Donal Ryan

''He heard Daddy one time saying he was a grand quiet boy to Mother when he thought Johnsey couldn''t hear them talking. Mother must have been giving out about him being a gom and Daddy was defending him. He heard the fondness in Daddy''s voice. But you''d have fondness for an auld eejit of a crossbred pup that should have been drowned at birth.''While the Celtic Tiger rages, and greed becomes the norm, Johnsey Cunliffe desperately tries to hold on to the familiar, even as he loses those who all his life have protected him from a harsh world. Village bullies and scheming land-grabbers stand in his way, no matter where he turns.Set over the course of one year of Johnsey''s life, The Thing About December breathes with his grief, bewilderment, humour and agonizing self-doubt. This is a heart-twisting tale of a lonely man struggling to make sense of a world moving faster than he is.Donal Ryan''s award-winning debut, The Spinning Heart, garnered unprecedented acclaim, and The Thing About December confirms his status as one of the best writers of his generation.

From the twice Man Booker longlisted author of From a Low and Quiet Sea'Poetic, powerful and heart-rending' The Times'An exquisite account of womanhood, friendship, prejudice and tradition that is both intimate in scale and awesome in achievement' Irish IndependentMelody Shee is alone and in trouble. Her husband doesn't take her news too well. She can't tell her father yet because he's a good man and this could break him. She's trying to stay in the moment, but the future is looming - larger by the day - while the past won't let her go. What she did to Breedie Flynn all those years ago still haunts her.It's a good thing that she meets Mary Crothery when she does. Mary is a young Traveller..

Martin Toppy is the son of a famous Traveller and the father of my unborn child. He's seventeen, I'm thirty-three. I was his teacher. I'd have killed myself by now if I was brave enough. I don't think it would hurt the baby. His little heart would stop with mine. He wouldn't feel himself leaving one world of darkness for another, his spirit untangling itself from me.' Melody Shee is alone and in trouble. Her husband doesn't take her news too well. She doesn't want to tell her father yet because he's a good man and this could break him. She's trying to stay in the moment, but the future is looming - larger by the day - while the past won't let her go. What she did to Breedie Flynn all those years ago still haunts her. It's a good thing that she meets Mary Crothery when she does. Mary is a young Traveller woman, and she knows more about Melody than she lets on. She might just save Melody's life. Donal Ryan's new novel is breathtaking, vivid, moving and redemptive.

The stunning new novel from the Booker Prize listed bestselling author of Strange Flowers and The Queen of Dirt Island Beautiful a book full of love and hope more needed in these days than ever Kit de Waal I am blown away by the ambition and scope of this exquisite piece of writing sublime in both its sentiment and beauty Rachel JoyceSome things can send a heart spinning others will crack it in two In a small town in rural Ireland the local people have weathered the storms of economic collapse and are looking towards the future The jobs are back the dramas of the past seemingly lulled and although the town bears the marks of its history new stories are unfolding But a fresh menace is creeping around the lakeshore and the lanes of the town and the peace of the community is about to be shattered in an unimaginable way Young people are being drawn towards the promise of fast money whilst the generation above them tries to push back the tide of an enemy no one can touch Told in twenty one voices Heart be at Peace is a heartfelt lyrical novel that can be read independently or as a companion to Donal Ryan s multi award winning novel The Spinning Heart voted The Irish Book of the Decade PRAISE FOR DONAL RYAN One of the finest novelists writi

***LONGLISTED FOR THE MAN BOOKER PRIZE 2018*** ***SHORTLISTED FOR THE COSTA NOVEL AWARD 2018*** 'An engrossing, unpredictable, beautifully crafted novel' RODDY DOYLE Farouk's country has been torn apart by war. Lampy's heart has been laid waste by Chloe. John's past torments him as he nears his end. The refugee. The dreamer. The penitent. From war-torn Syria to small-town Ireland, three men, scarred by all they have loved and lost, are searching for some version of home. Each is drawn towards a powerful reckoning, one that will bring them together in the most unexpected of ways.

