This is another good read by the author. I love how he seems to get right into the heads of all the characters. Every chapter is written from points of view of different characters, all slightly linked but with their own individual stories to tell. It is very clever writing and skilful plotting. A good follow up to The Spinning Heart 10 years later. Thanks to Net Galley for my ARC.

Heart Be at Peace is the follow up to Donal Ryan's 2012 novel, The Spinning Heart. Set ten years later, this book revisits many of the same characters and introduces us to some new ones.

Each chapter is told from the perspective of a different character, 21 in total, however each chapter is cleverly intertwined , grounded in a central storyline. It's a short book at approximately 200 pages however speaks volumes more.

I'm a long time fan of this author's work. His writing sings to my soul and this book is everything I expected it to be. It is beautiful; lyrical, slow, rhythmic and incredibly moving. The characters lift off the pages and I felt their feelings; their pain, their loss, their hope and love. The observations are astute, powerful in their simplicity and I loved every single word. This is one of my favourite lines......

“You can do things that seem impossible if you believe truly and with your whole heart.”

Out on 8th August, I'm excited for all of you yet to read it.

𝐇𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐭, 𝐁𝐞 𝐀𝐭 𝐏𝐞𝐚𝐜𝐞 | 𝐃𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐑𝐲𝐚𝐧 | 𝟑*

𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐓𝐨 𝐄𝐱𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐭:
⟡ Literary fiction
⟡ Ireland setting
⟡ Told through 12 voices

𝐓𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬:
Firstly, this was described as able to read as a standalone but I totally disagree. It can be read as a standalone in the technical sense but I definitely recommend reading The Spinning Heart first. I haven’t read TSH and I could tell I was missing way too much context and character dynamics to truly understand what was going on in the story.

Even though it’s a short novel, it took me ages to get through it. Or it felt like it did. I think it was because I found myself either continuously rereading pages over and over again or completely zoned out from the book. Again, I think that missing context is absolutely crucial. I had no prior emotional connection to the characters and whilst the writing is, of course, amazing and emotionally provocative, it just was not happening for me.

𝐅𝐚𝐯𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐞 𝐐𝐮𝐨𝐭𝐞𝐬:
𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘢𝘭𝘸𝘢𝘺𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘺 𝘪𝘯 𝘐𝘳𝘦𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘥, 𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘢𝘪𝘥. 𝘠𝘰𝘶’𝘥 𝘣𝘦 𝘩𝘶𝘯𝘨 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘳𝘰𝘣𝘣𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘯 𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘭𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘮𝘢𝘥𝘦 𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘧 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘳𝘰𝘣𝘣𝘦𝘥 𝘢 𝘤𝘢𝘴𝘵𝘭𝘦.

𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘤𝘢𝘯’𝘵 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘨𝘰 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘣𝘶𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘢𝘴 𝘣𝘦𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘥𝘦𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘴: 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘦𝘢𝘥 𝘵𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘭𝘥 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮, 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘧 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘣𝘦𝘪𝘯𝘨, 𝘣𝘦𝘤𝘢𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘣𝘦𝘪𝘯𝘨.

Beautifully written, thoughtful and enlightening. I sped through this cover to cover, a really good, honest, hard worked on novel. Enjoyed immensely.

In some ways Heart, Be At Peace by Donal Ryan feels like a series of short stories but the links between all of the characters is very cleverly woven.

Taking as his central story the effects of the drugs trade on an Irish town, the impact on all 21 characters in vastly different ways is beautifully done. Each character has a very distinct voice and although all of their individual sections are short, they come immediately to life with a history and personality of their own. Only the central characters running the trade remain shadowy and distant throughout.

Ryan’s writing is wonderful and flows completely naturally – this is apparently a companion piece to his debut novella, The Spinning Heart, so I will certainly be seeking that out to read more about this community. It’s been a few days since I finished this but it’s stuck in my head and I want to go back and reread it almost immediately as it feels as though those earlier chapters and characters will look different in the light of what follows. A truly beautiful book.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an advance copy in return for an honest review.

A fantastic series of slightly connected stories set in Ireland. I haven’t read this author’s previous book The Spinning Heart(this is the companion piece to it) but I certainly will be. A wide range of characters each have a story of their own. I found the language came alive on the page. Many thanks to Netgalley for an arc of this book.

