Come sit by the fire and let me tell you the story of Tom Rourke and Polly Gillespie, two of the many immigrants in Butte, Montana at the end of the nineteenth century. Tom works for the local photographer but has the soul of a poet and spends a lot of time ghost writing letters for other men in the town. Polly is the newly arrived bride of an older, taciturn mine captain. Tom and Polly, of course, find each other.

Kevin Barry’s The Heart in Winter is described aptly ad an Irish Western love story and it brought to mind the few other brushes with westerns that I’ve had (Lonesome Dove, The Ridgerunner, the tv show Deadwood). Oddly, though it’s not a genre I seek out, I’ve loved the three I just mentioned and The Heart in Wonter is a worthy addition.

Part of what made this enjoyable was the way Barry navigated shifting points of view. Though written in third person narration, Barry subtly (and then not so subtly) shifts the language and syntax to reflect which character’s POV we’re following at the time. You don’t realize it at first as the story begins with Rourke and he’s a literary-ish kind of guy, but when you get to Polly who’s had an unspecified but likely rougher beginning when she was out east, it becomes clear. Her “voice” was my favourite. One warning, though, is that in inhabiting the POVs, Barry does use what we’d now see as inappropriate terms and views of Indigenous and other races. It’s done fairly briefly which I suspect is Barry navigating the conundrum of being time-period accurate with contemporary understandings, but it’s worth noting for readers who’d prefer their books to run entirely clear of such things.

A short book focused on this one story, The Heart in Winter is a zippy read. At the end, though, Barry left me contemplating. In its denouement, the book jumps ahead in time reminding us of the monumental cultural, technological shifts that happened between the 1890s and the mid-1900s and I appreciated him showing us how this story exists at such a juncture in history. An enjoyable summer read, for sure.

⭐️ 1.5 /5

Note, this book has a lot of good reviews so it’s likely I’m not the right audience so definitely check this out if you like 𝙬𝙚𝙨𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙣𝙨, 𝙄𝙧𝙞𝙨𝙝 𝙬𝙧𝙞𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜, 𝙝𝙞𝙨𝙩𝙤𝙧𝙞𝙘𝙖𝙡 𝙛𝙞𝙘𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣, 𝙡𝙤𝙫𝙚 𝙤𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙧𝙪𝙣 and you might have a better reading experience :)

“The Heart In Winter”, set in 1891, offers a unique experience but I found it challenging in several ways. The determination and devotion of the main characters to each other stood out. I also appreciated MMC, Tom’s made up songs that added lightness to my reading experience. However, the writing style was different from what I’m used to and it was hard to follow. It was sadly hard to get into. The story jumps from one scene to another without clear transitions, which left me often confused. FMC, Polly’s POV was easier to read. The lack of quotations around the dialogue made it difficult to discern when exchanges began and ended. It did become interesting and more engaging near the end and I started to care for the main characters so it was unfortunate that the ending was unsatisfactory.

Overall, it’s a quick read. While I was initially intrigued by the western romance and historical aspect of the book, the writing style and structural challenges made it a tough read; and the ending was disappointing.

Thank you Netgalley and Penguin Random House Canada for this advanced reader’s copy. This is my honest review..

The language in this book is captivating, creative, and hilarious. I loved the characters and setting. One can't help but cheer for the two lovers on their escape to the California ocean.

-- thank you to netgalley and the publisher for the e-arc!

"the heart in winter" is this unputdownable profane seductive story about two doomed lovers, tom rourke and polly gillepsie, who run away to san francisco thru the midwestern winter on a couple dollars and a horse. and though it technically did take me like 20+ days to finish, sometimes, you just have to leave a novel alone for two weeks in order to come back to it and absolutely love and inhale it in two days, leaving you with some tiny pieces of my heart being cracked on the floor and my mouth slightly agaped. a solide 4.5 stars to 5 stars for me!

