What a page turner, you are invested in these boys lives and want the best outcome possible for them that’s for sure!

The writing style is engaging and evocative, with well-crafted descriptions and vivid imagery that bring the characters and setting to life. The characters are well-developed and relatable, with their own unique personalities and struggles, and the dialogue feels authentic and natural.

Another strength of this novel is the way it deals with difficult and timely issues such as mental illness, addiction, and the impact of trauma on families. The story is raw and honest, and the characters' journeys towards healing and reconciliation are both inspiring and heart-wrenching.

It is 1960. Danny Byrne is sixteen, living on a council estate in Pimlico. Unlike his friends he has a scholarship to a grammar school & is planning to go on to do A levels. Of course this means that his mates all have more money than he does- not all legitimately gained. Danny is very close to him Mum & would hate to cause her grief- even if it meant having the money to spend on girls.

The world Danny lives in is brilliantly portrayed. I really felt for him as he struggled to grow up as best he could. The story is at times funny, shocking & heart breaking. It shines a light on a place & time now disappeared. Thanks to Netgalley & the publisher for letting me read & review this book.

Danny Boy is a hard to put down story. Set in 60’s London, it is a super coming of age story that is as realistic and sharp as you’ll get. Danny Byrne is sixteen years old but with a bit more about him than the rest of his friends. Smart enough to realise that there’s a bigger world out there if he can only get through this summer. His friends are all working but Danny wants to go to university. But the lure of easy money is hard to resist and Danny finds himself caught up in the world of the local gangster. As the summer unfolds Danny and his friends learn a lot about love, life and friendships. All of the characters in this book are well fleshed out and you feel like you’re there with them throughout the book. I really enjoyed this book and would give it a 4⭐️ rating.
Thanks to #NetGalley for my ARC of this super book.

I fell in love with the cover that talks about life, youth, and a past so different. I fell in love with the story and the stories of the characters.
Their life, their dreams, the council estate and the people.
It's a slow burning and compelling story that I loved.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this arc, all opinions are mine

Not knowing what to expect from a new author ( to me), I was pleasantly surprised by how quickly I was absorbed in the book. I didn’t grow up on an estate, but I knew plenty who did. The author told their stories with empathy and warmth, and good humour. Definitely would read more by Barry Walsh and recommend this book.

Unfortunately this wasn’t the book for me. I made it to 11% and then had to DNF as I was so bored.
I am sure that someone else will really like this book

Description 🔖

Danny Byrne has grown up in the 1960s on a council estate in Pimlico, London. He has lived and breathed the estate, there’s not a lot he doesn’t know about it and everyone on the estate knows who he is. Until now, his life has been a carbon copy of the estate lads before him, but at sixteen, he is at a crossroads in his life.

He is planning on following the education route and continuing school to sit his A Levels. His friends, Dodds, Crockett and Nobby are heading down different paths. Dodds will join his dad’s family butchers business, Crockett will breeze around the estate and take whatever opportunities come his way and Nobby will fall into a less desirable life of drugs and bad people.

As the summer unfolds, the boys are focused on girls, banter and having a good time. Until things start to take a darker turn and Danny is forced to wrestle with his own conscious, discover who he is and decide if he’s ready for love.

General Thoughts 🤔

I have to admit that I didn’t know what to expect with this book before I started it. However the premise and description caught my attention and it felt like something different to what I’d usually read and therefore something I wanted to give a try. I am so pleased that I had the opportunity to read it because I fell in love with this story and the characters. I savoured every single chapter and looked forward to checking in with Danny and the boys for an hour or so every evening over the last few days.

Characters 👫👭👬

Firstly, I adored Danny; he was the sweetest boy. But that didn’t mean that he didn’t make mistakes as I’m sure all sixteen year olds do. I thought that Danny followed along with the other boys because it was seen as the thing to do, however as the summer progressed, I think that he did more than a few weeks worth of growing up and he learnt a lot about himself. I think that Danny had his mother to thank for his kind heart and emotional maturity and I loved that aspect of the story.

Another character that I really loved was Ernest. He didn’t feature heavily in the story, but he was consistent and I think that he was a fantastic influence on Danny. If you have grown up on or near to a council estate or if you ever went to Girls/Boys Brigade (or something like that), then you have most likely met an Ernest in your life. Even when the boys were rude, ungrateful and downright stupid, Ernest was there with a smile on his face and positive attitude. I loved him.

Writing Style ✍️

The way that this author captured the time, the environment and general feeling of the setting and era was so so good. I had such a clear vision of the estate in my mind; the blocks, the cafe, the pubs; everything. I wasn’t around in the 1960s, but I grew up in a place not too dissimilar and it brought back a lot of childhood memories for me. I also loved the way that he captured the awkwardness of teenage fumbling around, inexperience and bravado. It was so spot on and reminded me of the not so great side of being sixteen.

