Buckeye

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.

©2025 Patrick Ryan (P)2025 Random House Audio

Reseñas de la Crítica

“Buckeye 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 laughand all of this in abundance.”—Richard Russo, author of Empire Falls and the North Bath trilogy

“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

“Omniscient, sweeping, almost defiantly sentimental, Buckeye is a reminder of the deep pleasure of following a cast of characters over their entire lives, through births, deaths, marriages, tragedies and, in this case, hard-won reconciliations. . . The author clearly loves these people, and he makes the safe bet that you will, too.”—The New York Times Book Review

Excellent writing. Fabulous delivery!

The set up of the complex characters and intertwined relationships never failed to keep interested. I was sorry when it ended but felt richer for having read it.

Life is brief, complex, lovely

If only we could see the end - no - if only we could slow down - build your life carefully

Middle America Mid-Century zeitgeist.

Spectacular storytelling. Narrator is pitch perfect. This story in Midwest between WWII and the end of the Vietnam War is a masterful remembrance of an America gone by.

Life Lessons

Expect to cry. Expect to examine every major decision you've ever made in your life. Expect to examine every significant relationship you've ever had. Finally, expect to be moved to stay or get in contact with important people who've been a part of your life.

Best book ever!

I didn’t want it to end! Couldn’t stop listening. Made me smile and cry. Mr Ryan please write another book!

Enjoyed this very much

This was a very pleasant listen, I cared about the characters quite a bit, it gets a little melancholy near the end.

a family saga!

a beautiful story told through the eyes of all the participants....I was sorry it had to end!

What you will learn about family, the 60s and redemption.

I loved the whole book. Probably a re read for me. Hope to read more from this author.

The narrator and the words were so perfect together.

I didn’t want it to end and I didn’t want to stop listening. I really loved this book. I didn’t know what it was about. I played the preview and I loved the narrator and I finished it within a few days.

WOWZA !!!!

The best book I’ve listened to in a long while! The thought that it would eventually end saddened me. I couldn’t get enough of this book. My father served in Vietnam. Although, he shared stories of his time there this writer opened my eyes and heart even more to our soldiers who sacrificed so much for our country and the freedoms in which we live today. I had so much respect for our soldiers then and now. That being said… today, I have so much more admiration and love in my heart for all that have served and serve today… Thank you Patrick Ryan.. this book has changed a part of me and the way I will continue to love my life.