first and foremost, the writing was absolutely up my alley, just my type for a whirlwind literary western love story and a wild manhunt in the american midwest. and the prose perfectly paired itself with the story. to me, it's so soo close from the perfect combo. the writing had much swag, gusto even and humour. there was a ruggedness, an edge to the dialogues which was so charming - i love dialogues that display accents and particular vernaculars as best as they can, i think it's so fun and it adds much character and flare. there was also a lewdness to it of which i happily welcomed, as another review has fitfully pointed out. truly the way i think about my reading is a cowboy with much manly charm in 19th century america... i just fucking loved his prose, for fuck's sake! i inhaled this book over 80% of it in two days, which is so rare for a litfic/historical fiction (at least in my experience).

personally, i rlly liked tom rourke's character. yea he's fucked up and needs help no one can offer but he's got a good heart you know? and again, when he talks, he just has that winsome air, tom rourke just has *that* attitude to him, that x-factor if you will. polly is absolutely loveable too, though i did want to see more of her wit and luck - i'm just greedy like that. jago is another one i wish had been more around more bcs he looked absolutely interesting. i promise they are all terribly intriguing but again, i'm gonna circle back to the writing bcs really it was the star of that god-fearin' novel for me. just fantastic, i can't stress it enough! oh, and though at times, i was confused about what's exactly happening or who's exactly talking or thinking but i would always find my sense back and understand the further i read. this, though, i blame it on myself bcs i did take a two week no-reading gap whilst reading this arc and that it was an e-arc after all - naturally all the finer details are figured out 100% and modifications can still be made before the publishing (on july 9th in canada). but other than that, i have no other notes. this was so fun and just great prose.

if you're looking for a fun-lovin' and free-wheelin' type of western literary coarse romance, this is the shit for you!

This is the first Kevin Barry book I have read. It to me a while to adapt to Kevin’s style. After getting used to his writing, I found he told the story and successfully developed a sense of foreboding around the characters.
The imagery was clear and presented a picture of the Wild West and the lawlessness that must have been pervasive.
While the story is fraught with foreboding and violence, the characters and story are credible.

An interesting read. Perhaps not what I was expecting. This is billed as a love story. As a person who rarely reads romance, I wasn't sure if love story meant romance. But the About the Book intrigued me enough to request a copy via NetGalley. And I'm glad I did.

This is definitely profane. That was my first clue this wasn't at all a romance. The dialogue lacks quotes and traditional beats after the dialogue (hard to include without the quote marks). The story itself it a bit whimsical, a bit magical realism (or perhaps just magical thinking), and a bit western. And it was a thoroughly enjoyable read.

<b>Lovers in a Dangerous Time</b>
<i>Review of the NetGalley eBook ARC downloaded June 7, 2024 of the Penguin Random House / Knopf Canada hardcover / eBook and the Random House Audio audiobook to be released July 9, 2024.</i>

This was a propulsive western saga with two star-crossed lovers making a break for a new life out of the mining town of Butte, Montana in 1891. Tom Rourke is an Irish immigrant who could not cut it in the mines and now works as a photographer's assistant while doping and drinking in his spare time while writing ballads and the occasional letter for illiterate hopeful husbands in search of a mail-order bride. Into his life walks Polly Gillespie, the newly wed wife of mining captain Anthony Harrington and an infatuation soon follows which is returned when Polly is repulsed by her new husband's self-abasement rituals.

A plan of escape unfolds and soon the lovers are on the run with a stolen horse and the savings from a rooming house. But Harrington enlists a rather perverse posse of three Cornishmen to make pursuit. The lovers carelessly linger on their road to San Francisco when they come upon an idyllic abandoned cabin, allowing the posse to close in. Tom is beaten and left for dead while Polly is abducted. Now Tom is the one in pursuit to attempt to save his new love or die trying.

This was one crazed adventure with a compulsive flow to the words, often written in a rough frontier language in a mix of old world balladry and new world slang. It was impossible to stop reading as the chapters unfolded with cliffhangers which then continued with the further suspense building through flashbacks and flashforwards. The mark of a true 5-star is when you simply have to keep turning the pages to find out what happens next.