Conclusion & Scoring 🤔

What a great book to start the year off with. This was a fantastic coming of age story that brilliantly captured the time, place and general feeling of a British council estate in the 1960s. I laughed my head off at some of the boys antics and banter and I cried my eyes out at their pain and anguish. This book was beautifully written. A simple, emotive and realistic story that I thoroughly enjoyed and definitely recommend.

I wasn't too sure when I first started this book however the more I read, the more it hooked me in. A great read with some real insight into how life was on an estate.

I really enjoyed this book! Danny Boy is a heartfelt story about a boy growing into himself and discovering who he is and wants to be, set in Pimlico, London, in the 1960s. In addition to being a coming-of-age story, this book also touches on friendship and love, hardship and joy, guilt and forgiveness and even dips into drugs and gangs. I would highly recommend this to anyone!

The author takes one to an inner London housing estate in 1965 as a summer of turmoil and tragedy unfolds. A group of friends on the cusp between adolescence and adulthood experience first love, loss, the yearnings for sexual fulfilment, jealousy and guilt.
This is poignant and gritty stuff but written with a tenderness and empathy for the alcoholic mother, the son displaced by his mother's lovers, and the boy with brain damage from a near fatal fall.
As evocative as Graham Greene's iconic Brighton Rock, perfectly capturing the feel of growing up in 1960s London.

A thoroughly enjoyable read that had me engaged and invested by the end. I initially found this a little challenging to get into, but I am happy that I continued reading. The writing style is easy to follow, and the storyline progressed well, and after getting to know the characters more profoundly, I became more absorbed. The era in which this is set is realistic, and I am confident that this will resonate with many readers, especially those around during this time.

An emotionally charged journey from child to man, this coming-of-age tale is worth reading. I haven't read anything by this author before, and I would be interested in reading more in the future.

Danny Byrne is sixteen years old and, unlike his friends on the Pimlico Estate, he is planning to go into 6th form. However this is the 1960s and Danny's friends are all working, they seem more sophisticated and experienced than Danny and they definitely have more money. When Danny is pulled in by the local gangster he sees the effect this life is having on his friend and questions whether he is making the right decisions.

This is a terrific book. Danny is a relatable character and the setting is pitch perfect. All the worries of a teenage boy on the cusp of adulthood are explored alongside guilt and friendship. The writing is simple but draws the reader in until they feel part of the community on the Pimlico Estate, council blocks in the heart of London.

It’s August 1965, location is the “mucky hem” of Westminster’s fine robe, an untidy housing estate of 1,800 inhabitants and the usual array of shops. Meet Danny Byrne, nearly 17, six feet tall and getting there in the looks department. He likes Cordelia at the cafe but is still very awkward around girls. Danny is nicknamed “Pages” for his love of books and literature features widely in this coming of age story. He has some friends, he carries some guilt, the bane of his life is George Kelly and his constant companion Reilly, mean machines both, bullies and of the gangster ilk. Who is Danny now? What sort of man will he become?

This is an enjoyable and well written novel with a no frills style, just good storytelling which feels authentic and realistic. The context of the times is very good, it’s captured well and feels evocative through the music, popular television and books. There are plenty of bumps in the road for Danny and others but there’s humour combined with grit and grind.

The character of Danny on the cusp of becoming a man is very insightful as he navigates the tricky waters of friendship and relationships but also criminality and violence to say nothing of ‘sex, drugs and rock’n’roll’. As you’d expect in a young man of sixteen going on seventeen the hormones are raging as he tries to unravel the mystery of girls and their ‘potential’. I love being witness to his private thoughts which frequently contrast with what he says or does. He’s a very likeable young man, who like most teens does not always get things right as he teeters on some slippery slopes. The author conveys well all the emotions that goes with Danny’s experiences from happiness to embarrassment (how unusual for a teenager!!) to fear and responses to tragedy, I really like the ending which signifies yes, he’s definitely growing up!

With thanks to NetGalley and especially to HarperCollins UK for the much appreciated arc in return for an honest review.

A well written novel about growing up on a council estate in the post-war 1950’s. Told from the perspective of the teenagers who live there it provides an insight into the life-options they are face with at 16 years old and how they learn to negotiate their relationships with the opposite sex. It did feel realistic.

Thanks Netgalley and the Publisher,

Danny Boy is such an amazing book. The story itself is a coming of age type in realistic way. I adore Barry Walsh's writing style, it's simple but beautiful. The minus point is there are so many characters, and some characters don't have major points in story.