This is an epic book. Following the life of Cyril Avery, we, the readers, are taken from his birth to his entire life. One needs to be prepared to read this. It's emotional. It's long. It pulls at that very sensitive part of your heart that you want to try and hide away.

Is this as good as "A Little Life"? No. Is it still a wonderful "great Gay novel"? Absolutely.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book.

This book is a hard one to review because there are so many depths of dimension for this book.

The good: It started off really intriguing, I was hooked by the exile of Catherine Goggin to Dublin and the very specific types of persecution that was going on in Ireland at the time. The first section was a "stay up in bed under the covers read" I want to be Catherine Goggin when I grow up!
I found Cyril Avery's unique relationship with his adoptive parents hilarious and heartbreaking especially since I was raised by adoptive parents as well. His obvious adoration for his best friend Julian and the eventual realizations that he has about them throughout his formative years was very deep and realistic. Then we get to the last section where he has his footing under him, and has grown into himself, both of which were beautiful and mature and lovely.

The not so good: The whole thing went off the rails for just a a little bit in the middle when describing all of the different sexual encounters that Cyril explored throughout his adolescence and early adulthood as he came to terms with his homosexuality. I understood what the author was trying to do by telling the stories, but there were a few times that I found myself drifting off course because of the sometimes graphic scenes.

Also there is a little red bow tied to the end of the book. It was a little too neat for my tastes especially with as messy as the plots and interactions.
Overall, this book was lovely and complicated and I highly recommend it, especially to my friends with a love of historical fiction.

Thank you to John Boyne, Hogarth Press and Netgalley for the opportunity to read this novel in exchange for an honest review.

Every so often you'll come across a story so engrossing that you forget you're reading and fall right into the events with the characters. You'll connect with the characters and not only want to know what is going to transpire, but you'll need to know what is coming next. This is what happens with Cyril Avery. A reader must continue to devour his story, following the unfortunate events of his life, waiting and hoping that once, just once, something will go right for him. Needless to say, I loved this book. I didn't want it to end and was fully committed from cover to cover. Bravo John Boyne!

I read The Boy in the Striped Pajamas years ago with my oldest son and couldn’t wait to read this after I read a few reviews on Goodreads from some close friends. The book wasn’t what I expected and due to the myriad of feelings I have about it, I’ve been struggling to write a review on it for a few weeks now. There might be spoilers here.

The story begins with a teenage girl named Catherine who is pregnant and not accepted by her family or church any longer. It’s the 1940’s in Ireland and she’s exiled and expected to start a new life elsewhere, which she does. After her baby is born, she gives him up and he’s adopted by a couple named Charles and Maude Avery. They name him Cyril and he loves his adoptive parents very much, but he doesn’t receive the love he deserves from them and he’s consistently told, “You’re not a real Avery.”

As Cyril grows older, he begins questioning why he doesn’t seem to have an interest in girls and seems to have an attraction to only boys. At the age of 7, he discovers after meeting a boy named Julian, that he loves him and eventually they become best friends into adulthood. Julian is attractive and always interested in new women, but Cyril won’t be accepted for who he is and must live in secret by hiding behind his true self due to his sexual identity. From that moment on, he continues to act as though he has an interest in women while keeping the truth a secret because it’s not accepted by anyone and can be flat-out dangerous if someone finds out. Being gay wasn’t accepted and people who were suspected to be gay were beaten up and called names like ‘nanny boys’ and ‘queers’. Cyril loved Julian from the moment they meet, but even his best friend won’t accept the truth when he finds out that he is gay and becomes very upset with him because he didn’t tell the truth from the beginning.

As time moves forward, many different events take place. Cyril get’s married, he moves away and starts a new life, wonders where his real mother is and who he really is. Will Cyril ever find the love he deserves and will it last?

-There were parts of the story that were slow, but something would happen to pull me right back in again.

-I had many emotions when reading this book and even laughed and cried a few times. I found it sad, shocking, comical, and scary.

-I was angry with how Cyril and others were treated and parts of the story were very difficult to read. From the beginning of Cyril’s life, it seemed as though he had to live as an outsider and wasn’t accepted.