<b>Soundtrack</b>
I immediately thought of the Bruce Cockburn song "Lovers in a Dangerous Time" from the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stealing_Fire_(Bruce_Cockburn_album)">Stealing Fire</a> (1984) album. A 2011 live performance of the song can be seen on YouTube <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NKjgJ3oLJqE">here</a>.

<b>Trivia and Links</b>
There is no mention of it in the Acknowledgements but I have to imagine that the escaping lovers theme must have been at least partially inspired by the 10th century Irish mythology of the lovers <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Pursuit_of_Diarmuid_and_Gr%C3%A1inne">Diarmuid and Gráinne</a> which is also considered to be the basis for the later 12th century <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tristan_and_Iseult">Tristan and Isolde</a> story.

Tom falls for Polly while working at the portrait studio, taking her wedding pictures. Tom insists on delivering the photographs to Polly himself. Somehow, Tom and Polly fall in love and steal away, destination San Francisco. However, things do not go smoothly. Polly’s husband hires a trio of Jack thugs to go after the two, all on horseback. Polly and Tom share the back of a palomino, trudging through winter snow out of Montana into Idaho, hoping to find their way to the west coast.
I enjoyed the old-time language of the book, though it initially took some getting used to. The language very much is a character in the book and takes you back to another time when things could get much rougher. I loved the damn-the-world head-over-heals love between Tom and Polly. There is a very memorable scene when the lovers are discovered, residing in a cabin they have named Providence by the leader of the Cornish guns-for-hire and the scene turns quite unexpectedly.
I give this book 4.5 stars out of 5! Loved it! A quick and eventful read!

I am very sorry in that I could just not get into this book and therefore was unable to finish. It seemed like hard work reading the author’s type of writing. Regretfully I cannot review.

Review of “The Heart in Winter”

By: Kevin Barry

Available July 9/2024

Check it Out on Goodreads!!

Disclaimer: Please note that I received a Digital ARC from NetGalley and Penguin Random House Canada, in exchange for an honest and unbiased review. (I have also asked for a Physical ARC, in hopes I can update this review as I struggled to give it 4 stars)

⭐⭐⭐☆☆

“The Heart in Winter” by Kevin Barry is a gripping and atmospheric tale set in the rugged Rocky Mountains in October 1891. Barry pulls you into the rough-and-tumble city of Butte, Montana, filled with vice and debauchery among Irish immigrant workers. The story follows Tom Rourke, a young poet who is also a drinker and degenerate, whose life takes a wild turn when he meets Polly Gillespie, the new bride of a devout mine captain. Their forbidden love affair sends them fleeing west on a stolen horse, pursued by a posse of deranged Cornish gunmen.

Barry’s writing is both lyrical and raw, painting vivid scenes and creating intense emotions. The romance between Tom and Polly is beautifully depicted, and the tension of their escape keeps you hooked. The choices they make and the consequences that follow are deeply impactful.

That said, it took me a while to get used to Barry’s unique writing style, which made it a bit tough to stay focused at times. Plus, the ARC copy I read had some formatting issues on my Kindle, which was a bit distracting.

Despite these hiccups, “The Heart in Winter” is a captivating love story that shows off Kevin Barry’s talent for storytelling. It’s a different kind of book, but definitely an enjoyable one. If you like historical fiction with a poetic twist, this is a great read.

Get it at…

📗 - Hard Copy -📗

Your Local Canadian Book Seller

Indigo

Amazon Canada

📱 - Digital - 📱

Kobo

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🎧 - Audio - 🎧

Audible

Libro.FM

This is my second book of Kevin Barry that I have read. The first book was Night Boat to Tangier where his writing was something unique with poetic sentences mixed with very dark, callous and absurdist dialogues.

Kevin Barry continues his unique style of writing in The Heart in Winter
but this time the setting is in Butte, Montana in 1891, where the crowd of immigrant Irish workers were making a living at this dark wintry mining town. Our protagonist Tom Rourke is a poet, a doper and drinker thinking of suicide. Along comes Polly Gillespie as a new bride of Long Anthony Harrington, a captain of a mining business.

