• The Heart's Invisible Furies

  • A Novel
  • By: John Boyne
  • Narrated by: Stephen Hogan
  • Length: 21 hrs and 10 mins
  • 4.7 out of 5 stars (6,780 ratings)

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The Heart's Invisible Furies  By  cover art

The Heart's Invisible Furies

By: John Boyne
Narrated by: Stephen Hogan
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Editorial reviews

Editors Select, August 2017

I knew I was going to love this book right from the first sentence. In just a few words, you knew that this story would be serious yet funny, heartbreaking yet heartwarming. It’s a saga that deals with religion, family, sexuality, love, and belonging. Narrator Stephen Hogan is the only person who could take our Dubliner protagonist from age 7 through 70. It's a heavy and thought-provoking listen, and one that deserves rapt attention. —Laura, Audible Editor

Publisher's summary

Named Book of the Month Club's Book of the Year, 2017

Selected one of New York Times Readers’ Favorite Books of 2017

Winner of the 2018 Goldsboro Books Glass Bell Award

From the beloved New York Times best-selling author of The Boy in the Striped Pajamas, a sweeping, heartfelt saga about the course of one man's life, beginning and ending in post-war Ireland.

Cyril Avery is not a real Avery - or at least, that's what his adoptive parents tell him. And he never will be. But if he isn't a real Avery, then who is he?

Born out of wedlock to a teenage girl cast out from her rural Irish community and adopted by a well-to-do if eccentric Dublin couple via the intervention of a hunchbacked Redemptorist nun, Cyril is adrift in the world, anchored only tenuously by his heartfelt friendship with the infinitely more glamourous and dangerous Julian Woodbead. At the mercy of fortune and coincidence, he will spend a lifetime coming to know himself and where he came from - and over his many years, will struggle to discover an identity, a home, a country, and much more.

In this, Boyne's most transcendent work to date, we are shown the story of Ireland from the 1940s to today through the eyes of one ordinary man. The Heart's Invisible Furies is a novel to make you laugh and cry while reminding us all of the redemptive power of the human spirit.

©2017 John Boyne (P)2017 Random House Audio

Critic reviews

"Boyne, who has a wonderful gift for characterization, does a splendid job of weaving these various lives together in ways that are richly dramatic, sometimes surprising, and always compelling...Often quite funny, the story nevertheless has its sadness, sometimes approaching tragedy. Utterly captivating and not to be missed." (Booklist)

"With quick strokes and bitter humor, Boyne's opening scene encapsulates the Irish church's hypocrisy...Boyne continues his crusading ways with the quiet keening of this painful, affecting novel." (Kirkus)

"Narrator Stephen Hogan's performance of the twists and turns of Cyril's struggle is dramatic, life affirming, and inspiring.... It's a coming-of-age tale delivered by Hogan in a sensitive narration. Listeners looking for both hearty laughs and gentle tears will enjoy Cyril's journey." (AudioFile)

What listeners say about The Heart's Invisible Furies

Average customer ratings
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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Outstanding. A Must listen.

The best stories that one might encounter present a combination of imagination, craft, and artistry. I returned a mega-hit best seller which had little of those three and I bought this book. I was instantly rewarded.

I see other reviewers provide a recap, so I will not.

My words will fail to explain how fine-tuned John Boyne's writing is here. He directly gets to feelings that other authors over-write to achieve, if they get there at all. Even though this is obviously a work of fiction, there is an epic level of truth woven into the soul of this story. So much so that it is easy to engage with the humanity of Cyril Avery by feeling both grand affection and pointed irritation as he stumbles forward trying to find the truths important to his life.

I could type thousands of words on the fantastic and carefully wrought cast of characters. We get to experience a collection of fully realized humans whom we are sure must truly exist in some alternative universe.

I am a gay male born 13 years after the date of Avery's birth. Even with that difference, I found great familiarity with many of the external and internal struggles that confronted Avery. Luckily for me, I processed similar issues 4,500 miles southwest of Ireland. Theocracy is not a pretty thing.

I return once again to the idea that Boyne's superb artistry and attention to his craft will make you very happy to journey with this story.

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101 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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By far the best book I have listened to...

This was the best book by far that I have listened to since being recently introduced to Audible. I would highly recommend...the story is awesome, the narrator did an excellent job, and it was something I looked forward to listening to. Thank you to all that provided the great reviews if not for those recommendations, I would have missed out on this excellent read!

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45 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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A WORK OF LITERARY GENIUS

There are so many things about this novel that made me love it. First, it is indeed a saga; the audiobook runs for slightly over twenty-one hours without a dull moment. Next, the author’s strong, fully-developed characters, and direct, honest narrative make this a powerful, unforgettable story about post WWII Ireland. Another interesting aspect is the story unfolds in seven-year increments; e.g., 1945 to 1952 to 1959, etc. (I’ve my thoughts on why the author did this, but I’ll let you draw your own conclusions.)

