<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/30839467-the-heart-s-invisible-furies" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px"><img border="0" alt="The Heart's Invisible Furies" src="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1480877119m/30839467.jpg" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/30839467-the-heart-s-invisible-furies">The Heart's Invisible Furies</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7195.John_Boyne">John Boyne</a><br/>
My rating: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1951641631">5 of 5 stars</a><br /><br />
What a story! This is about a Dubliner, Cyril Avery and takes place just prior to his birth, and in 7 year increments thereafter. We are taken from Ireland, to Amsterdam, then New York.. and back to Ireland.<br /><br />We see the hypocrisy and influence of the Catholic Church in post World War ll Ireland until its evolution of change many years later, and how Cyril managed to live his homosexual life during these times. <br /><br />These characters are wonderful and ended up meaning so much to me! I thoroughly enjoyed this book!<br /><br />Thank you to Crown Publishing Group, Netgalley, and John Boyne!!
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WOW! UNPUTDOWNABLE! UNFORGETTABLE! BEST OF THE BEST IN MY BOOK!

In THE HEART'S INVISIBLE FURIES, the story begins in Ireland and Catholic priests rule.

As for this reader, John Boyne rules......Get ready to laugh, be shocked, appalled and heartbroken (continuously) as you read Cyril Avery's life story. We have here excellence in story telling, amazing characters with outlandish names AND personalities that fit them to a big fat T.

Adopted as a baby to peculiar parents, Cyril is often reminded he is not a "real" Avery, but even treated as an outsider, he just seems to go with the flow....until his hormones reach explosion level, that is, and he seeks help to decipher why he seems to like boys.

With strange parental guidance (to say the least) and no emotional support to speak of, a sexually frustrated young Cyril resorts to the confessional, and (OMG) that doesn't go too well either. The writing is so effective here, I could almost feel the....um fallout.

Anyway, as the story evolves, even in America, Cyril and "his lot" endure cruelty and hardships of the worst kind. As for the reader, the shocks just keep on coming.

DO NOT miss this one! Highly Recommend!

Many thanks to NetGalley, John Boyne and Crown Publishing for the ARC in exchange for my honest review. Loved it!

Overall, I found Cyril Avery to be a great character written into a compelling story. Some very serious subjects are addressed in the book, and the author uses humor to lighten the weight of these issues which I appreciated. I found myself laughing out loud even in sections where you would not expect the author could mesh the heavy with the light. There is real skill involved in blending these heart wrenching subjects with humor, and the author excels at that.

I love a good redemption story, and Cyril Avery may not be a real Avery but you cannot help but love to cheer him on anyway.

I finished this seconds ago.... THE BEST NOVEL of 2017......
It's not only a FAVORITE-FAVORITE....It makes my top 10 BEST BOOKS in at least the last 5 or 6 years!!!! PHENOMENAL- long - lush perfectly escapist read!!!!

I read this book SLOW -- I SERIOUSLY LOVED it soooooo MUCH I'm 'ga-ga'/goo-goo' over this novel!!! I'm sorry it's over --- I can't imagine starting another book:
THIS novel has EVERYTHING I want in a powerful saga... AND MORE:

.....It's set against the dramatic backdrop of Irish political/ cultural Catholic Church in Ireland in the 20th century.
.....I got a deeper experience about The Parliament of Ireland - The Dial Eiereann - TD Bankers - oppression- bigotry - discrimination - hostility towards gays - and hostility towards Ireland.
THOUGHTS ABOUT IRELAND in the 40's - 50's. 60's:
......"There's not a nation on the face of the planet more obsessed with sex"......
"A degenerate race. No one talks about sex, yet it's all they think about".....( says one New Yorker character in the story).
......"Ireland is a backward place – – people with no empathy for anyone" ( says a character in Amsterdam)
......Belvedere College is a catholic college for boys: .... The society of Jesus- Its run by Jesuit priests. -- Homosexuality was considered a sin - Boys who are caught holding hands with another boy....would result in being expelled from the school. Gays were called 'nanny-boys', 'perverts' 'fags', deviants, etc.
.......The author, John Boyle... really drives home for the reader what Dublin, the Nation's Capital was like starting from the 40's .... with abusive Priests, conniving churchman, adulterous husband, miserable bigots, paupers who receive no help from the state, a town filled with innocents, and millionaires who suck the lifeblood from it. We see the changes in Ireland through the years: slowly.... ending in the year 2015.

......THIS IS A JUICY - PAGE TURNING EMOTIONALLY riveting journey with
......FANTASTIC Memorable characters.......
........with Incredibly non- stop treasure STORYTELLING- surprises - ongoing - ITS SO DAMN GREAT!!!! Funny - shocking- leaving the reader excited to see what's coming down the pipeline next!!!!!

I've pages and pages of highlighting notes on my kindle -- FEEL FREE TO READ THROUGH THEM. I was so SPENT after reading this ALL DAY TODAY....and much of yesterday...... that I'm now a little lazy to write a detail review....BUT YOU DONT NEED IT!!!! It will be soooo enjoyable to discover all the many treasures!!!!!

GREAT DISCUSSION BOOK .....BECAUSE YOU'LL miss this novel so much when it ends - you'll be excited to talk about it with other people! I can't wait!!!

I laughed - I cried - I discussed ( while laughing), this with my husband: things like: an ear - a toe - a thumb - a syringe - the scrotum - or even "remembering to comb your hair"..... and "remember where you are and what you've come here to do".....
This will ALL HAVE MUCH MORE MEANING WHEN 'YOU' READ THE BOOK!!!

Lots of TALK about SEX.... [A HOT TOPIC]....
From Ireland to Amsterdam to New York ...
back to Ireland.....

I WAS NEVER BORED --- NEVER!!!! I didn't want the book to end!!!

Meet sexy handsome outgoing best friend Julian. A 'charmer'....woman and men flock to him. Julian is Cyril's best friend. Cyril is gay. Julian is straight - Cyril has an obsessive secret love crush for Julian - Cyril fantasizes having sex with Julian.

Meet Good girl Mary Margaret Muffet: FUNNY DIALOGUE in every scene she is in!!
She becomes Cyril's first fiancé.

Meet Alice -- who is left at the altar once. She marries again: even more drama!!

Meet Catherine Goggin.... manages a Tea cafe - much more to learn about this awesome powerhouse woman.

Meet Bastiaan - A research scientist... A doctor of communicable disease. He's from
Amsterdam.... and there is a love story...

I've only shared a few tidbits- BUT NO SPOILERS .

ITS THE BEST BEST BEST BOOK!!!!
Once in Amsterdam----visit galleries, Books stores , street artists, enjoy cycling, sightseeing,..... the cultured life that Cyril didn't have in Dublin.

Sooo many wonderful scenes! I HOPE this book becomes a movie - and more than that ..... I hope it wins awards after awards after awards!!!!

Highly HIGHLY recommended!!!!!!!!

5 STRONG STARS

Thank You Crown Publishing, Netgalley, and John Boyne

I read 10% of this and then I gave up on it. It was bland.