Listen to a sample
The Spinning Heart
- Author
- Donal Ryan
- Narrator
- various
- Publisher
- Transworld
- Publish Date
- 8 August 2024
- Run Time
- 4 hours 44 minutes
- Format
- Audiobook
Not available in your country
We don't have the rights to sell this audiobook where you are. If it's already in your library you can still listen to it in My Books.
What to expect
Brought to you by Penguin.
Winner of the Guardian First Book Award 2013
Shortlisted for the Dublin IMPAC Literary Award 2014
Longlisted for the Man Booker Prize 2013
Winner of Book of the Year at the Irish Book Awards 2012
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.
'Funny, moving and beautifully written' EDNA O'BRIEN
'Filled with light and shade, love and tragedy ... if it was a song you could sing it' ANNE ENRIGHT
'Donal Ryan is the real deal ... a brilliantly realised, utterly resonant state-of-the-nation landscape' SUNDAY INDEPENDENT
'I can't imagine a more original, more perceptive or more passionate work than this. Outstanding' JOHN BOYNE
'It's furious, it's moving, it's darkly funny, it punches you right in the gut' NEW YORK TIMES
© Donal Ryan 2012 (P) Penguin Audio 2024
Critics Review
-
There’s a powerful sense of place and shared history binding Ryan’s many voices, their inner and outer selves, distilling a linguistic richness comparable to Under Milk Wood. . . . 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
-
[A] beguiling debut. … This may be the work of a debut novelist, but it is one who reads plenty and knows his business. … His salty, damaged characters give voice to the anger and heartache of a town snared by Ireland’s collapse. For this, we are in his debt.
The Sunday Times
-
Donal Ryan’s prism of life and lives is compellingly humane. … This is an exciting, relevant and believable contemporary novel about the lost and the wounded that listens to the present without discarding either the sins of the fathers or the literary legacy of the past.
The Irish Times
-
Funny, moving and beautifully written
See more reviews See fewer reviews
-
Donal Ryan is the real deal … A brilliantly realised, utterly resonant state-of-the-nation landscape
Sunday Independent
-
Filled with light and shade, love and tragedy ... if it was a song you could sing it
-
A formidable debut, with snatches of the savage comedy of Patrick McCabe and a wistful cadence all its own.
Daily Telegraph
-
Powerful and affecting . . . [a] superb, unforgettable and topical debut.
The Times
-
Funny, moving, technically inventive … Structurally the novel gestures to William Faulkner’s As I Lay Dying, while Ryan’s sensitive observations on Irish life seem responsive to the work of his compatriot Patrick McCabe. That Ryan does not look out of place in such literary company is a measure of his achievement.
Financial Times
-
I was hugely impressed by The Spinning Heart. There will be many novels which explore the effect of the crash on the people of Ireland but I can't imagine a more original, more perceptive or more passionate work than this. Outstanding.
User Reviews
No reviews yet.
Details
- Author
- Donal Ryan
- Narrator
- various
- Duration
- 4 hours 44 minutes
- Release Date
- 8 August 2024
- ISBN
- 9781529945164
- Format
- Audiobook
- Publisher
- Transworld
- Genre
- Modern and contemporary fiction: literary and general, Family life fiction / Stories about family, Narrative theme: sense of place, Narrative theme: coming of age
Synopsis
Brought to you by Penguin. Winner of the Guardian First Book Award 2013Shortlisted for the Dublin IMPAC Literary Award 2014Longlisted for the Man Booker Prize 2013Winner of Book of the Year at the Irish Book Awards 2012In 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.'Funny, moving and beautifully written' EDNA O'BRIEN'Filled with light and shade, love and tragedy ... if it was a song you could sing it' ANNE ENRIGHT'Donal Ryan is the real deal ... a brilliantly realised, utterly resonant state-of-the-nation landscape' SUNDAY INDEPENDENT'I can't imagine a more original, more perceptive or more passionate work than this. Outstanding' JOHN BOYNE'It's furious, it's moving, it's darkly funny, it punches you right in the gut' NEW YORK TIMES© Donal Ryan 2012 (P) Penguin Audio 2024
About xigxag
xigxag is an independent, UK-based audiobook platform and the UK's only B Corp certified audiobook company. We offer nearly 150,000 audiobooks, all with professional human narration. No AI-generated voices. xigxag is rated an Ethical Consumer Best Buy for audiobooks and a top-rated ethical bookshop.
There is no subscription. You buy the audiobooks you want, you own them permanently, and prices start at $13.95. The more you listen over the year, the less you pay per book, and there is always a selection in Listen for Less from $7.95. You can also send audiobooks as gifts using our audiobook gift cards or in-app gifting.
Every audiobook on xigxag has honest reviews covering both the book and the narration, and our community features make it easy to share what you are listening to, discover what others recommend, and find your next listen.
Download or stream on iOS, Android, or in your browser. Browse the full catalogue at xigxag.co.uk.