I purchase three to five MM audiobooks monthly, and I’ve grown tired of the same ol’ same ol’ poorly edited, unimaginative, predictable gay romance tales that are dumped into the MM market by the truckload. The Heart’s Invisible Furies is tagged as contemporary fiction. I expected a mainstream novel. I was pleasantly surprised to learn that several characters as well as the MC, Cyril, are gay. It’s about time that MM fiction doesn’t include a “Gay or LGBTQ” warning label. The love scenes are behind closed doors; i.e., this is not MM erotica.

The summary tells you all you need to know about the plot, and I’ll not provide spoilers by giving you my synopsis of this beautifully written work of literary genius. The narration is fabulous from beginning to end. The characters, plot and subplots will capture your attention and keep you listening. A Heart’s Invisible Furies will make you smile, laugh, and weep; the dogma priests inflicted upon the Irish will disgust you.

The novel has a bittersweet but heartwarming conclusion. I know, I know … such sounds unlikely, but the author pulls it off magnificently.

The Heart’s Invisible Furies will go down as one of my all-time favorite novels, and has earned a permanent spot in my iPod so I can listen to it again, and again, and again. I highly recommend it to anyone wanting an MM saga that breaks away from the angst-ridden romantic canons of MM fiction; hey, gay couples are more than just the bedroom. Bravo John Boyne!

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39 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Gorgeous story, masterfully written

This story is like so many strands of yarn coming together in masterful hands to create a soft and comforting blanket. Difficult to endure at moments, highly amusing at others, and often so very moving, John Boyne creates a symphony of characters against a fascinating historical background. One of the best books I've listened to this year.

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36 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Truly wonderful. And then some.

This is one of the most superbly crafted books I've encountered in quite some time. I loved Boyne's work in "The Absolutist" and raved about it to anyone who would listen. I was desperate to discuss that book with someone, anyone, and feel the same about "The Heart's Invisible Furies."

Boyne creates the kind of characters who come and live with you while you're in the book. For the most part, they are all beautifully complex characters – and even when there are obvious personality flaws, this author finds balance and humanity. When they're evil, they are evil. Justice prevails. Stephen Hogan adds to the entire experience with a spot-on narration.

I feel like I made a friend. Cyril Avery has a place in my heart.

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32 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Excellent novel!

This is the first review I have ever written. I listen to many, many recorded books. It can be difficult to find one that is more than just entertaining. This novel is very entertaining for sure, but so much more. The story has extraordinary depth and complexity. The author has created compelling, well developed characters whose actions have meaning and purpose. You cannot help being interested in them even if they are not particularly likable. Boyne also creates humor, sadness, joy and loss with an equally deft hand. I am sorry to have finished this one.

Happy reading!

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32 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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TEN STARS!

I honestly do not have the words to describe how magnificent this story is, or how exceptional the narration is! Legitimately speechless.

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19 people found this helpful

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Where's The Story??!!! Big disappointment.

Great beginning and then straight downhill. I have never been a 12 year old boy, but this book might be written for him....an unending, constant, relentless fascination with his body, other people's bodies and bodily functions, his emerging sexuality, on and on and on and on. There is almost no scene in this book without reference to male body parts, female body parts, Cyril's obsession with other male's body parts. Almost every single conversation between any (all) of the characters disintegrates into sexual comment or innuendo.
The book sample I listened to before buying was great, with the narrator doing such an outstanding job with the accents and personalities. I slogged through about four hours of this book, hoping a story line or plot would finally emerge, managed to get through the school years and past Cyril's puberty, and finally(!!) to the point in the book where Cyrus is out of school and in the workplace. What a disappointment! Now he is obsessing with co-workers body parts, their fantasy's and sex lives. I have had enough, and will be returning this to Audible and getting it out of my library.
This book (as far as I could force myself to go) is one giant, long winded never ending loop of the jumbled insecurities and sexual reflections of a young boy, his stepfather, friends, co-workers, etc. No actual story or plot. Could have been a very good book. What a shame it didn't go anywhere.
The narrator did a wonderful job with the accents and differentiating between different characters. Imagine what he could have done with a rich story line!!

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17 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Great book

My first time listening to a John Boyne book and I loved it. Reminded me a lot of John Irving who is one of my favorite authors.

The storytelling entertaining and I was compelled to keep listening with the end of each new chapter. I loved the way he wove the characters throughout the book so you could get to know them.

My favorite art of the book was probably the word play between the characters. I found myself laughing and tearing up more than once.

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The Heart Says Yes!!

A Tour De Force! This book was everything it is claimed to be and more. First, it is well
written, like Joyce (when not showing off) but with modern flair. The pacing, voice, and place, they are all incredible. Also first, it is an honest portrait of an Irish man and his friends and family and loves through the ages. I feel like I know what it is like to have come of age in Ireland, be I a girl or a boy, and regardless of who my heart falls for. I also have a deeper appreciation for more of what my homosexual friends have actually lived through, yet I do not feel beaten over the head with it. This is just a story. Such a story that it feels real to me, and I'm in book hang over. Oh, how the heart furiously betrays us, and yet how it is loyal and true.

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14 people found this helpful