I've been yearning for a novel that connects the American generations who dealt with our two Wars - one of Omaha Beach, the other of the Ia Drang Valley. Buckeye is that book, and it soars -- Tom Hanks
Written in the key of Dickens ... This widescreen yet intimate tapestry is masterfully woven together and Ryan succeeds in a conjuring a believable story of love (of all kinds) in a time of tension and conflict ... Recalls the early novels of John Irving. The triumph of his book is the way it captures the nature of mistakes, both the holes dug and the bridges built. It's not just a great Midwestern novel, it's a great novel, period * Financial Times *
Patrick Ryan's emotionally engaging and psychologically astute novel follows two couple over the course of 30 years ... The protagonists deal with the moral complexities of war, grief, parenthood and sexuality, in a beautifully observed and deeply affecting novel * Observer *
A family saga, a ghost story, an affair novel and a social history rolled into one ... The novel is both ambitious in scope and startlingly nimble, a story that tackles dark times with lightness and compassion * Irish Times *
A poignant, powerful exploration of small-town America * Independent, BOOK OF THE MONTH *
A gentle, humane family saga of quiet competence and occasional grace ... An affectionate portrait * Mail on Sunday *
The world Ryan creates is complex and detailed. The people of Bonhomie are filled in with precise, economical details, and the passage of time skilfully handled ... The assurance of the debut is astonishing ... The quality of his writing is what really sustains the momentum. This is sweeping-family-saga stuff, but the writing is crisp and witty, with a nicely-judged balance of intimacy and distance * Irish Independent *
Heartfelt and at times harrowing, Buckeye is both an absorbing portrait of an American past and a sympathetic exploration of what continues to sustain us - and to plague us. There are no heroes or villains in Patrick Ryan's wonderful novel, only recognisably human creatures, each one of them drawn with refreshing honesty; each one flawed, noble, confused, passionate, lonely, loving, and, above all, real -- Alice McDermott, author of ABSOLUTION
A glorious sweep of a novel, full of love and war and the perilous intimacies of small town life. It's funny and tender, realistic and strange. Patrick Ryan has long been one of my favourite writers. I have a feeling that with this book he's going to be everyone's favourite writer -- Ann Patchett, author of THE DUTCH HOUSE and TOM LAKE
I love this novel with my entire heart. Patrick Ryan has created a world, and characters, that exist inside me now, and as a reader that is my deepest joy. Buckeye tells the story of two families across sixty years of American history; the novel is wise and heartbreaking and full of wonderful characters who struggle across decades - as we all do - to live as their whole selves. I could not recommend this book more highly -- Ann Napolitano, author of HELLO BEAUTIFUL
Tender, funny, forgiving and so cleverly wrought * Saga, BOOK OF THE MONTH *
Offers just about everything I look for in a great story: a vivid setting, historical sweep, rich characters who break your heart even as they make you laugh - and all of this in abundance -- Richard Russo, author of EMPIRE FALLS and the NORTH BATH trilogy
A small-town novel of epic proportions, full of unforgettable characters and thorny human dilemmas. Patrick Ryan conjures a vanished America with uncanny skill, and writes with deep insight and lyrical intelligence about war and adultery, the mysteries of sexuality and family life, and the strange paths we have to travel to forgive - or at least begin to understand - the people who've hurt