-I had a little bit of a hard time connecting with the characters at first even though they are unique, interesting, and unforgettable.

-I loved the way characters came in and out of the story as the book is written in intervals of about 7 years from the 1940’s to the present.

-The ending was exactly what I wanted. Even though I found it sad, I was happy and surprised by it. Everything I wanted to find out about was there, especially in the end.

-I was very pleased with the epilogue and glad that it was included.

I seriously want to just list out everything that happened in this book and express every emotion I had, but I’m not going to. I’m going to say that it’s a good book, written well, and I enjoyed it. At nearly 600 pages, even with the slower parts in the story, there was always something new happening and I had to finish it. I’m giving it a rating of 4 stars.

Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for sharing this book with me in exchange for an honest review.

This is a book that just simply tells a story. The life story of Cyril Avery (who is not a real Avery) and it is completely engrossing. It was sad at times and so damn funny at times, with the kind of humor that I really enjoy (dry & sarcastic). There were parts that I cried and parts where I was literally laughing out loud. Cyril is really funny and sharp and I loved the way he bantered with other characters.

I thought the flow of the story was done very well, the characters were well developed and I liked how everything came full circle. It was really nice to see how Boyne not only developed Cyril, but all of the supporting characters as well. This is a book of “life” so you get to see the good, bad and ugly of it. The first paragraph simply draws you in and I did not want to put this book down. There are no twists and turns, no shocking revelations, but wow, does this book tell you a really, really good story that left me completely satisfied at the end.

This book is a long one, so prepare yourself. I felt it probably could have been about 100 pages less, but I still very much enjoyed this book. I would highly recommend this as this book is absolutely worth all of the buzz.

Thank you to NetGalley and Hogarth Press for an advanced reader copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. I had mixed feelings about this book. There were some components I really liked and others I did not. I didn't feel like I could fully engage in the story and it tended to drag on. It took some patience to finish reading. I know I'm in the minority on this one as it is receiving rave reviews.

A big, fat, tragi-comic saga of Ireland over six decades, mixing the true pain of a repressive society with the often joyful vicissitudes of a life lived among the quirky folk of that nation. Boyne is a delightful companion on this long voyage of a novel, disarming,distracting, surprising. Sometimes his humour is a little too broad or repetitive, his secondary characters too sketchy or pointless, but overall this is a joy of a tale and deserves many readers.

Wow! Wow! Wow! I loved (too small a word) The Heart’s Invisible Furies. What an excellent read. Packed into this book are a great story, wonderfully developed characters, great twists and problems/solutions, and a poignant ending.

The book is great because it’s packed with stories about the many characters along the way without ever getting tedious, eye-rolling, hard to follow, or boring. The main theme is the life of Cyril, who, early in the book, was given up for adoption by his 16-year-old unwed mother. Cyril is a gay man, but the book is definitely not just a novel about gays. My heart went out to him as he faced struggles that non gays were not subjected to. It follows Cyril – and all his ups and downs – as he ultimately becomes secure with himself. The entire span of Cyril’s life is covered, but never once did it become choppy.

Each of the characters becomes someone I felt I knew. Some I really liked – Mrs. Goggin, Alice – some, not as much. There is wonderful ‘Irish’ humor scattered throughout. I caught myself chuckling out loud at times.

I enjoyed this book so much and couldn’t wait to pick it up again when life got out of the way for a while. It captured my interest from the beginning and held it via every page until the end. There were no lulls in the middle.

Mr. Boyne, you packed a lot of entertainment for me in the rich pages you created, and I thank you. Well done. I highly recommend this must-read to my reading friends, family, and everyone.

A sincere thank you to NetGalley for allowing me to read and review this book.

I have mixed feeling on this novel. I really liked the flow of the story. Seeing societies treatment of homosexuals through differing countries and time periods was very interesting & very disconcerting. Cyril was a character that grew on me as the story progressed and his plight was sometimes hard to read. Dialogue was one area I had a difficult time with... a lot of it just didn't work for me. The amount of promiscuousness in this I thought was over the top and I really I didn't see where it was a necessary element to the story. I really wanted to like it. All said, the cons just outwayed the pros for me... don't think it's one that I would recommend. Shaky 3 stars.

