Americans in conflicts, globally and in relationships; small town Ohio and its community.

At the centre of this utterly absorbing and tender book, set in Bonhomie, small town Ohio, and steeped in the experience of both the major wars of the twentieth century, and the later conflicts America was engaged in, specifically in Vietnam, are two sets of married couples, their parents, and their children.

Cal Jenkins, who works in his father-in-law’s hardware store wanted to enlist in the Second World War, but has one leg significantly shorter than the other. Various tragedies happened in his life. His father, Everett, is an elderly man, an alcoholic and an obsessive hoarder, passionately anti-war. Cal is married to Becky, an engaging and confident woman, who rather set her cap at Cal when they first met. Their marriage has been a good one, but Becky has a gift which has come between them. She is a psychic, and those who lost loved ones in war, particularly, but also from other reasons, come to Becky hoping to connect with them. Cal is not only a sceptic, but finds this disturbing and unseemly, even.

Margaret Salt is a rather mysterious woman with a complicated past, which she keeps well hidden. She was abandoned as a baby, and went through several experiences of unsatisfactory fostering, though the woman who ran the charity which tried to place abandoned children and orphans in foster homes, did provide a loving and supporting connection. Margaret and her husband Felix came fairly recently to Bonhomie, and Margaret mourns the big city they left. There are secrets, too between the Salts. Felix, handsome, successful and charismatic, has enlisted.

Ann Patchett, one of my favourite American authors has said Ryan is one of her favourite writers, and I absolutely understand why. I think readers who like Patchett or Ann Tyler will get on with Ryan.

Thank you to the publisher who offered me this thoroughly recommended book as an AEC, via NetGalley

Buckeye transported me to an era I never personally experienced, having been born in 1991. The story moves effortlessly from the days of World War II through the 1970s, weaving together decades of American history with grace and continuity. Through its pages, we follow the lives of ordinary Midwesterners, men and women chasing the elusive promise of the American Dream—while grappling with the unpredictable trials life places in their path.

The narrative is steeped in both hardship and humanity. It does not shy away from portraying pain, loss, and the quiet struggles that shape a person’s soul. Yet, within those same pages, there is a deep current of love, resilience, and hope; reminding us that a truly blessed life is not defined by the absence of challenges, but by the presence of meaning, connection, and gratitude.

Reading Buckeye felt like being invited into the living rooms, kitchens, and hearts of another time, where history is not just a backdrop, but a living force shaping every decision and every dream. It is both a poignant reflection on the past and a timeless meditation on what it means to endure, to love, and to keep reaching for something better.

this was a book to get involved with and characters you were going to do just that for. i really do love it when books do this kind of story well. following a group. following lives. and Patrick does this so well in his story.
we follow a group who live in a small town called Bonhomie.
all of the group have their quirks or issues. from living with the fact one man cant fight in the war. a woman who says she can talk to the dead.
we've got a woman who wonders why she was left, and where her roots might lie.
one man did infact serve in the war but his experience forever changed him, forever left its mark.
the arc is a brilliant one in this book and it lends itself perfectly to how much you feel involved and hooked to where Patrick takes us. because somehow something during the time of war leads to all these characters being important to each other. but again Patrick weaves it so we find out in his time and only then. but i was happy to do just that because the writing and story telling was just so on point. it was somehow heartening and warming but exciting all at the same time. and then somehow there in pages was sorrow, loss or the need to brace yourself.
i loved this book. and it was down to every element fitting together. the plot and then the writing of said plot and characters. it flowed off the pages in one seamless telling.

Spanning 40+ years in small town America, we meet some memorable and likeable characters, who leave us caring about what happens to them.

Starting at the outbreak (for the USA) of the second world war, right through to the end of the Vietnam war, we follow two families who are linked by chance, tragedy and love. It is an interesting historical context for a book and reading it will really take you to the place and the time. The impact of war in the 20th century is really well portrayed, including the grandfather so badly scared from his time in the trenches in WW1 through all the wars that followed.

This would make a really good book club read - as there is so much to discuss, with several moral dilemmas to debate and consider. Partick Ryan is such a good writer, and I definitely recommend this engaging and heartfelt read. Five stars from me. .

Set in a small town in the mid -west this novel spans WW11 and the Vietnam war and focuses on two interlinked families. Loves , lies, secrets and bigotry all feature heavily and many of the well padded out characters in the book all have to make life changing decisions that have great impact on themselves and extended family. These decisions can lead to abandonment and the characters’ anguish is well described. The futility of big wars is discussed and the terrible impact they have on ordinary citizens is a recurring theme.
Do not be put off by the fact that Becky is a seer and holds seances. There is no rubbishy psycho babble and this hobby of Becky is really just to show how bereft and in need of hope that many bereaved feel.
Thanks to NetGalley and Bloomsbury Publishing for the ARC

The history, particularly through the wars, of the twentieth century comes into focus through the lives of two couples and their families, Cal and Becky Jenkins and Felix and Margaret Salt. A chance encounter between Cal and Margaret at the end of the Second World War will reverberate through the years and affect all their lives in unexpected ways. Changes in attitudes to race, sexuality, parenthood, working life and education unfold within a story about love, grief and belonging. It took me a long time to get into this book and I considered abandoning it, but then once the back stories were completed and the narrative moved forward, I was drawn in and got hooked. The writing is lovely, the characters become people you have got to know and the author’s restrained but perceptive tone somehow emphasises the emotion and depth of feeling they go through. Definitely a grower.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC of Buckeye by Patrick Ryan This novel quietly drew me in and didn’t let go. Set across sixty years in a small Ohio town, Buckeye explores the lives of two families whose stories gently intertwine through time, touching on love, grief, forgiveness and the search for identity. The emotional depth of the characters was quietly explored.

