📕 Ⓑⓞⓞⓚ Ⓡⓔⓥⓘⓔⓦ 📕

Title: Buckeye
Author: Patrick Ryan
Publisher: Random House
Format: 📖
Review: 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
Pub Date: September 2nd, 2025

Thank you to Net Galley and Random House for the e-ARC and for the chance to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

Wow. I loved, loved, this book. If you have read Broken Country or The Bright Years and were as obsessed with them like I was, Tthen this is your next must read. Great read for a bookclub!!!

Synopsis taken from Goodreads:
🌳In the small Ohio town of Bonhomie, a stolen moment of passion, sparked in the exuberant aftermath of the Allied victory in Europe, binds Cal Jenkins, a man wounded not in war but by his inability to serve in it, to Margaret Salt, a woman trying to obscure her past. Cal’s wife, Becky, has a spiritual she is a seer who can conjure the dead, helping families connect with those whom they’ve lost. Margaret’s husband, Felix, is serving on a Navy cargo ship; she will soon learn that he may have perished in a predawn attack in the Philippine Sea. 

🌳As the country reconstructs in the postwar boom, a secret grows in Bonhomie, but nothing stays buried forever in a small town. Twenty-five years later, as another war convulses America, the consequences of that long-ago encounter set in motion a series of events that will upend the next generation of both families as they head toward a new century.

I don’t want to say more because I think you should go in with just the synopsis. All I can say is make sure you have time to just keep digging through the stories of these two families, because I couldn’t stop thinking about it!

#ARCreview #pubdaybookreview #historicalfiction #literaryfiction #Buckeye

An affecting portrait of small-town life in post-war Ohio that follows two intertwined couples over the course of their forty-year relationships.
Patrick Ryan's novel Buckeye begins in the small fictional town of Bonhomie, Ohio, on May 8th, 1945: V-E Day, the day that Germany surrendered to the Allies in World War II. Cal Jenkins is at work at his father-in-law's hardware store when a beautiful young woman dashes in, asking if he has a radio. He leads her to a workroom in the basement, where they hear the news that the war in Europe has ended and share a celebratory kiss—setting in motion events that will impact them, their spouses, and their children in the ensuing decades.

The novel then backs up to describe each of the protagonists' lives up to that point. We learn that Cal was born with a short leg, which has kept him out of the war, much to his shame. Becky, the woman he'll marry, has been able to communicate with the spirits of the dead since her childhood. Margaret, the beautiful woman in the hardware store, was abandoned at an orphanage as an infant, while her eventual husband, Felix, is a big-city boy, having grown up in Cleveland. The reader discovers how each couple met, and the challenges they've encountered in their separate marriages. When the four stories meet at the inflection point—the kiss—the narrative shifts focus to the war's aftermath and how it impacts the son each couple raises, before concluding in the post-Vietnam era.

Ryan brilliantly captures the atmosphere of a small town, particularly just before and after WWII. He describes Bonhomie with its "grid of nine streets" and neighborhoods segregated by ethnicity: "When people wanted an Irish neighborhood they could point to, they could always refer to the block with St. Catherine's and Good Shepherd School." There's a railway running through town, and "a rusted grain elevator still bearing the checkered Purina logo loomed like a monolith at the east end of Main Street." His depiction of Cal's residence could have been that of my grandparents' home in Northeast Ohio:

"The house on Taft Street had been purchased from a Sears catalogue in 1916 and delivered to its previous owner in pieces, but you wouldn't know that from looking at it. It was a solid, two-story house, plum-colored, with a gabled roof, white gingerbread trim, and wagon-wheel brackets framing the entryway. The backyard was fenced in and had a sycamore and a pair of white birches; the front was planted with hostas and had a young buckeye tree growing in the middle of the yard, just ten feet tall, its autumn leaves bright pumpkin-orange."

Beyond the vivid images he paints, Ryan's talent is in making his readers care about his characters' relatively mundane lives. Nothing truly extraordinary happens to any of them—or perhaps it's more accurate to say that the earth-shattering events they experience are common to many and, indeed, are largely expected (for example, it's not surprising that a character who smokes develops cancer). Through his flawed and conflicted characters, Ryan also explores complex themes such as the importance of family, the complexities of marriage and parenthood, sexuality and infidelity, forgiveness, friendship, and how PTSD impacts those returning from war and those around them.

That's not to say this is a book specifically about any of these subjects. Marital infidelity occurs, for example, but the book isn't the story of an affair, and by the time readers hit that chapter it's a surprise to no one. Ryan instead keeps attention focused on how the characters react to each figurative bump in the road, separately and together, and how each reaction reverberates across time. That's what makes the book so interesting. Does a spouse leave or stay upon learning of their partner's affair? What are the consequences of that decision? The emphasis isn't on a singular event, it's on how those affected respond.