Heart, Be at Peace by Donal Ryan revisits the characters of his debut novella, The Spinning Heart, and is every bit as beautifully written and well observed. Set a decade after the events of The Spinning Heart , the small community has weathered the economic storms but now faces a new threat in the form of the drug trade that has spread widely across the country. Through the stories of twenty one characters we see how lives are interconnected as story threads weave together. I can see how the idea of 21 characters could be off putting to some readers, especially if they haven't read the earlier book, but Ryan has a peerless way with characterisation and voice and he is at the height of his powers here. The skill with which he uses the dynamics and relationships between characters to not only reveal the plot but also explore different aspects of the characters is nothing short of masterful. There was a narrative throughline that flowed no matter which character's perspective we are reading and each of the characters had a distinctive voice that made them feel very real and very true to life in rural and small town Ireland. Not a single word is wasted in this slim book, the sparse prose is beautiful, memorable and often thought provoking like : “You can’t just go about your business as before when someone you love departs: the dead take something of the world with them, something of your being, because they were part of your being.”
I loved The Spinning Heart and I approached this book with equal parts anticipation and trepidation, but I need not have worried, Donal Ryan has once again produced a book that has a special place in my heart.
I read and reviewed an ARC courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher, all opinions are my own.

An Irish community seen through 21 diverse characters , from Lily (a witch) to Vasya, who lives off-grid and is given food and shelter by another villager. They all have different perspectives on life. Many have problems in their relationships and are trying to improve things. Gradually their stories link up so you get a sense of the whole community. It would be better to read The Spinning Heart first, which introduces most of the characters.

Donal Ryan never disappoints. I hadn't realised it was linked the The Spinning Heart so it was a wonderful surprise to re-visit people and places. As always, the story is told in an engaging, beautiful-written but raw way. I particularly loved how the characters connected to each other. It's one of those books that you read slowly, to savour. Really well done.

I haven’t read The Spinning Heart which provides the backstory to this novel, or any of Ryan’s previous work. Though I was drawn by the potential of discovering the warmth, wit, lyrical writing, superb storytelling, and compelling characterisation I’ve found in other Irish literature. This novel has them all in spades.

Related through the eyes of 21 different but Interlinked people, the author skilfully weaves a fine web of nuanced narrative via poetic, pared down prose that crackles with feeling. A heart cannot be at peace while reading it because we become heavily invested in the individual characters and the outcome of what they’re experiencing.

It all takes place in a small Irish town that has slowly built itself back up after weathering a devastating economic collapse. Their peace is now being threatened by a new menace sucking young people into its deadly trap. Will the townsfolk tackle the trouble themselves or watch helplessly as a new generation folds in on itself?

I especially enjoyed the author’s observational gems, such as: “Goodness is a hard thing to define. It’s inexpressible in its nature. I’d say that’s the right word anyway. You can only know it from what you sense about a person, and not just their deeds.”

And I was moved by the raw truth of this: “You can’t just go about your business as before when someone you love departs: the dead take something of the world with them, something of your being, because they were part of your being.”

It’s a novel that would benefit from a binge read, rather than savouring small snippets, to make it easier to keep track of the narrative and interwoven characters. Kudos to Donal Ryan for a brilliantly written book that worms its way into the heart. Grateful thanks to Random House UK, Transworld Publishers and NetGalley for the eARC.

Heart Be At Peace - Donal Ryan

The inhabitants of a small town in rural Ireland have recovered from the financial crash and subsequent fallout by and large, but now face another huge challenge. Through 21 characters we see how drugs have taken hold in the local area and the ripple effect of this throughout the entire community.

I was really looking forward to reading this book, but a bit nervous too because I loved The Spinning Heart SO much... I needn't have worried, this one is every bit as wonderful! Donal Ryan has such a gift with characters, but also writing evocative almost poetic prose which manages to be spare, not a single word wasted, and yet take your breath away at regular intervals. Fabulous, writer, fabulous book - very VERY highly recommended.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book.

Not an easy book to pigeonhole - part family saga, part crime story - but certainly worth a read. Telling a broad story through the voices of many protagonists is a difficult trick to pull off, but Donal Ryan has made a good fist of it with Heart, Be at Peace.

Set in Ireland in a small town beset by financial problems and troubled by drug dealers, this novel explores the relationships of the men and the women caught up in a tangle of murky deeds. Many took place decades ago but the effects are still being felt.

Each narrator gives us a fresh insight into the background and a new way of looking at the other characters. For some, that insight supports what we already knew about them, but for others it makes us re-assess their thoughts and actions. Love them or loath them, you become ever-more invested in what's going to happen to them. Some are beyond redemption, others can be forgiven, some fall in love with the wrong person, others choose the wrong path...there's lots going on here with these vibrant characters.

I confess that once or twice I lost the thread as the novel shifted to another narrator, but a quick flick back a few pages re-connected me. A page with a family tree might have been helpful...but then again might have given too much away!

