I love a gnarly family saga and this is that in spades. Great characters and a real sense of them as living people. This starts out looking at the lives of Cal and Becky, Margaret and Felix and how their marriages and lives intertwine, sometimes for good and sometimes by messy accident. The time line covers from the start of the Second World War to the end of Vietnam and war and its after effects are the catalyst for a lot of what happens to the characters. It was really easy to immerse myself in this book and I really enjoyed it. The only sadness I had was that towards the end of the book I felt that pushing through the years rather than investing in the characters became the main driver and some of the nuance and detail was lost along the way, but otherwise I loved it.

That was hardcore! Heavy and emotional but impressive and packs a real punch. Feel I have just gone seven rounds with the literary equivalent of Mike Tyson. I will need to rest before I pick up another book.

A rather sad.story of two marriages in America from just before World War Two through The Vietnam War. The families become interwoven mainly through lack of communications. A very involving read.

Two families in small town America - during World War 2 there is an affair with far reaching consequences. An interesting read, it still amazes me that the Vietnam draft was televised on a Saturday night - can you imagine sitting down to watch that?
The plot and characters are enjoyable, it is a little flabby round the middle which mean t that I did have to work at finishing it - although I am glad that I did.

Patrick Ryan's novel sits up there with the beautifully crafted novels of Elizabeth Strout and Ann Patchett, and, for me, there is no greater compliment.
Set in Bonhomie, a small town in, I feel, the Midwest,Buckeye follows two families over the course of over forty years.These years are bookmarked by two wars, the Second World War and Vietnam. Each war contains seismic personal events for both families, the first sowing the seeds of tragedy which bloom in the second.
Tolstoy's famous quote on families, that each unhappy family is unhappy in it's own way, is perfectly illustrated in the lives of Cal, Bernie and Skip and Margaret, Felix and Tom, the eponymous Buckeye. ( That he is the eponymous character is only unveiled more than half way through the story!)
Written with such sensitivity and gentle understanding, this is a novel which involves the reader from the opening page right up to the turning of the final one.
No character is anything other than flawed, but each character truly tries to do their best in life, and every character is nuanced and draws in our sympathy and understanding.
There is undoubtedly closure as the novel draws to a close, but there is no saccharine happy ending, and that is one of the strengths of this , potentially, Great American Novel.
I am grateful to NetGalley and Bloomsbury for an earc of this novel which was a great pleasure to read and review.

This was a novel that revealed its storyline quietly and slowly in a family saga that spans two generations in small town America, spanning World War II and the end of the Vietnam War. It's novel with vividly drawn characters, all with their own motivations, wants and desires. And it's the desires that come to haunt them - is it better to keep a secret or, faced with living proof that desire has happened, come clean an face the repercussions? And if you do come clean, is there ever a right time to do it?
It was beautifully written in parts, and reminded me of the novel, Stoner. It had me thinking for several days afterwards about the consequences of reckless acts and repressed feelings, which has to be a good thing in a novel.
I enjoyed the first and third parts but struggled with the middle, hence giving it three stars.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for an advance review copy of Buckeye.

This is a gentle, character-driven read set in Midwest America between WW2 and the Vietnam war.. Patrick Ryan gives the reader room to absorb and contemplate the characters and the history which he unspools beautifully. People make decisions which resound down through the generations and you are a witness to the resulting story. A lovely, thought-provoking book.

A beautiful, unusual writing style which swept me along through the years and lives of the ordinary, flawed characters, keeping me enthralled and committed to their stories. Spanning the years before and after WW2 and then taking us along to the Korean and finally the Vietnam wars, the atmosphere and prejudices of the times is so beautifully described, I felt I was along for the journey. Character led, atmospheric with its major themes of forgiveness and loss and complicated grief, I enjoyed every minute of this beautifully written thought-provoking novel.

An interesting quiet read following two families in Ohio with all their ups and downs whilst becoming unexpectedly intertwined. Set between the two wars along with during WW2 and finishing just post the Vietnam war. Good diverse characters covering a multitude of issues throughout.

An enthralling and moving study of two families from the interwar years to the tailend of the Vietnam war. Whilst it takes a wee while to get going, I was soon completely wrapped up in the story and by the end frequently had tears in my eyes.
A compelling mix of social commentary, family drama, war, sexuality, and the bonds that bind family and friends together. Quite beautiful.

This is a book that covers so much ground, so much history, so many complex situations, but seems to do so effortlessly. Characters, relationships, plot - everything hangs together. Even in the most harrowing situations, and I am thinking particularly of the sinking of the ship, the language is simple, toned down, and I think that is its power. A superbly accomplished novel.

Buckeye is a quietly absorbing story of two Ohio families whose lives are linked forever by a chance event in 1945. It's a clever juxtaposition of the ordinary dramas of people in a small town and the crushing impacts of the 20th century's wars. I like that Ryan avoids the more obvious and sensational outcomes and the way he gives the characters - and the reader - room to breathe. I'm still reflecting on the decisions of one character in particular. A book to savour.

This novel spanned several wars and managed to cover family strife, affairs, divorce, death, child abandonment and homosexuality.

The characters were simply drawn but with a definite slant: Cal with his leg impairment, Becky with her spiritualism, Margaret the orphan, Felix with his sexuality, Everett with his hoarding. It is a novel where nothing much happens for most of the time, so to write that many pages is quite an achievement!

It reminded me of 11.22.63 by Stephen King and Stoner by John Williams. It had that sprawling flow to it that didn't seem to want to end, without ever really getting any storyline completed through the years. I personally found the pace too slow and barren, but I'm probably not the target market.

I completed the novel and had to stop and think about what the overriding message was. Probably that life is too short to carry regrets?!

Absolutely loved Patrick Ryan’s Buckeye! What a rich, emotional ride. It’s filled with family secrets, tangled love stories, and the kind of historical depth that makes you feel like you’ve lived through generations. Each character felt so real, and I was constantly amazed at everything they endured—personal losses, sweeping historical events, heartbreak, healing. And somehow, they always managed to keep going. We need more books that capture the resilience of everyday lives like this. So thankful for Patrick Ryan and this beautiful, layered story.

Good old fashioned storytelling in what is so far my favourite book of the year. A war, secrets and lies cause issues down the line.

Acclaimed short story writer Patrick Ryan’s debut novel follows two families, linked by a devastating secret, over forty decades beginning in the 1940s.
Cal was born with a disability that makes him ineligible to serve in the war, enduring the usual cruelties dished out by schoolchildren. Becky had also been the subject of derision thanks to her claims to hear the dead. No earth-shattering bolt of lightning makes these two fall for each other but their friendship leads to marriage, and eventually a son. On VE day, a beautiful redhead walks into the family hardware store asking Cal for a radio. They listen to the news together, Margaret so delighted that she kisses him. It’s some time before she has news of her husband, presumed missing, who returns carrying a grief he can’t talk about. When Margaret tells him she’s pregnant, Felix has the hope of the family life he’s buried so much to attain.
The story of these two families plays out against the background of great social change, exploring themes of family, sexuality, infidelity, love and forgiveness with a perceptive compassion and a touch of gentle humour. War is an underlying background hum – the ruinous effects on those left behind, on those who go to war and the ones that come home unable or unwilling to talk about it. Often doorstoppers make me feel desperate to cut swathes from them but Ryan’s impressive powerful novel kept me engrossed throughout.