The storyline captured the intimacy and complexity of small town life with a calm confidence. The historical sweep adds weight, but the real strength is in how he brings to life the everyday family dynamics, secrets, and the slow work of understanding the people closest to us. Thoughtful, layered and full of subtle insight. I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys character-driven fiction with heart.

“ The things that we love tell us what we are.”

“ Nothing is quite as maddening as being angry at people who lovingly understand your anger.”

Welcome to the town of Bonhomie- a small American town that has stories to tell.

Buckeye by Patrick Ryan is simply a brilliant human-driven emotional novel about the lives of two couples mainly told over a period of four decades.

This is the story of Cal and Becky and Margaret and Felix.This is a story of the joys, the challenges, the intricacies of relationships and the tragedies that befall everyone in their lives. ( The character of Everett, Carl’s father is a wonder)

It is also the story of two boys - Tom and Skip - the children whose worlds are impacted upon by the actions of the adults in their lives.

It would be easy to describe some of the plot but that would give away too much; this is a book to dive into and escape into the lives of others . Patrick Ryan captures the emotional fragility of all the characters - the happiness in single moments but also the things unsaid or never explored in life that indelibly leave their deep marks. The small details that describe scenes ,key events and individuals and are what make this novel so compelling

As will be said by many, if you like the work of Elizabeth Strout and Ann Tyler, then Buckeye is highly recommended but move comparisons aside Patrick Ryan has written a superb novel capturing the everyday of American life during the 1940s to the. 1970s. Weaving the impact of two wars - and the futility and damage of conflict - this is much more than simply a novel about the lives of the characters, this is an all-embracing story of love and humanity that we can all relate to.

Be prepared for an emotional journey that will hook you - not sentimental in any way- but should leave all readers reflecting upon about what is sometimes unsaid or said too late in life and the lasting impact .

Patrick Ryan has written a modern day classic .A triumph of a great American novel .

First and foremost I really enjoyed this book.
The book centres around Cal and Margaret both born in 1920 & 1918 respectively. Their stories start apart but begin to intertwine when they both finish up in the same small town.
Having gone through WW2 their lives become complicated after an affair whilst Margaret's husband is away in the Navy.
This is a rather bittersweet story but also a little thought provoking towards the end.
Well worth a read.

A fabulous novel. This could be described as a gentle story of family life in small town America in the immediate aftermath of World War 2. To do this though would be to underestimate the wonderful characters and the sheer depth of insight into the ramifications of a single mistake upon them all.

Set in small-town America from the 1940s to the 1970s, Buckeye is gentle yet passionate, epic yet small scale, and brisk yet poignant.

After a moment of madness, two families become inextricably and secretly linked forever.

Rules tell writers to stick to one viewpoint character, but this novel jumps gleefully and masterfully in and out of the heads of:

Cal – who deeply regrets being invalided out of war service;
Becky – Cal’s wife with a gift for speaking to the dead;
Skip – their lively, happy-go-lucky son;
Everett – Cal’s drunken father, who saw service in World War One and now writes to
every US president to tell them (rudely) to focus on peace.

Margaret – adopted into a comfortably-off family and craving love from her husband;
Felix – traumatised by his World War Two service and unable to show wife Margaret
affection and love;
Tom – their small, red-haired son, who becomes the accepting victim of playground
bullying until Skip takes him under his wing.

The writing sweeps along with touches of wry humour and magical realism. Only at the sixty per cent point is the word ‘buckeye’ mentioned and then not dwelt on. Yet, this is a tender moment that lands perfectly.

I felt shades of Kurt Vonnegut, Isabel Allende and even Armistead Maupin. The name check in the novel for James A. Michener’s Centennial was also apt. However, Patrick Ryan is a writer who knows his own voice and is at the top of his game with this well-written novel that obliquely deals with the trauma and futility of war in the guise of an endearing family saga. I will seek out other books by this author.

With thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an early copy in exchange for an independent review.
On publication I will this review on my blog, Amazon and NetGalley.