WINNER OF THE IRISH BOOK OF THE YEARWINNER OF THE ORWELL PRIZE FOR FICTIONSHORTLISTED FOR THE NERO NOVEL OF THE YEARSHORTLISTED FOR THE KERRY GROUP IRISH NOVEL OF THE YEARDonal Ryans writing has earned him a place among the greatest names in Irish literature and this lyrical novel speaks to the very heart of modern Irish society.Maria Dickenson, Chair of the IBA judgesBeautiful...a book full of love and hope, more needed in these days than ever Kit de WaalI am blown away by the ambition and scope of this exquisite piece of writing...sublime in both its sentiment and beauty Rachel JoyceSome things can send a heart spinning; others will crack it in two...In a small town in rural Ireland, the local people have weathered the storms of economic collapse and are looking towards the future. The jobs are back, the dramas of the past seemingly lulled, and although the town bears the marks of its history, new stories are unfolding.But a fresh menace is creeping around the lakeshore and the lanes of the town, and the peace of the community is about to be shattered in an unimaginable way. Young people are being drawn towards the promise of fast money whilst the generation above them tries to push back the tide of an enemy no one can touchTold in twenty-one voices, Heart, be at Peace is a heartfelt, lyrical novel that can be read independently, or as a companion to Donal Ryans multi-award-winning novel, TheSpinning Heart, voted The Irish Book of the Decade.*****PRAISE FOR DONAL RYAN:One of the finest novelists writing today. RACHEL JOYCEHis paragraphs are unnoticeably beautiful, his heart always on show ANNE ENRIGHTEndlessly surprising and incredibly moving DAVID NICHOLLSA life-enhancing talent SEBASTIAN BARRYI would struggle to think of any other Irish author working today who writes with as much compassion as Donal Ryan LOUISE ONEILLBeautiful, compassionate...Donal Ryan at his inimitable best. MAGGIE OFARRELLBeautifully poised, sad, poetic and human....I loved every single line. IAN RANKINThe prose drips like honey off a spoonSUNDAY TIMESNero Book Awards Shortlisted, 2024An Post Book Awards, November and December 2024Irish Times bestseller, August 2024

Finaliste du Man Booker Prize et lauréat du Guardian First Book Award pour Le Coeur qui tourne, lécrivain irlandais Donal Ryan confirme son talent avec ce second roman grave et singulier, portrait de lIrlande daujourdhui et recit bouleversant dun homme qui ne trouve pas sa place.Jeune paysan naif et solitaire, Johnsey vit a lecart du monde. Il travaille a la cooperative du village, avec sa famille pour seul lien. A la mort de ses parents, il herite de leur ferme, eveillant aussitot la jalousie de la communaute. Et lorsquun consortium promet la prosperite au village en echange du rachat de ses terres, Johnsey refuse. Il devient des lors un ennemi aux yeux des villageois, qui lui declarent la guerre...Une annee dans la vie de Johnsey Cunliffe raconte, au jour le jour, le combat dun homme seul qui tente par tous les moyens de trouver un sens a sa vie dans un monde qui en est denue. Donal Ryan livre au passage une formidable critique de la societe moderne et du materialisme qui vient a bout de toutes les valeurs et de tous les ideaux. Donal Ryan apporte une nouvelle fois la preuve de son incroyable talent. The Independent

« Martin Toppy est le fils d’un homme célèbre chez les gens du voyage et le père de mon enfant à naître. Il a dix-sept ans, j’en ai trente-trois. J’étais son professeur particulier. »C’est sur ces mo

From the Booker longlisted author, and an Irish Times No.1 bestseller - a searing, jubilant novel about four generations of women and the stories that bind them.Beautiful, compassionate ... Donal Ryan at his inimitable best. MAGGIE OFARRELLOne of the finest novelists writing today...a haunting, exquisite masterpiece. RACHEL JOYCE___________This is a story about family, about all of the things it should be - and sometimes isnt.In Nenagh, County Tipperary, four generations of Aylward women live and love. The head of the family, Nana, is a woman who has buried two sons and whose life has been the family farm. Her daughter-in-law, Eileen, is estranged from her own parents, having shamed them and given birth to Saoirse. And then theres Saoirse herself, eavesdropping on lives she cannot comprehend. It is only when they must battle for the inheritance of Dirt Island - a narrow strip of land adjacent to Eileens childhood home - that they truly understand the roots that bind their lives together._________The prose drips like honey off a spoonSUNDAY TIMESBeautifully poised, sad, poetic and human....I loved every single line.IAN RANKINA generous mosaic of a novel about the staying power of love and pride and history and familyCOLUM McCANNHis paragraphs are unnoticeably beautiful, his heart always on showANNE ENRIGHTEndlessly surprising and incredibly movingDAVID NICHOLLSA life-enhancing talentSEBASTIAN BARRYI would struggle to think of any other Irish author working today who writes with as much compassion as Donal RyanLOUISE ONEILL

Longlisted for the Man Booker Prize 2018Shortlisted for the Costa Novel Award 2018An engrossing, unpredictable, beautifully crafted novel RODDY DOYLEFarouks country has been torn apart by war.Lampys heart has been laid waste by Chloe.Johns past torments him as he nears his end.The refugee. The dreamer. The penitent. From war-torn Syria to small-town Ireland, three men, scarred by all they have loved and lost, are searching for some version of home. Each is drawn towards a powerful reckoning, one that will bring them together in the most unexpected of ways._________A thing of such beauty and compassion, a reminder of what the very finest sentences can do to shatter and then reassemble our hearts KAMILA SHAMSIEI struggle to think of a writer who has been so prolific and consistent in quality as Ryan ... Brutally honest, moving and often hilariousGUARDIANDonal Ryan has not only bounded over a wall into new territory, but built himself a castle there . . . This is a superb novel.JOHN BOYNEBeautiful and affectingDAVID NICHOLLSDonal Ryan writes characters so well that as a reader you think Ive met that man, or I know that woman. But as a writer you simply wonder how does he do it?From a Low and Quiet Sea is brutal and beautiful, carefully crafted portraits, deep and real, tied together, fashioned by a true artist. I absolutely loved it.KIT DE WAAL

