Buckeye: A Read with Jenna Pick

A Novel

De: Patrick Ryan

Narrado por: Michael Crouch

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • READ WITH JENNA BOOK CLUB PICK AS FEATURED ON TODAY • A “mesmerizing” (People) novel that weaves the intimate lives of two midwestern families across generations, from World War II to the late twentieth century.

“A glorious sweep of a novel.”—Ann Patchett
“Captivating.”—The New York Times Book Review
“A once-in-a-decade novel . . . I fell in love with these characters.”—Jenna Bush Hager

One town. Two families. A secret that changes everything.

In Bonhomie, Ohio, 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 gift: She is a seer who can conjure the dead, helping families connect with those they’ve lost. Margaret’s husband, Felix, is serving on a Navy cargo ship, out of harm’s way—until a telegram suggests that the unthinkable might have happened.

Later, as the country reconstructs in the postwar boom, a secret grows in Bonhomie—but nothing stays buried forever in a small town. Against the backdrop of some of the most transformative decades in modern America, the consequences of that long-ago encounter ripple through the next generation of both families, compelling them to reexamine who they thought they were and what the future might hold.

Sweeping yet intimate, rich with piercing observation and the warmth that comes from profound understanding of the human spirit, Buckeye captures the universal longing for love and for goodness.

Good Story

Good story, but performance was just ok. I actually switched to my hardback copy a few times to avoid the performance

Exceptional novel! Worth listening to!

if you're looking to escape to a time when people were people and dealt with problems of the heart with dignity and grace, this is it. The narration is perfect. The story compelling. I couldn't wait to get into my car every day for my commute and listen to this novel, and I am sorry that it is over. This might be one of my favorites, along with The Women by Kristin Hannah. Go for it.

Lovely epic. Moving.

This reminded me of my favorite play, Our Town. I will read this too, and then listen again.

Poignant and beautifully crafted novel

This is one of the best and most touching novels I’ve ever read.

Buckeye is a poignant and beautifully crafted novel set in a time when life was as full of sacrifice and hope as it was of uncertainty. Author Patrick Ryan transports readers to the fictional town of Bonhomie, Ohio, telling the story of two couples, Cal & Becky Jenkins and Margaret & Felix Salt, whose paths cross on the home front during World War II and remain intertwined for decades after.

Through the eyes of Ryan’s beautifully crafted characters, we are drawn into a world where the errancy of human attraction and the catastrophic effects of war come to life. Buckeye delves into themes of love, loss, infidelity, racism, and homophobia, but what truly sets it apart is how it evokes a deep sense of nostalgia for a time both lost and cherished. It is a story of relationships, both hidden and visible —husbands and wives, mothers and sons, sons and fathers, friends and brothers, lovers and friends.

The characters are vivid, relatable, flawed, and remarkably easy to love. The story unfolds as Cal, whose uneven legs render him unfit for military service, falls in love with and marries Becky, who has been gifted the ability to communicate with the dead. Meanwhile, Margaret, who spent the majority of her childhood in the orphanage, where she was abandoned as an infant, grows into a stunning young woman ready to escape her childhood and enter adulthood in the big city of Columbus. There, she meets and marries the respectable, handsome ex-college football player turned executive, Felix.

Having quickly emerged as the most colorful and my most beloved character, Cal’s reclusive father, Everett, is a World War I veteran forever scarred by his time in service. Everett represents the quiet strength of the many WWI veterans who carried invisible wounds after returning to a society that never fully understood their trauma.

Ryan’s use of historical details, terms, and trends—rationing, war bonds, the atomic bomb, factories, comic books, cafeterias, communism, the Zenith, the Pymouth, dance halls, Main Street, Victory Rolls, the Heartbreak Hotel, the Balboa & Hokey Pokey, Kennedy’s funeral, Vietnam, the draft —grounds the novel in its historical context. But more than just a backdrop, the history becomes the heartbeat of the story, shaping characters' motivations and fears, as well as their relationships.

Great until it ends

I did not like the way it ended, but it did hold my attention. I liked it until it got to the end

Wonderful

Beautiful story full of emotion. Patrick Ryan's word choice and detail were captivating. While Michael Crouch's narration was well-done, certain word pronunciations distracted me. (In Ohio, Lima has a long i, hosta plant has a short o.)

The genuine characters!

This book wholly resonated with me. While I didn’t grow up in the Midwest, I knew the flavor, senses and naïvetés of these generations. The absolute best parts of this story are the characters! Each so unique and beautifully crafted. I will think of them often.

Great sense of time & place

I want to give it 4 1/2 stars. Most of it is extremely gripping. The characters are so nicely built. I cared about all of them. I feel like the last 4-5 hours of the book just didn't have the juice of the beginning and middle, and the ending was too sappy for my tastes. But I will definitely jump on in his next book. His writing is as smooth as butter.

Tragic but compelling

This book was exceptionally well written. It highlights the impact that individual choices have and the repercussions of those choices on the lives of many. The characters were tragic in many ways but you can’t help but be drawn in. Well done

Excellent

Great characters and wonderful story. I grew up in Ohio and I enjoyed all the references to Ohio towns and Ohio sites. Loved the span of time that the story covers.