Buckeye is a quiet book without a lot of action; the plot has little narrative arc, instead flowing seamlessly from one decade to the next. As such, some readers may find it slow. But others—perhaps those who, like I did, find themselves completely invested in each of the characters, or those who share my sense of nostalgia for small-town Ohio—will have trouble putting it down.

A moving story of two families whose lives become intertwined forever and the secrets they all keep from each other. Great character development and great storyline. Thanks for the ARC.

Two strangers meet have an innocent kiss as they hear of the end of World WarII. So the story begins in a small town in Ohio.
Cal Jenkins was unable to serve in WWII because of one of his legs was shorter than the other. He marries Becky who becomes a spiritualist, who can communicate with the dead.
We meet Margaret who had a very difficult childhood going from one foster family to another.
She marries Felix Salt who serves in the Navy. She receives a telegram that her husband’s ship has been attacked in the Philippines.
This is a sweeping novel of two families facing the turmoil of two wars and dealing with everyday life.
Beautifully written with well developed characters. This story will just draw you in to the atmosphere of a small town. It is a captivating story of love, loss and grief.
This story will stay with you for a long time.
Thank you to Random House and NetGalley for this advanced readers copy.

“The things that we love tell us what we are.”

This multi-generational story of the 20th century is straightforward storytelling at its finest. The story follows two families, mostly from the 1940s through the early 1980s, as they navigate life, loves, careers, successes, disappointments, and heartbreak. It is a character-driven novel, and the characters feel real and complex. It is in many ways a chronicle of the United States in those years, especially the seemingly endless wars in which we were involved.

Thank you to Random House and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

My favorite novels are stories of family, showcasing the small and large dramas that make a life. Set mostly in Bonhomie, Ohio, Buckeye by Patrick Ryan is the story of two couples and the way their lives become intertwined over a lifetime, spanning the years from WWI to Vietnam and beyond. Margaret, Felix, Becky and Cal came into their respective marriages with secrets and expectations which over time drew them together and drove them apart.

For a novel in which there is little action, a lot happens in this story and the characters made me care about them, even as I sometimes despised their choices. My heart broke for them at several points in the book, and I felt their regret and sorrow in my soul.

I enjoyed some of the Midwest references, like Cedar Point and Lake Erie, as well as the journey through time with these people. Buckeye was the perfect novel for a long weekend, and I expect to see it on book club lists this fall as the choices made in the story would spark some great conversations.

Thank you to Netgalley and Random House for the digital ARC of Bcuckeye by Patrick Ryan. The opinions in this review are my own.

A little slow moving for my tastes but a great epic saga that is worth the read. Definitely give it a try and stick with it.

Buckeye by Patrick Ryan is a sweeping novel that follows two Ohio families from the 1930s through the 1970s. It’s a story of love, loss, war, trauma, hope, and ultimately forgiveness. I loved the way the historical elements were woven into this beautifully written family drama.

A complementary copy was provided by publisher and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

These characters walk right off the page and into your heart. This is the kind of novel that you'll think of often. Buckeye is unforgettable.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the digital review copy.

Buckeye is a beautifully written, emotionally resonant novel that explores the tangled legacies of love, loss, and secrets across generations in a small Ohio town. The story of Cal, Margaret, and their intertwined families is immersive, with vivid period detail and a keen eye for the quiet heartbreaks and joys of everyday life. While occasionally sprawling and dense, the novel’s richly drawn characters and the elegiac prose make it compelling, and the intergenerational consequences of past choices feel both inevitable and profoundly human. With its careful attention to emotional truth and historical texture, Buckeye is a moving, thought-provoking read that lingers long after the last page.

Small town saga spanning pre-WWII to after the Vietnam Nam war. The main characters are two married couples and the son of each couple. A short tryst while one husband is in the WWII Pacific theater leads to lifelong consequences. The quirks and hidden lives of the characters tend to mislead the reader to follow the wrong thread, however it comes together in the end to prove out love and forgiveness as most important

This quiet book is about 2 families that intersect in a small town in Ohio and follows them across multiple generations. This book is the quintessential small town America novel. We see major world events experienced by these characters, the damage done to them when they can’t participate. We see grief, betrayal, love, and loss but nothing is ever hit over your head. The writing is superbly subtle here. I felt completely immersed in these people’s lives - I both laughed and cried with and for them.

I saw a video recently with this author and Ann Patchett. It makes total sense to me that they’d be friends. Rumored to be the celebrity book club pick for more than one book club next month, I hope this book is the huge hit it should be. I absolutely loved it.

This novel dives into four people between two married couples, each with struggles in their marriages, and the ramifications of a passionate V.E. day celebratory kiss that changes their lives forever. The novel is set starting in 1939 in fictional Bonhomie, a small town in Ohio that prospers during World War II with huge uptakes in production from their local aluminum factory, and alternatives perspective between all four characters.