What a wonderful, wonderful book! I'm sat here with tears in my eyes having just lived vicariously through the lives of Cal, Becky, Felix and Margaret and their families. Buckeye is a proper family saga set in Ohio over the war years - WW2, Korea and Vietnam. The main characters are affected by the wars but also by homosexually, infidelity, abandonment, disability and bigotry. The writing weaves these topics into the narrative in such a skillful and touching way. The responses of the three different generations are written sympathetically and in a way that highlights societal changes over time. An absolutely excellent book that I can wholeheartedly recommend.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read an advance copy. All opinions are my own

Absolutely the best thing I've read so far this year and one of the best novels I've read in the past few years, I couldn't put it down and couldn't stop thinking about it when I had to. Such an incredibly rich portrait of both a set of characters and the time and place in which they grew up - my favourite character kept changing with the shifting perspectives as they are all so sympathetically drawn, even when not acting in sympathetic ways. I couldn't recommend this novel more and many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

Patrick Ryan's "Buckeye" is a masterful book, sweeping readers into the lives of two families from the eve of WWII through the aftermath of Vietnam.

Set in a charming small town in Ohio, the narrative centers on two young couples: Cal and Becky Jenkins, and Felix and Margaret Salt.

Cal Jenkins, born with a shorter leg, faces personal battles that keep him from the front lines of WWII, while his wife Becky possesses the ability to communicate with the dead, offering solace and guiding others towards forgiveness – a theme woven throughout the book. On the other side, Margaret Salt's early life in an orphanage, and her questions about her birth mother leading to her eventual independence. Felix Salt's harrowing experiences serving in the Navy during the war profoundly alter his life, adding another layer of complexity to the family saga.

A pivotal event during the war inextricably links these two families, setting in motion a series of revelations that will only fully unfold for most of them many years later. This central mystery provides an undercurrent to the unfolding story.

From the start, this book draws you in and immerses you in the setting and in the homes of the families. For people who enjoy character-driven books I highly recommend it.

Patrick Ryan is an award winning short story writer, so it's a surprise to see him tackle a lengthy novel about two couples across multiple decades and taking in much American history in its path. From the outset it is very clear Ryan enjoys working in miniature - some of the chapters here read like beautiful short stories in their own right - but the cumulative impact of these is that there becomes this sense of grandeur, almost epic quality to his story.

The setting is the small Ohio town of Bonhomie which Ryan sculpts beautifully on the page - I could see it's streets vividly - and he is very good on detailing these small town lives. His characters - Cal and Becky, Margaret and Felix - whose lives are entwined across the decades, are extremely well drawn and their stories engaging. It is a novel I read slowly, savouring the details. It is certainly a novel which drags you in and lets you wallow. I thoroughly enjoyed my time in Bonhomie.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for the ARC.

Whilst the scope of this novel is huge and sweeping, covering multiple generations and midwestern lifetimes, it is an incredibly intimate read. It’s not often one starts a novel and immediately you feel the pull to slow down as you want to savour every minute little detail about the exquisite characters we are introduced to. Patrick Ryan has created the most beautifully drawn, admirable and often utterly hilarious, quirky and yet totally realistic characters whom I instantly warmed to and was rooting for from the very start. Plot wise, the lives of Cal, Margaret, Felix and Becky, then become intricately entwined in a way that no one could perhaps have imagined - and I don’t want to add any spoilers here, but the connection is both devastating and beautiful.

There is a significant shift in the tone and content mid novel and I have to admit that at first it was rather disarming; I was concerned that it was changing in a way that dampened its joy and I became temporarily a little impatient. In reality, the novel has many deeper and more serious layers and I came to appreciate that this was adding to its depth and in the end, creating a multi layered novel, which I actually couldn’t admire more. I was so very sad to say goodbye to the characters and I’ll be dreaming of them all ,and the vivid imagery of Bonhomie, for some time.

Huge thanks to NetGalley for this utterly splendid read.

An excellent, nuanced and sophisticated read about two Midwestern families connected by secrets.
Then changes happen inside and outside, and our characters, their loved ones and their community face challenges and decisions.
This was very atmospheric and rich in its characterisation.
I felt sympathy towards most or the characters.
The time period (WWI to Vietnam War) was a great choice.

A true family saga, written with empathy, skill and a clear understating of what makes people tick. Spanning the period from WWII until beyond the end of the Vietnam War it follows the lives of two families, connected in ways that are known only to a few family members, and held tightly as secrets by those few. The timelines are easy to follow and each of the characters is very finely drawn, with their own story told with compassion and clarity. This novel follows in the great of Marilynne Robinson, Ann Patchett and Elizabeth Strout and holds its head high in such August company.

Buckeye takes place in the Ohio town of Bonhomie during WWII. Cal Jenkins is married to Becky who is a seer which means she can conjure the dead, helping families connect to those that have passed. In the aftermath of Allied victory in Europe, Cal and Margaret Salt come together in a moment of passion but Margaret’s husband is serving on a Navy cargo ship and may have perished. Bonhomie is a small town and secrets don’t say buried forever.

This is a character driven novel and it’s very easy to empathise with the characters. I particularly liked how this showed how one family could have experienced WWI, WWII and then the Vietnam War. I would definitely recommend this novel although I wasn’t a huge fan of the changes in POV. It felt a little disjointed but other than that this was an enjoyable story with a real impact. 3.5 stars.

Buckeye is a wonderful, sweeping, family saga. This is such an absorbing story about two Ohio families forever linked by a chance event. The written is exquisite, the characterisation is wonderful, and the imaginary is vivid. It’s everything I love from a book!