Any Human Heart

A Novel

By: William Boyd

Narrated by: Simon Vance

Length: 15 hrs and 58 mins

Publisher's summary

Best-selling author William Boyd—the novelist who has been called a “master storyteller” (Chicago Tribune) and “a gutsy writer who is good company to keep” (Time)—here gives us his most entertaining, sly, and compelling novel to date. The novel evokes the tumult, events, and iconic faces of our time as it tells the story of Logan Mountstuart—writer, lover, and man of the world—through his intimate journals. It covers the “riotous and disorganized reality” of Mountstuart’s 85 years in all their extraordinary, tragic, and humorous aspects.

The journals begin with his boyhood in Montevideo, Uruguay, then move to Oxford in the 1920s and the publication of his first book, then on to Paris where he meets Joyce, Picasso, Hemingway, et al., and to Spain, where he covers the civil war. During World War II, we see him as an agent for naval intelligence, becoming embroiled in a murder scandal that involves the Duke and Duchess of Windsor. The postwar years bring him to New York as an art dealer in the world of 1950s abstract expressionism, then on to West Africa, to London where he has a run-in with the Baader-Meinhof Gang, and, finally, to France where, in his old age, he acquires a measure of hard-won serenity.

This is a moving, ambitious, and richly conceived novel that summons up the heroics and follies of 20th-century life.

©2002 William Boyd (P)2011 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Critic reviews

“Boyd does such a nimble job of ventriloquism in the book’s opening sections that we find ourselves forgetting that Mountstuart is a fictional character.” ( New York Times)

Middle class ennui

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Yes, this is a classic underdog tale with excellent use of English language. As another reviewer commented, this is a very British "Forest Gump." It is a languid meander through the 20th century with fascinating characterization.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Any Human Heart?

This is an episodic book, each moment creating its own linked, but encapsulated 'memorable moment.' So it is difficult to extract one moment from another. The central character, Logan Mountstuart is a completely self-absorbed person with no or little insight into his selfishness. He manages to travel through an extraordinary life with middle-class boredom and complete British detachment to the effects he has on other people (as is befitting to his upbringing and era) whilst remaining complex and somehow likeable.

What about Simon Vance’s performance did you like?

Simon Vance created an understated but superbly crafted performance. He was able to transition from the schoolboy to elderly man and yet retain the same character, but with inflections of tone to suit the age of the character. Simon Vance conveyed the overall tone of Logan Mountstuart's character very well.

If you could take any character from Any Human Heart out to dinner, who would it be and why?

I don't live in the social circles of any of the characters from Any Human Heart. Going out to dinner with any of them would rely on their ability to put me at my ease. However, knowing them as I do from the book, I would know that the subtext of their thoughts would be how insufferably tedious they were finding the dinner. I would hate the social pressure to perform and try and seem interesting. Definitely a dinner invite to decline...

I Don't Have the Heart to Love You

This novel was most intriguing for its style. It was an appealing trip through time in nine journaux intimes spanning 68 years, at one point immensely sad, at times depressing, at other poignant, but overall not quite as moving or profound as I expected or hoped.

The book opens with a quotation from Mr. Passion himself, Henry James: "Never say you know the last word about any human heart."

This novel is subtitled The Intimate Journals of Logan Mountstuart. It is written in the diary form, as a lifelong series of journals kept by Logan Mountstuart, a writer who lived from 1906 to 1991, as he passed through many defining episodes of the 20th century, traveled over the continents and had many relationships and engaged in literary endeavors.

A British "man of letters," an intelligent, literary Forrest Gump, who is introduced to several real writers, including Virginia Woolf, James Joyce, Papa Hemingway and even has what may have been a sexual encounter with Evelyn Waugh at Oxford, among many others less known.

