The Spinning Heart

A Novel

De: Donal Ryan

Narrado por: Wayne Farrell

Winner - The Guardian First Book Award

Winner of two Irish Book Awards - Newcomer of The Year and Book of The Year

Longlisted for the IMPAC Dublin Literary Award

Longlisted for the Man Booker Prize

In the aftermath of Ireland's financial collapse, dangerous tensions surface in an Irish town. As violence flares, the characters face a battle between public persona and inner desires. Through a chorus of unique voices, each struggling to tell their own kind of truth, a single authentic tale unfolds.

The Spinning Heart speaks for contemporary Ireland like no other novel. Wry, vulnerable, all-too human, it captures the language and spirit of rural Ireland and with uncanny perception articulates the words and thoughts of a generation. Technically daring and evocative of Patrick McCabe and J.M. Synge, this novel of small-town life is witty, dark and sweetly poignant.

Donal Ryan's brilliantly realized debut announces a stunning new voice in fiction.

©2012 Donal Ryan (P)2013 Steerforth Press LLC

Reseñas de la Crítica

"Irish author Ryan's debut takes readers to the 'heart' of hardscrabble life in Ireland in the era after the economic boom and bust of 2008. The novel received Book of the Year honors at the Irish Book Awards.... Reminiscent of Faulkner’s As I Lay Dying, this book gives readers a story—or rather stories—told from multiple perspectives, each chapter using a different voice. . . . Disturbing and unnerving but ultimately beautiful." ( Kirkus Reviews, starred review)

"The recession has hit rural Ireland, and 'the sky is falling down." Through 21 different voices, Donal Ryan's virtuoso debut novel pieces together a fractured portrait of a community in shock. . . . What is so special about Ryan's novel is that it seems to draw speech out of the deepest silences; the testimony of his characters rings rich and true – funny and poignant and banal and extraordinary – and we can't help but listen." ( The Guardian)

"Wayne Farrell's gifted voice and captivating Irish brogue are mesmerizing.... Farrell is so versatile that listeners may sometimes think they're hearing a full-cast recording.... There are times when a narrator enhances a book, and there are times like this when he makes it." ( AudioFile)

Outstanding!

Great listen. A tour through the Celtic Tiger aftermath reaching deep into the human condition.

Great talent

I thought the writing was excellent !
The narration was also excellent !
The story was good but depressing. I look forward to
reading his next book.
El

voices

I wish the narrating voice could be more in line with the different male and female characters. A bit confusing on the outstart.

Utterly, heartbreakingly brilliant

I was moved to tears half the time when I was reading this book. Listening to it was an even more shattering experience. It couldn't have been more perfectly narrated. Bravo.

A surprising book that builds like the tide

What did you love best about The Spinning Heart?

Each character is profiled and it builds into a mosaic that gradually becomes clear

What does Wayne Farrell bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

The narration perfectly complements the story, which is quite complex yet made simple by the narration.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

The end came too soon

Any additional comments?

Terrific book, if this is a first novel we can expect great things in the future.