Cal Jenkins has grown up in Bonhomie, son of a World War I disillusioned vet, and has lost his mother, brother and sister to illness. His father has devolved into a drunken hoarder of junk while Cal feels despondent that he’s turned down from serving in the military in the war due to one of his legs being inches shorter than the other. He’s been working at the aluminum plant with little ambition and volunteered for a local patrol group that sees no action, when he meets beautiful and sunny Becky and impulsively decides to get married to her. He’s brow beaten by his father-in-law to leave the factory to run his hardware store in town.

Becky, who from a young age growing up in Bonhomie believes she can commune with the dead since the time when she intuited that a missing man was nearby and he turned up in a spring thaw dead in his car in the local river. Becky loves being married but equally loves trying to genuinely help people seeking connection with their dead or missing loved ones – especially with so much turmoil and death occurring amidst America entering the war and young men going to serve both in the European and Pacific theaters of war. Becky and Cal have one son, Skip, who she adores especially as doctors tell her she cannot medically withstand another pregnancy. Balancing motherhood with unpaid séance appointments out of her home, Becky feels alienated by Cal’s lack of belief in what she does and resentment of the time she donates trying to help others – particularly in the face of charlatans popping up on the spiritual scene to charge money and give false hope.

Margaret and Felix have only been married a couple years when they move from Columbus Ohio to Bonhomie for Felix promotion as operational manager of the aluminum plant. Handsome Felix, who’s secretly been gay since his teens, has married Margaret out of shame, a desire to become straight for social acceptance and to have a family. He appreciates Margaret but mostly fails to sustain any sexual connection. Restless, Felix decides to beat being drafted as a foot soldier and volunteers for the Navy as an officer thanks to his college degree. He’s shipped off for what enfolds to be years to run logistics on container ships in the Pacific.

Margaret has grown up an abandoned orphan, left off at a basket in front of the local orphanage where she ends up growing up after a series of unsuccessful home placements – always the fault of the fostering couple. She falls in love with handsome older Felix, as her rescuer and adopter, and with his financial backing becomes cosmopolitan. Margarite loves art history, collects art, and loves to dance. Moving to Bonhomie feels like small town exile, especially as Felix ships off to war and she’s left on her own. With news breaking of the end of war, Margaret rushes into a nearby hardware store to catch the news live. In both celebration and seeing the raw desire on Cal’s face, she impulsively kisses him. This leads to a brief affair.

Each of the characters continue to marinate in their vulnerabilities and insecurities, and each of the couples end up raising one son who turn out to become friends. In turn, the parents and the boys face the prospect of the boys getting drafted to fight in the Vietnam War.
To his credit as a writer, Ryan manages both to brilliantly capture small town life and keep all his characters sympathetic up to a heartfelt ending.
Thanks to Random House Publishing Group and NetGalley for an advanced reader’s copy.

𝐑𝐄𝐕𝐈𝐄𝐖 ~ 𝐁𝐔𝐂𝐊𝐄𝐘𝐄 ~ by Patrick Ryan ~ Thanks to Random House Books, Netgalley and the author for an ARC of this novel which releases on September 2, 2025. I was so fortunate to get a copy of this novel which is sure to be a hot title when it is released next 𝐓𝐮𝐞𝐬𝐝𝐚𝐲 𝐒𝐞𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫 𝟐𝐧𝐝. This is MY kind of book and I loved it! I am certain it will be a top of the year for me and I am already recommending it to reader friends. In tone and style, this was reminiscent of the works of other authors that I adore: William Kent Krueger, Chris Whitaker, Amor Towles through a midwestern lens and Anne Tyler, or Elizabeth Strout, Anne Patchett or Ethan Joella from a character perspective (to name a few). The story follows two families over the course of decades between the WWII years through the later twentieth century and is wrought with emotion that will pull you in. I think this is a book to go into blind and allow it to just take you on the journey of the lives of these midwestern, American families as they are the fuel for this absorbing story. This is steeped in history (especially regarding what was to be an American during wartime), but more it is an examination of what it is to be fully human. It explores all the joys and sorrows of human connection and always recognizes that time is always the victor. I wanted to start again when I finished and I know I will look forward to reading this one again. Highly recommended for fans of character driven novels with plenty of historical fiction. Can’t wait to chat about this one!! Loved it!
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 5 stars!!
𝐇𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐲 𝐋𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐋𝐢𝐟𝐞 𝐖𝐢𝐬𝐝𝐨𝐦 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐓𝐢𝐦𝐞 𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐀𝐥𝐥! 📚❤️❤️

Whew....needed to let out a big, happy sigh after this one! I've read many a sweeping, epic tale of complicated family dynamics and characters making morally-questionable (read: BAD) decisions that cause ripples for decades to come. And this was one of the best of its kind. A little long at times, but overall well-worth the journey. I particularly loved our time with the truly one-of-a-kind Becky, a psychic medium who uses her powers for good and to help others achieve peace. A big thank you to Netgalley for gifting me an ARC of this marvelous book!

