, 5-star-adult-fiction, england-uk-ireland, 2018-reads

I love big books! And family sagas! And this is both!

Boyne manages to trace so much of Ireland's history from the 1940s to the 21th century by looking at the life of one gay man. Cyril Avery, given for adoption by his unwed 17-year-old mother after her parish priest threw her out of town for being pregnant (yet he had children of his own and everyone knew it!). Her parents and brothers watched, and she never spoke to them again.

Raised by a tax cheat and an author, he struggles with being gay in ...more

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Aug 18, 2018 Cathy rated it it was amazing

Recent Irish history presented through the lives of a group of natives, based in Ireland but applicable everywhere, about those who live outside the narrow path society affords them. Ireland is a tourist's dream, a collection of charming villages with verdant countryside and charming people with lilting accents. But the recent and long-standing history of violence, division, religious dogma and class struggle are ever present and this book does a great job of presenting just some of the ever-pre ...more

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Nov 08, 2023 Victoria rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

I couldn’t put it down. A beautifully written and deeply moving story that spans decades, weaving together the many complexities and tragedies of life. Boyne is an exceptional writer and storyteller.

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Feb 11, 2019 Leslie rated it it was amazing

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. This was a 4.5 for me. Very, very close to a 5. What an emotional book! 😥📖☕️

These characters felt so real to me on the page and not just the main character Cyril telling the story but nearly every single person the author made part of the book. This book was an experience! Truly!

It felt more memoir than fictional I turned the pages. Yet some did feel more over-the-top at the beginning and middle of the book as he ended some scenes. I.E. Cyril’s girlfriend & statue, I believe. I thought there we This was a 4.5 for me. Very, very close to a 5. What an emotional book! 😥📖☕️

These characters felt so real to me on the page and not just the main character Cyril telling the story but nearly every single person the author made part of the book. This book was an experience! Truly!

It felt more memoir than fictional I turned the pages. Yet some did feel more over-the-top at the beginning and middle of the book as he ended some scenes. I.E. Cyril’s girlfriend & statue, I believe. I thought there were better ways to deal with that scene yet I know what he was showing & what really could happen societally in that day in and time.

The connection between Cyril and Mrs. G (his mom) was one of the the biggest and best things about this book because it helped tie it together and it provided emotional pull that kept me turning pages. Another relationship that I found heartfelt among many in this book was the one Cyril had with his only long-term boyfriend, Bastiaan. I liked how the author took the time to tell readers how the two met. Bastiaan ends up teaching Cyril so much about life and humankind. That brings me to my one of my favorite sections with the two of them which isn’t necessarily happy yet reflective on life, death, pain, sorrow, how we treat others, in general. I would have trouble choosing a favorite part of this book most definitely but I would say it would have to be when Cyril ends up in NYC with Bastiaan who is now a doctor helping to treat AIDS at Mount Sinai. Cyril visits the AIDS patients on rounds and the patient tells his/her story to him. As a storyteller myself, I think I found this part the most compelling to read. The end of sectionleft me speechless.

I have very few criticisms. The character development was well done although I wish I could have seen more of what the characters themselves look like here and there. Perhaps that may have taken away from his story form. His dialogue was spot-on. Very good. The prejudice Cyril experienced as a gay man is documented here. The author also documents other prejudices including those brought on by the Catholic Church and [Dublin] Ireland as a country and its politics. I thought that was a great inclusion.

***I didn’t think the book needed the Epilogue. It really slowed the story almost to a halt. It became almost confusing with the different people talking.

At the end of the book, it was so succinct with “mom” AKA Mrs. Goggin as “walked out of the church for the last time, her head held high.”
I thought that was simply perfect.

***This book is not for everyone. It is not a completely happy read but... it is a worthwhile, satisfying read. As a writer I learned A LOT. I COULD NOT PUT IT DOWN. I wish these characters were real so I could meet them. This is a stunner of a book. There is so much to unfold inside. At first the size put me off then I said I’m gonna do it! So glad I did. I am eager to pick up more books by this author.

4.5/5 📙📙📙📙 ...more

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