Cyril Avery is adopted at birth and raised by eccentric and well-to-do parents who make it clear that he is not a real Avery. Nonetheless he perseveres, practically raising himself in their sprawling Dublin mansion. The ambitious novel The Heart’s Invisible Furies (Hogarth Press, digital galley) follows Avery’s entire life from the 1940s to the present day.

While away at school Avery comes to the realization that he is gay. But given the mores of the day, he keeps that fact to himself. The novel begins and ends in Ireland and a large part of the plot deals with the fact that Ireland is unsympathetic, if not overtly cruel, to gay men. One doctor tells him there are not any gay men in Ireland.


Over the course of the novel Avery struggles with his homosexuality, trying to find his place in society and attempting to create meaningful relationships. Along the way we meet a number of interesting characters, many of whom interact in unexpected and remarkable ways.

But Avery is not an entirely sympathetic character. He has his character flaws and does an unthinkable cruelty to a woman who loved and trusted him. But because this book covers Avery’s full life we get to experience all of its highs and lows. But Avery should be judged solely by this single act as he is a product of all of his experiences and actions.

Written by John Boyne, author of The Boy in the Striped Pajamas, the novel shares all of the horrors, disappointment, triumphs and joys of Avery’s life. This is an epic story that throws in a number of unexpected plot twists that makes reading its 592 pages a pleasure.

This book is beautifully written, strongly embraces the era and culture of its setting, and showcases fully human characters who are lovable and disappointing at various points (as most people are). It is also heartfelt and sprinkled with humor throughout. I will definitely be recommending this one.

The Heart’s Invisible Furies is a tragic story with a peaceful ending. The protagonist of the story is one of the most realistic ones I’ve encountered – he makes some deplorable mistakes when he is young and he tries his best to turn things around as he grows older. The story itself was not a tear jerker for me, nonetheless it moved me. This will probably end up in my top 10 list this year and I highly recommend it.

A wonderful book, filled with gut-wrenching moments, pathos, and humor. Told in Cyril's own voice, the reader is along for a ride that spans 70 years through Irish post-WWII history. Cyril's struggle with his sexual identity and his efforts to "be normal" sometimes brought me to tears, but throughout the story Boyne incorporates some of the most intriguing, sarcastic, and outright funny dialogue that I often laughed out loud.

Coming to this work as a fan of Boyle's YA book, The Boy in the Striped Pajamas, I was surprised, even shocked, at the graphic content in the first half of the book. I almost gave up, but I'm so glad I did not! What a wonderful story of resilience, determination, and the meaning of friendship and family. Well worth the time spent.

John Boyne is an incredibly gifted writer, and this shines through in his latest novel for the adult market--The Heart's Invisible Furies. Phrases that describe the book: breathtakingly beautiful writing, witty dialogue, well-drawn characters, heart wrenching plot, extremely sad story. Told in the first person at seven year intervals from the 1940s through the present day, this novel explores what it is like to be Irish, to be adopted, and to be gay.

This is the story of Cyril, a man who had the misfortune to be attracted to men and born in Ireland in the 1940s, as well as being an orphan. He is quickly taken in by a couple who remind him that he is not theirs and is mostly left to find his own way in the world. Told in spurts every seven years, we see him make mistakes and amends growing his adoptive family as he goes.

I would divide my review into the sections of this book: I found Cyril's childhood less compelling than the later chapters and the "peak end rule" is that we judge a book by the final experience--which I thoroughly enjoyed. The book describes the life of Cyril Avery, a gay Irishman, from his birth to his final days, spanning from the 1940's to 2015. It explores the overt and less overt discrimination he faces as a gay man in Ireland, Holland and the US. The writing is excellent and Cyril's whimsy and humor become more obvious as he accepts himself in the later chapters. As it ends with emotional connections and insight, and I found the final chapters enthralling. Enough to make me forget that the initial third, after Cyril's momentous birth, was a bit of a slog. It is a book that is thought provoking and touching, and worthy of discussion.

I received this ARC from netgalley.com in exchange for a review.

This book is about Cyril. Adopted at birth we see Cyril grow through consecutive 7 year spans. Growing up in the Catholic church with homosexual tendencies, the books ends with elderly Cyril finally being happy and content with his life.