This style portrays the changing self or the multiplicity of selves of a person over the years, as each of the 9 journals is written in the present 1st person: nine journaux intimes that Mountstuart kept from 17 until near his death at the age of 85. Such French literary journals are manytimes very candid and Mountstuart's included his sexual relationships, including his three marriages, his first sexual encounter with his best friend's wife, masturbation, and hired prostitutes. The gaps in time between journals expose obvious contradictions between one self and a later self of Mountstuart. As Mountstuart explains, "We keep a journal to entrap the collection of selves that forms us, the individual human being." Boyd himself described in an interview his thesis that "we are an anthology, a composite of many selves." Thus, while an individual's fundamental nature remains relatively static, she moves in and out of happiness, health and loves, with wisdom being slowly gained. A journal is "written without the benefit of hindsight, so there isn't the same feeling you get when you look back and add shape to a life. There are huge chunks missing."

The time covered and the plethora of sexual relationships makes this nearly impossible to provide a synopsis of the plot.

I really liked this book!

Granted I am an Anglophile but I thought this book was fascinating. OK, maybe not totally believable but interesting all the way through. I looked forward to listening on my commute each day and was sorry when it ended. I really felt like I had lost a friend when it was over.

I have listened to other books with this narrator and think he is excellent!

I have listened to one other book by this author and it was good too. I highly recommend it and look forward to more of his.

Little inspiration or hope.

This novel is wondrously well written. The storytelling is exquisite. However, it is not a joyful life that is lived. It is a terrific story of tenacity, human spirit, and more. I just got tired of one more depressing event after another. It is an amazing life but much too long a book as far as I was concerned. And I love long books. As a woman in her 60s, this just wasn't a great reflection on my for me.

Great book!

I absolutely enjoyed this book. My only criticism is that portions ran just a bit long.

Simply a tour de force

The definition of a tour de force is "an impressive performance or achievement that has been accomplished or managed with great skill". Well, now, that is certainly a fitting description for Mr. Boyds' singular achievement here. I finished this book over a month ago, and I cannot stop thinking about it. i even borrowed the movie adaptation from the library to watch. Although a valiant and well intentioned effort, it just did not come close to the depth of the novel. The character that played Freya was extremely well cast, as was Kim Cattrell as Gloria, but the rest, ok, but....

It's a little slow in the beginning, but the author places great importance on developing Mr. Mount Stuarts character, so he take the time. I got impatient, not wanting to hear anything more from this spoiled brat of a person. However, by the end of the book, the reader ends up with a great appreciation for a life well led, and so full of wonderful experiences, that we, as the readers, got to share. It really left me with a lot of warm feelings, and I even got to like Mr. Mount Stuart after a while, even though he is a bit of a cad and a jerk through much of his life.

The narration was 1st rate, as well. I especially liked the way Mr. Vance aged along with the character. With the book starting with Mount Stuart in his early teens, Mr. Vance makes him sound like an obnoxious bratty snot nosed teen. Then Mr. Vance changed his tone throughout the story, aging the character all the way to when he became an old man. It's very subtle, and you may not even notice, but I thought it was quite a significant enhancement to the story. Bravo, Mr. Vance.

An interesting journey through a lifetime

I found this book incredibly enjoyable! while the character has makes many questionable decisions in his life, there is a sincerity in the way the story is told. it was difficult to put this one down.

A novel diary

I will start by saying that the narration was superb. I have never chosen an Audible book by the narrator, however, I definitely intend to check and see what else is available narrated by Vance.
The premise of this novel, a reading of the diary entries of a sometime writer named Logan Mountstuart, is interesting and very effective. His life is varied but not important. He is an interesting individual, but not particularly admirable nor evil, in short, not outstanding. Yet his life takes place alongside, and often involving interesting, important, well known and historic events and people. And along the way the reader comes to love Mountstuart.
This was a totally engrossing and enjoyable experience.

Excellent

Life as a yoyo... Roller-coaster is too smooth!! Any human heart well written and nicely approach about going on

A minor book for Boyd, but well-narrated by Vance

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

Only if a big Boyd fan. I would not recommend it otherwise.

What was the most interesting aspect of this story? The least interesting?

It depicts a full, eventful life, It does not present a particularly dramatic story arc but proceeds from episode to episode. I was not moved and was glad when it ended.

What about Simon Vance’s performance did you like?

Everything. His usual excellent narration.

If this book were a movie would you go see it?

A couple of episodes would make for an interesting movie or TV adaptation, but not the whole book.