« Ce livre m’a longtemps habité. Je me demande si nous ne sommes pas en train de vivre un nouvel âge doré de la littérature. » Jonathan FranzenDevenu une voix incontournable des lettres irlandaises d

Un vieil homme et son frère se retrouvent pris dans un banal cambriolage qui tourne mal ; dans une ville syrienne déchirée par la guerre, un prêtre irlandais enseigne aux jeunes un nouveau sport ; un

From the twice Man Booker longlisted author of From a Low and Quiet SeaA force of nature ... a life-enhancing talent SEBASTIAN BARRYWhile the Celtic Tiger rages, and greed becomes the norm, Johnsey Cunliffe desperately tries to hold on to the familiar, even as he loses those who all his life have protected him from a harsh world. Village bullies and scheming land-grabbers stand in his way, no matter where he turns.Set over the course of one year of Johnseys life, The Thing About December breathes with his grief, bewilderment, humour and agonizing self-doubt. This is a heart-twisting tale of a lonely man struggling to make sense of a world moving faster than he is.Donal Ryans award-winning debut, The Spinning Heart, garnered unprecedented acclaim, and The Thing About December confirms his status as one of the best writers of his generation._________His paragraphs are unnoticeably beautiful, his heart always on show, and he writes with a social accuracy that is devastating ANNE ENRIGHTCompelling and heartbreaking . . beautiful, yet simple and utterly convincing SUNDAY TIMESPainfully moving ... Ryans work has set a benchmark to which other writers will aspireJOHN BOYNE, IRISH TIMESCements Ryan as the sharpest chronicler of modern Irish lifeESQUIRE

From the twice Man Booker longlisted author of From a Low and Quiet SeaDonal Ryan, one of our most remarkable writers, has produced a book of short stories of such visceral power that they hit you in the solar plexus. He deals with the dark side of modern Irish life and produces sentences of titanic impact.IRISH MAIL ON SUNDAYAn old man looks into the fearful eyes of a burglar left to guard him while his brother is beaten; an Irish priest in a war-torn Syrian town teaches its young men the art of hurling; the driver of a car which crashed, killing a teenage girl, forges a connection with the girls mother; a squad of broken friends assemble to take revenge on a rapist; a young man sets off on his morning run, reflecting on the ruins of his relationship, but all is not as it seems.Donal Ryans short stories pick up where his acclaimed novels The Spinning Heart and The Thing About December left off, dealing with the human cost of loneliness, isolation and displacement. Sometimes this is present in the ordinary, the mundane; sometimes it is triggered by a fateful encounter or a tragic decision. At the heart of these stories, crucially, is how people are drawn to each other and cling on to love, often in desperate circumstances.In haunting and often startling prose, Donal Ryan has captured the brutal beauty of the human heart in all its hopes and failings._________Donal Ryan is a heartbreaker, his quicksilver prose laced with ... wistful rhythms ... These breathtaking stories explore human love against an uneasy landscape of violence and desperation... Donal finds hope in dark corners.DAILY MAILDonal Ryan is a master of the magnetic first line ... His faithful subject is rural despair; the poetry of adversity, the baffling fortitude of intrinsically decent people ... This collection shows Ryan adding his own elastic yet distinctive voice to OConnors impeccable tradition.GUARDIAN

The tender, exquisite new novel from the winner of the Orwell Prize for Fiction and the Irish Book of the Year...Beautiful, hilarious and completely gripping RACHEL JOYCEDonal Ryan conjures up characters so solid, so complete and authentic, it immediately feels as though you have known them for your entire life JOANNA CANNONSomething terrible has happened to Jack but no one seems to want to talk about it.His uncles can tell him about everything from quantum physics to how to hunt for deer, but they cant seem to tell him anything about their own sister or why Jack doesnt feel sad for her in the way he should, or why Grandad tries to shoot Jacks dad when he gets out of the hospital.Still, theres work to be done in the oily wonderland of his uncles garage; theres his beautiful aunt Rose to hypnotise him and his loving grandparents to console him; then theres JJ, who wants to fight him one day and save him the next.But with so many questions, in a family with so many secrets, it is difficult for Jack to understand the person he is becoming. How can a simple boy learn to become a king?____Tender, funny, mysterious and hopeful... a flawless gemM L Stedman, Sunday Times bestselling author of A Far-flung Life and The Light Between OceansWarm, irreverent and desperately humane.Jan Carson, author of Few & Far BetweenSo arresting, so captivating...a book that makes you look at the world differently, while at the same time cranking open your heart and letting the whole world pour in.Annie Mac