They met in a photographer's studio where Tom works. The photographer mentions French Canadian Photographer Arlick Dusseau, a real historic person who ran a photo studio in Butte, though the main reference in this book is the new pose of "ladies looking over their shoulders and staring all gawpy-eyed into the camera."

Tom and Polly elopes and the chase of Cornish gunmen begins.

Kevin Barry's writing is profane and poetic at the same time. It is quite theatrical that you can feel the grip of Samuel Beckett. The harsh winter scenes and violence reflect the life of the Irish immigrants at that time. The characters, even with a minor role, are shining in this book and its tempo is simply perfect.

Thank you, NetGalley, for the advance copy of this book!

This was a quick read -The novel starts in 1891. Butte, Montana. We meet Tom Rourke who uses drink and dope but also writes letters for the illiterate Irish miners who want to attract a bride from the East. Until Polly arrives as a newly married bride of local Harrington and they immediately fall in love at first sight. Although the description from the back of the book sounded interesting I found the style of writing hard to get into -- it evened out for me around the last 60 pages or so where I was invested in would Polly and Tom get caught and if so, what would happen to them? -- overall the book was just ok for me -- I felt the story moved too fast and lacked character and plot development to get invested in the actual characters. The book uses a lot of derogatory phrases and vulgar slang so if you dislike this in a book -- this might not be for you. I was hoping for a more slow build to Polly and Tom`s relationship before running away together. Though the last 60 pages or so kept my attention --I was disappointed with the ending.

Thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Random House for an ARC of this novel.

A quick summary of what this novel is about barely touches the surface. It is ostensibly the story of an Irish immigrant to the United States, come by ship to Butte, Montana, in 1891 with thousands of his fellows from a starved-out country. Also like thousands of other Irish, the promised land does not show him much promise. Most scratch out a living in the area copper mines. Recreation consists of binge drinking and fighting. Life is brutish.

Tom Rourke seems to rush headlong into the troubles that await him: poverty, alcohol, drugs, skimpy wages blown on prostitutes, opiates and card games. Often numbed by his favoured substances, he stumbles toward survival by using his skill with a pen to write matchmaking letters for other lonely and desperate men. He has no particular dream in that regard. Until he meets Polly Gillespie, the new mail-order bride of a local mine owner, leagues above him in status and wealth. They know immediately. They rob a boarding house safe and flee to San Francisco on a stolen horse, pursued by three hired hit men to avenge the duped husband.

In its bare outlines, then, this is a familiar story. New land, new life, new love, impediments to happiness, lawlessness, danger, and high stakes everywhere. But this story becomes something different in the hands of Kevin Barry, who is no ordinary writer. His earlier publications have received international acclaim and prestigious writing awards in his native Ireland. His last novel (2019) made the coveted Booker Prize shortlist. It can be expected that his style is also in no way ordinary. He captures the fine details of historical fiction, especially as seen through the eyes of an outsider, but the language here is more poetic than novelistic. There are turns of phrase, images and modes of speech, and humour both subtle and outrageous, so striking that you will want to write them immediately down to savour. Most important, for all its Wild West setting, and its boy-girl romance, this novel bursts through the usual confines of the immigration story and the frontier love story that it might, at first, appear to be. It becomes something of a meditation on the price of love, and the meaning of survival, and the relationship between what is beautiful and what is not.

This is so up my alley: I’ve said many times that I love an Irish storyteller, and as it turns out, just maybe I love a Western, too. Set in October of 1891 in Butte, Montana (“screeching and crazy and loud as the depths of hell”), The Heart of Winter is at heart a love story — star-crossed, soul-struck, forbidden love — and in the hands of Kevin Barry, this story is funny, surreal, and tense. Like a mashup of everything I loved in Days Without End, The Sisters Brothers, and The Luminaries, this novel was thoroughly entertaining, emotionally touching, and delightful in its language; I could not have asked for more.