Another beautiful novella to follow "Water." This is a very different story and deals with difficult topics, as does the first novella, but this is as beautifully written and compelling. At first I didn't catch the connection but once I did I really appreciated the subtle tie between the two stories. The main character has had some very difficult experiences in his young life, but has also participated in a horrible act himself - and yet he remains a sympathetic character nonetheless. I look forward to the next installment in the quartet from this masterful author.

I have to admit that if John Boyne rewrote the telephone book, I would read it. He is an incredible writer, his stories pull you in from the outset and you simply cannot put them down until you are finished. Earth is no different. It just reads so easily, it's current and easy to imagine all of this happening in real life. I loved the ending and spent the rest of the evening after finishing the book, thinking about it and the possible outcomes. Unfortunately I didn't get approved for Water, but will definitely buy it so I can read the series. I'm now trying to amass a physical collection of all of the John Boyne books I have read for my library as rereads will definitely be on the cards. Loved it.

At the end of Water, the first novella in John Boyne’s promised quartet, a troubled teenager raised on a remote Irish island is thrust by his anxious mother into a boat headed for the mainland – and an uncertain future. Evan Keogh is a brilliant footballer but he’d much rather paint, much to his soccer-mad dad’s disgust.
At the opening of book 2, Earth, Evan, now a reluctant soccer success story, is facing sexual abuse charges in a sensational court case. His best mate Robbie is accused of rape and Evan is accused of filming it.
The chapters alternate between the present-day trial and the sickening events leading up to his current predicament.
As he tries to find his feet away from home Evan, handsome and gay, finds himself at the mercy of a wealthy and unscrupulous man who exploits him and exposes him to untold harm. Eventually Evan turns his back on this seedy world and accepts that his future lies in football and so his friendship with Robbie begins.
Once the verdict is delivered Evan, depressed and with nothing to lose, must look deep into himself to reconcile past hurts, make peace with himself and possibly find redemption. A disturbing book, no less powerful for its brevity.

Earth is the second novella in John Boyne’s elements quartet and its short powerful read, stronger in my opinion than the first book, Water.

Evan Keogh, a minor character in the first novella, is the protagonist of Earth. The book opens with Evan about the stand trial with one of his friends for the sexual assault of a young woman. Evan and his co accused Robbie, are successful , well known and celebrated football players and the upcoming court case is a red top tabloid dream. There are a string of vile WhatsApp messages pointing to the guilt of these two man but as a litany of similar actual incidents have occurred ( there of shades of the Ulster Rugby players court case) in real life; the case is not a forgone conclusion.

The book tells how Evan ended up at this point. From him leaving his home on the island off the West of Ireland to escape his miserable childhood where he was crushed by his friends betrayal and his father’s bullying to chase his dreams in the UK. Evan never wanted to be a footballer, he dreamed of being an artist but his talent is in his feet not his hands and he finds himself living his father’s dream rather than his own.

This is a short sharp read. It’s hard to tear your eyes away from the story as it’s unveiled. Boyne writes this character well, I think his writing of male characters is worlds apart from his female characters. It’s brutal, visceral and rage inducing at times without tipping too far into the darkness that it’s too difficult too read, Boyne balances this line, perfectly.

While there were was a couple of situations that stretched the realms of reality, I went with it for this fiction after all.

The closing chapters of this book were the strongest and I liked how the author brought the story together. A wrought read that will test your emotions and insist you don’t look away .

Looking forward to book 3.

4.5

John Boyne is one of my favourite authors and the second in the series, Earth, absolutely did not disapoint. I love that it kept us guessing until the end and the intrigue Boyne managed to write between Evan and Robbie. Boyne writes in a way that you can’t stop reading. Cant wait for fire.

I thank the publisher and NetGalley for an advance review copy of this book. I understand it is part of the Elements series. I really enjoy John Boyne's writing and this book was no exception in that respect. The book explores a very real problem but I only gave it three stars because it is built on a fundamental flaw in the plot. The "hero" would never have got a professional football contract with a Championship club in the way described. I also doubt tht he would have survived the life he led before seeking that contract without serious damage. But very readable, despite the plot flaws.