I should know better than to get my hopes up when a book is described as 'unputdownable'. A couple hundred pages into the book I was mesmerized by the story. 1950's Ireland with all the turmoil of growing up in a non-traditional home, oh my, such a captivating story.

Then, it just dropped off. From every 7 year jump, it seemed to be the same thing over and over. Cyril struggles with homosexuality in a non-homosexual world. I guess it was a decent ending with Cyril finally being at acceptance of himself.

3.25 stars

I'm not sure what I missed in this book. But, missed I did! It got so many 5 star reviews that I thought I hit the jackpot until I started reading it. I liked this book, don't get me wrong. I just do not think that it is 5 star review worthy.

The book goes on and on and on. It is filled with many beautiful sentences, phrases and words. Lots and lots of words. Soooo, if you are interested in reading a 'chunkster', this is the book for you.

My thanks to netgalley and Crown Publishing for this advanced readers copy.

The Heart's Invisible Furies was so painful and so funny and so smart that it's hard to quantify. While I didn't fall in love at first, my connection to the book and the characters grew and grew until I found that I just couldn't put it down.

I picked up this book at a whim, due to the excellent reviews, and spent the first portion of the book leisurely reading, not completely engrossed but entertained. The book is long, clocking in at nearly 600 pages, and I wasn't fully committed to the characters and story at the beginning. However, the more I read the most I realized how brilliant the whole story truly was.

The Heart's Invisible Furies takes you through the entire life of Irishman Cyril Avery. We see every hilarious, tragic, and stupid move that Cyril makes, and as the book progresses, I grew more... now, I don't want to say attached to him, but invested in him.

So much happens over the course of the story, but here is what you need to know if you are considering investing your time in this one.

Many, many people die. The book takes place over an entire lifetime of the MC so you know that many people are bound to die, but some of those deaths punched me right in the gut. I cried at multiple spots in the story, and certain scenes really hurt.

The humor makes the story. Cyril is funny, really, really funny, and when he bantered with the other characters I found myself actually laughing out loud. The writing is so sharp and humorous that it will absolutely carry you through the hardest and saddest parts of the story. The dialogue was just amazing at times, especially near the end, and it made the last quarter of the story unputdownable.

The historical aspects are both fascinating and painful. To be a clandestine homosexual in mid 20th century Ireland seemed like an nightmare for the MC. Ireland was, and still largely is, a very traditional country, and what Cyril, and others like him, had to go through was difficult to read about. There were also other portions of the book that dealt with pivotal moments in LGBTQ history, which captivated me even as I dreaded reading them. I found that the author did a fabulous job capturing the sentiments and the overall atmosphere of each location in the story, and I felt like I went on a journey through history with Cyril.

The side characters are extremely well developed. This is worth noting because so many authors treat side characters as throwaways, but John Boyne made each and every side character so extremely memorable. Everyone, but especially Cyril's adoptive parents, Julian and Julian's family, and Cyril's birth mother, just pop on page.

It is especially important to note how well developed each character was because there were no perfect people in this story. Every single character had flaw after flaw, but you saw the good, and sometimes the great, in many of them. The characters were unique and juicy, and I think it is John Boyne's gift to conceive of them all so well.

Be prepared to get your heart ripped out, though, my fellow romance readers. However, it is worth the pain to get to read such a funny, heart-breaking, engaging story. The ending will also bring it all together, and leave you sobbing, satisfied, yet wanting more.

*Copy provided in exchange for an honest review*

“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?” I was like YES.PLEASE after I read this line!

Cyril was born to a teenage out cast and then adopted by well to do couple from Dublin, truly a rags to riches situation. He spends his days not fitting into anything and or anywhere, so he dedicates his life to finding out whom he really is.

This book was an amazing journey written so well by John Boyne! The setting is AMAZING! I mean Ireland alone is always my favorite but then make it take place in the 1940s then span it to today was brilliant! I truly wanted to book another trip to Ireland after reading this book. The Heart’s Invisible Furies is a must read, it will make you laugh, cry, be completely heartbroken then see that there is hope in the world!