This is a sweeping family drama that spans from WW2 through the late twentieth century, a fine representation of literary fiction. It tells the story of Cal and Becky, and Margaret and Felix as they get on with their lives in a small town in Ohio. The characters are well developed and multi layered, if the plot tends to run a little slow. This is definitely a character driven novel and luckily the characters do shine. The relationship between Cal and his father is poignant and deep and everyone is just likable enough that we care about what happens to them without hating them for being perfect. Great choice for fans of Elizabeth Berg, Anne Tyler and Jonathan Franzen.
*Thanks to NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this free ebook in exchange for an honest review*

BUCKEYE is a sweeping yet intricate historical fiction tale by author Patrick Ryan. It is excellent. Really good, dramatic, historical fiction with characters that jump off the page is hard to find. For me, the few really great ones are high on my list of favorites; as BUCKEYE is now. Encompassing the time from WWI until the 1970’s, Ryan has expertly woven in key facts and changes across time and allowed his characters room to grow, struggle and succeed. I found every character compelling, another surprise. Following the growth of a small town in Ohio, and the friendships that wax and wane, the novel has no fluff; everything moves the plot forward. I loved it. I received my copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

4.75 stars “Wise and heartbreaking” (Ann Napolitano), this captivating epic weaves the intimate lives of two Midwestern families across generations, from World War II to the late twentieth century."

This sweeping saga is an intimate portrait of two families in the small town of Bonhamie, Ohio, set against the backdrop of WWII, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War. It follows the families over a period of forty years. You learn of their hopes and dreams, their talents, their challenges, and insecurities. We learn everything about the Salt and Jenkins families over the years and how they are inextricably linked together. The character development is flawless. You know each and every character completely, including their motivations and flaws.

This is literary fiction at its finest. Fully fleshed out characters, intimate moments, raw emotions, and thought-provoking pearls of wisdom woven throughout the novel. Themes of love and loss, grief and forgiveness, parent-child relationships, motivation, ambition, betrayal, and misunderstanding are superbly explored. This is a highly character driven novel that can move slowly at times so be aware of that. For fans of literary fiction, this is a must-read. Highly recommended by Ann Patchett, Ann Napolitano, and Chris Whitaker.

Many thanks to NetGalley, Random House, and Patrick Ryan for an advance reader's copy in exchange for my honest review.

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On the day the citizens of Bonhomie, Ohio, heard the news of the German surrender, Cal Jenkins kissed Margaret Salt for the first time. Perhaps it was the excitement of the moment, or perhaps it was the fact that Cal and his wife Becky had separated, or because the news meant Margaret's husband Felix was coming home for better or worse. Regardless, the kiss sets in action a series of opposite and equal reactions that reverberate across the landscape of their lives against the backdrop of the Buckeye state during the Second World War and post-war years.

I'm grateful to encounter books like these, and 2025 has been a year for great American novels. Patrick Ryan is a prolific writer, but this is the first of his I've had the pleasure to read. I look forward to diving into more of his work because his writing is good. So many underlined passages for me: reflections on love, grief, misunderstanding; descriptions of expressions and landscape. This book also gives me an addition to my list of favorite literary characters: Everett Jenkins, Cal's damaged father. He's up there with Samuel Weller of Dickens' Pickwick Papers. Everett Jenkins' life certainly has Dickensian qualities.

I woke up this morning thinking about what happens when lies come to light, reflecting on the abandonments of Margaret Anderson Salt. I know I'll be revisiting other characters and scenes that have made a deep and lasting impression.

My sincere thanks to Random House and NetGalley for the digital ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Centered around two couples in small town Ohio during WWII thru post-Vietnam, this literary fiction book is a coming-of-age story, a family drama, and a historical fiction look at American at a historic time. Margaret and Felix, Cal and Becky, find themselves unexpectedly intertwined as they navigate what it means to be a spouse and then a parent. This literary book is pretty slow paced, but enjoyable as long as you're not in a rush.

This one will appeal to fans of Hello Beautiful- not in that it's a story about sisters, but in tone and voice. Ryan wrote this in third person narrative, which is tricky and polarizing. I usually don't like this and really had a hard time getting used to it and liking it. Once I got into the book, I really enjoyed the characters and the story, but it also was so slow, and character driven that I wasn't sure I was every going to finish it. So, I think you will enjoy this if you go into it setting your expectations appropriately.

Thank you to Netgalley for the advance copy for review.