John Boyne has done it again! Another fabulous but short novel which really packs a punch. Earth is the second in Boyne’s Elements series and like in Water, earth plays an integral part in the story of Ethan, whether it be the football pitch or his homeland.

The second book in a series (Water being the first) this was just as enjoyable. However I think I’d recommend reading them one after the other so that you can easily connect them. This book takes a look at Evan who tries to escape the ambitions that his father set out for him to follow his dreams but a lack of money means giving up on his dreams to cash in on his talent as a footballer. This is where he encounters the prejudice and downfalls of a footballers lives which leads to trouble.

Second in Boyce’s elements quartet. Evan left the island, he didn’t want to be a footballer, he wanted to be an artist:

“Unfortunately, whatever magic I was granted found its way into the wrong limbs. I did not want to be a footballer. I wanted to be a painter, but my eyes and hands did not have the gifts granted to my feet. “

While this book stands well on its own I wished I had a copy of Water to refresh my memory.. Really enjoyed the way Boyne took a peripheral character from Water and told his story.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC - Looking forward to Fire.

Earth is the second novella in John Boyne’s Elements quartet. It is the story of Evan Keogh, a well known football player, who is on trial following sexual abuse allegations by a nineteen year old girl.

Evan appears briefly in the first novella, Water, of the series but the reader does not need to have read the first book to appreciate this one. His story then is that he has experienced something traumatic and is keen to leave the island and his overbearing father. At the end of that novella he is sailing away from the island with the practicalities of transport and money having been arranged by his mother without anyone else's knowledge.

The subject matter in Earth can be quite shocking and harrowing but John Boyne has a real gift or writing about very challenging things in a way that is real but not too traumatic to put me off reading. As with other books of his I have enjoyed, this one is so gripping that I didn’t want to put it down. I am very much looking for to the last two novellas in this series as well as all of John Boyne’s other novels I have yet to read.

With thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Random House for a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

The second in the Elements series, Earth is a short novel that loosely follows the first book (Water) about Evan who left ‘the island’ to go to England. We initially meet him as he’s on trial for accessory to rape, alongside his fellow professional footballer. What follows is a raw, unflinching account of Evan’s time in the UK. It’s often a very uncomfortable read but what an absolutely brilliant one! Really recommend this series and can’t wait to read Fire. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC in return for an honest review.

This is the second in a quartet of books by John Boyne. A brave and moving book, I really enjoyed Water (1) and I approached this with some trepidation because the topic was never going to be easy. However, this is a JB book and so, there is so much more written between the words than just the story on the back cover.
We meet Evan again (we met him and his parents briefly in Water) and in many ways, while his life is at a crises point in this book, I did wonder what would become of him at the end of the first book.
I enjoyed his story very much, it is slim and concise and somehow yet, imbued with Boyne's voice that although the topic is harrowing, it is unputdownable. It is simply brilliant, brilliant, brilliant.
Thank you to the publishers for my advance copy.

Another 5 star read from John Boyne. This can be read on its own or as part of the quartet. I enjoyed the overlap of characters from Water into this one, Earth. I absolutely flew through this and couldn’t put it down. Really enjoyed the ending. I can’t wait for the next one. Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers.

Evan didn’t want to be a footballer. Growing up on a small island of the coast of Ireland he wanted to be a painter. His father didn’t agree.
We’ve met Evan and his father before, in Boyne’s first ‘elements’ book - Water. Where that story focussed on a female character confronted with the horrors of her husband’s crimes, Earth explains how Evan has gone from dreaming of being an artist to standing trial as a famous footballer.

There is no doubt that Boyne is a master storyteller. This book is not an easy read but it will keep you gripped to the very end. Sexual assault - in a variety of forms - is the centre of the story, and there’s little doubt that some may find it a very triggering read.
But it’s also a moving story of the lengths some of us will go to to be loved and accepted for who we are. The characters are so well developed and believable, which is no small feat for a slim novel such as this on.