Ah, ye gods, such writing. How he inhabits each individual character so completely and perfectly. The story wrapping its way around you as each perspective is shared.
Powerful prose. Aching. A worthy sequel to the Spinning Heart.

Wow what a fabulous book! That being said I did have to read this twice as I found it had initially to reconcile all the different characters. I hadn’t read Ryan’s companion novel ‘The Spinning Heart’ and that may have even why. Nevertheless I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I thought it was extremely clever the way Ryan could drive the story along with 21 different points of view.

This is a sort of sequel to The Spinning Heart, a book I thought was absolutely brilliant. This one is not quite as good but I still thought it was amazing how well he gets into the heads and personalities of his characters. This book is about 10years after the events of the first book and again, each chapter is narrated by a different character. Another great read.

Late in this beautifully written, multi-voiced novel, one of the characters says that madness comes in ten-year-cycles. So here we are, ten years on from Donal Ryan’s stunning debut novel ‘The Spinning Heart’.
Using the same structure, we get a snapshot of life in a small Irish town blighted by a drug running gang. We hear from the good, the so-so and the ugly, there is some closure and a bittersweet ending.
This is a wonderful addition to Donal Ryan’s big-hearted microcosm.

"𝑮𝒐𝒐𝒅𝒏𝒆𝒔𝒔 𝒊𝒔 𝒂 𝒉𝒂𝒓𝒅 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒐 𝒅𝒆𝒇𝒊𝒏𝒆. 𝑰𝒕'𝒔 𝒊𝒏𝒆𝒙𝒑𝒓𝒆𝒔𝒔𝒊𝒃𝒍𝒆 𝒊𝒏 𝒊𝒕𝒔 𝒏𝒂𝒕𝒖𝒓𝒆"

Ten years after the events in Ryan’s debut novel The Spinning Heart, we return to small town rural Ireland and the same characters to see how their lives have developed.

The Spinning Heart is my favourite Donal Ryan novel, although I truly love all of them and sometimes find them hard to decide between. When I saw the author speak at an event in January and tell the audience about this new book, I audibly gasped. This book is probably my most anticipated read of 2024.

I was just blown away by The Spinning Heart. Ryan has an amazing ability to build a narrative timeline while giving us multiple POVs and never revisiting the same POV twice. To me, his books feel like someone sitting down beside me and telling me a story. Heart, Be at Peace is written in the same way and it honestly felt like a hug revisiting familiar characters and stories.

I took longer to read this book than I could have, but I didn’t want it to end, knowing I will have to wait a while for another one. But I can always reread the old ones - they truly feel like comfort reads to me, despite the fact the topics are not exactly light-hearted or comforting, something in his voice makes me feel at home.

There is no need to have read The Spinning Heart before reading this latest novel, but I think reading it first will only enhance your reading of Heart, Be at Peace. Donal Ryan fans will not be disappointed.

I am always excited to read Donal Ryan's latest work. Heart, Be at Peace is a companion book to his debut novel "The Spinning Heart". In the Spinning Heart we witness the impact of the economic crash in a rural Irish village and the tensions and resentments that arise in the community as told in vignette form from a variety characters. This style is replicatesd in Heart, Be at Peace. Time and most people have moved on. Many of the characters in Spinning Heart are revisited and while I liked having the knowledge from the Spinning Heart , the story is strong enough to work as a standing alone.
As with all Donal Ryan's novels, the writing is evocative and beautifully descriptive and he has a true gift for characterisation. Funny and tragic in equal measure, itcaptures the good and the bad of rural Ireland.

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review

Having previously read the "The Spinning Heart" years ago, I approached Donal Ryan's latest book with eager anticipation and high expectations. Happily this novel surpasses its predecessor. Stylistic and structural echoes provide continuity, however the language, character depth, and atmospheric intensity have all been magnified to remarkable effect. Whether read for the evolution of familiar characters or as a stand-alone, this is first-rate writing from a master of the art of story-telling. Highly recommended. Special thank you to Random House UK, Transworld Publishers and NetGalley for a no obligation advance review copy.

Heart be at peace, in the same vein as The Spinning Heart is told through chapters, each of a different character. Each of these chapters is a piece of the picture of village life, capturing the community's struggles and bonds. At times it can be a bit doom and gloom, I find that is the case with many of the novels I read that are set in rural Ireland. But after a day or so away, reading something more lighthearted, I re-emersed myself into the beauty that is this piece of Irish literature,

While it is the sequel to The Spinning Heart, this book stands alone as a compelling read in its own right. Highly recommended for readers of character-driven stories and lovers of Irish literature.