THE STUNNING FIRST NOVEL BY THE AWARD-WINNING AUTHOR OF HEART BE AT PEACE AND STRANGE FLOWERSWinner of the Guardian First Book Award Shortlisted for the Dublin IMPAC Literary Award Longlisted for the Man Booker PrizeWinner of Book of the Year at the Irish Book AwardsWinner of the European Prize for Literature Voted Irish Book of the Decade in 2016My father still lives back the road past the weir in the cottage I was reared in. I go there every day to see is he dead and every day he lets me down. He hasnt yet missed a day of letting me down.Now five times winner of the Irish Novel of the Year and No.1 bestselling author, Donal Ryan exploded on to the literary scene with his stunning debut, set in the aftermath of Irelands financial collapse. When dangerous tensions surface in a small Irish town, the characters face a battle between their public persona and inner desires. Told through a chorus of twenty-one unique voices, each struggling to tell their own kind of truth, a single authentic tale unfolds.The Spinning Heart speaks for contemporary Ireland like no other novel. Wry, vulnerable, all-too human, it captures the language and spirit of rural Ireland and, with uncanny perception, articulates the words and thoughts of a generation.DISCOVER DONAL RYANS NEW NOVEL, HEART BE AT PEACE, WINNER OF THE ORWELL PRIZE FOR FICTION AND THE IRISH BOOK OF THE YEAR ****Filled with light and shade, love and tragedy ... if it was a song you could sing it ANNE ENRIGHTDonal Ryan is the real deal ... a brilliantly realised, utterly resonant state-of-the-nation landscapeSUNDAY INDEPENDENTI cant imagine a more original, more perceptive or more passionate work than this. Outstanding JOHN BOYNEIts furious, its moving, its darkly funny, it punches you right in the gutNEW YORK TIMESFunny, moving and beautifully written EDNA OBRIEN

Bobby Mahon était une figure respectée du village. Lancien contremaître de lentreprise locale est désormais, comme la majorité des habitants, au chômage. Sans indemnités ni espoir de retrouver du tra

From the twice Man Booker longlisted author of From a Low and Quiet SeaPoetic, powerful and heart-rendingTHE TIMESAn exquisite account of womanhood, friendship, prejudice and tradition that is both intimate in scale and awesome in achievementIRISH INDEPENDENTMelody Shee is alone and in trouble. Her husband doesnt take her news too well. She cant tell her father yet because hes a good man and this could break him. Shes trying to stay in the moment, but the future is looming - larger by the day - while the past wont let her go. What she did to Breedie Flynn all those years ago still haunts her.Its a good thing that she meets Mary Crothery when she does. Mary is a young Traveller woman, and she knows more about Melody than she lets on. She might just save Melodys life._________A joy to read, for all that it breaks your heartINDEPENDENTOne of the finest writers working in Ireland today ... worthy of Greek DramaGUARDIANA stunning piece of work, utterly truthful and emotionally powerful JOSEPH OCONNORWork of genius ... I was entranced by it. Buckled by itSEBASTIAN BARRY

La plácida existencia de Paddy y Kit Gladney en el pequeño pueblo irlandés donde viven se viene abajo una mañana de 1973 cuando su única hija desaparece repentinamente. La joven Moll, tímida y sosegada, cogio el primer autobus a Nenagh y luego el tren a Dublin; eso es todo lo que sus padres logran averiguar. Cinco años despues de esa aciaga mañana, la llegada de un extranjero a la casa de los Gladney no hace sino añadir preguntas a los motivos de Moll para huir.Considerada como la mejor obra de ficcion del 2020 en los Irish Book Awards, "Flores extrañas" es la quinta novela de Donal Ryan.

Melody Shee se enamoró de uno de los chicos más populares del instituto y acabó casándose con él, pero de ese amor solo quedan las ruinas. Ahora espera un bebé que no es de Pat, su marido, sino de un jovencisimo traveller a quien enseñaba a leer y que ahora se encuentra en paradero desconocido. Sola y abrumada por la situacion, Melody piensa en el suicidio y apenas encuentra consuelo en el cariño de su padre y la amistad que entabla con Mary Crothery, una joven traveller repudiada por su familia y protagonista involuntaria de una feroz disputa entre dos clanes. El desenlace de esa disputa y la decision de Melody sobre el bebe marcaran el destino de ambas mujeres. La tercera novela del autor de "Corazon giratorio" confirma a Donal Ryan como uno de los mejores escritores irlandeses de su generacion.