‘Enjoyed’ is the wrong word to use for this book, but it has stayed with me and I have found myself wondering about Evan and his future. Surely the sign of a brilliant novelist at work. I’m looking forward to the next book in this series.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for my ARC, in exchange for an honest review.

5*. Wow. Earth is the second in John Boyne’s ‘elements quartet’, which started with the equally brilliant and 5* Water. Each book stands alone but there is some overlap in the characters, some of whom can be traced back to an island off the coast of Ireland.

Evan Keogh is a gifted footballer but he longs to be an artist. Having left his island home, he looks to support himself with farm work so that he can build a portfolio and make his way to London. However, his artistic skills don’t pave the way to his future and instead he finds himself playing at a Championship football club. As a minor celebrity, when Evan and a teammate are tried for alleged sexual assault it is catnip for the tabloids. As Evan sits in the dock we are taken on the journey of how a quiet gay man has found himself in the spotlight and facing imprisonment.

Earth is a stunning book on so many levels. The prose sparkles and the plot zips by but it is Evan who takes centre stage as a character that you are genuinely rooting for. John Boyne doesn’t shy away from dark themes in this book and he cleverly twists apparently disjointed storylines together. The only little niggle is the stretch that someone who doesn’t regularly play football would get signed to a Championship club.

I was on my way to a night out and I had 20 pages left to read of this book … I got off the train and ducked into a coffee shop and finished it before I met my colleagues because it really is unputdownable. I am hugely looking forward to the 3rd book in the quartet (all of which have been written so that they can be standalone and/or read out of order).

With huge thanks to Penguin Random House and Netgalley for an ARC.

An absolutely spell-binding read albeit somewhat difficult at times due to the subject matter. Evan's life is so sad, he's so desperate for someone to love him that it makes your heart break but at the same time the vilification of the alleged victim is horrific. The writing is outstanding, some of the phrases I just wanted to read again and again; so concise but perfectly worded. I'm really looking forward to reading the rest of the quartet.

Earth continues John Boyne’s Elements series. It is a great continuation to the series and features one of the less prominent characters from the first book, Water, in the role of protagonist. Our main character is a gay footballer, and while his team mates seem to know he is gay, the wide world does not. The story main takes place during a court case where he and his team mate are on trial for rape and assisted rape. It is certainly a tough subject but I think John tackles it quite well, but I am interested to see how it fares in the big wide world. Out 2024.

A youth struggling on several fronts: abusive father, strong desire to become an artist but recognising he has no talent compounded by the dilemma of being a hugely talented footballer with no interest in or love for the game.Always in the forefront is his desperate need to be loved and in particular recognition of his desires for a same sex relationship. His precarious position is exacerbated by his involvement in an allegation of rape with the storyline gaining momentum as events leading up to the rape charges are replayed in graphic detail. A lonely unhappy individual struggling to make sense of his troubled life towards and increasingly uncertain and tenuous future. The fear of living a lie is weighed up against the need to clear his conscience as events escalate towards a dramatic conclusion. Many thanks to author, publisher and Netgalley for this ARC.

The second book in the Elements series by John Boyne. I didn’t find it as impressive and mind blowing as Water, but it was still very good. Boyne writes in a way that you can’t stop reading. He tells just enough to keep you curious and drive you forward. Very well done again. I’m looking forward to Fire!
Thanks to Random House UK and Netgalley for the advanced copy.

John Boyne’s Earth, the latest installment in his four-part Elements series, is, in a word, marvelous. A story with loose connections to Boyne's earlier Water, Earth follows a reluctant footballer, Evan, as he sits on trial for being an accessory to rape, and as he recounts the path his life took to lead him to the courtroom. Sad, provocative, and deeply moving, this novella is further proof of Boyne's ability to rattle and delight his readers, and always -- always -- deliver writing this is superb.