The Heart's Invisible Furies cover art

The Heart's Invisible Furies

Preview
LIMITED TIME OFFER

3 months free
Try for $0.00
Offer ends July 31, 2025 at 11:59PM PT.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
Premium Plus auto-renews for $14.95/month + applicable taxes after 3 months. Cancel anytime.

The Heart's Invisible Furies

Written by: John Boyne
Narrated by: Stephen Hogan
Try for $0.00

$14.95/month + applicable taxes after 3 months. Offer ends July 31, 2025 11:59PM PT. Cancel anytime.

Buy Now for $29.14

Buy Now for $29.14

Confirm purchase
Pay using card ending in
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and Amazon's Privacy Notice. Tax where applicable.
Cancel

About this listen

From the beloved New York Times best-selling author of The Boy in the Striped Pajamas, a sweeping, heartfelt saga about the course of one man's life, beginning and ending in postwar Ireland.

Cyril Avery is not a real Avery - or, at least, that's what his adoptive parents tell him. And he never will be. But if he isn't a real Avery, then who is he?

Born out of wedlock to a teenage girl cast out from her rural Irish community and adopted by a well-to-do if eccentric Dublin couple via the intervention of a hunchbacked Redemptorist nun, Cyril is adrift in the world, anchored only tenuously by his heartfelt friendship with the infinitely more glamorous and dangerous Julian Woodbead. At the mercy of fortune and coincidence, he will spend a lifetime coming to know himself and where he came from and - over his many years - will struggle to discover an identity, a home, a country, and much more.

In this, Boyne's most transcendent work to date, we are shown the story of Ireland from the 1940s to today through the eyes of one ordinary man. The Heart's Invisible Furies is a novel to make you laugh and cry while reminding us all of the redemptive power of the human spirit.

©2017 John Boyne (P)2017 Penguin Random House Canada
Coming of Age Fiction Genre Fiction Historical Fiction Literary Fiction Literature & Fiction Funny Heartfelt Witty Tearjerking

What the critics say

"By turns whimsical and heartbreaking, Boyne's sprawling novel treads Dickensian territory across seven decades of Irish history, ending with a redemption for both a country and a native son." (People)

"Bleak, bittersweet, and Irish to the bone...explore[s] the relationship between Catholicism and patriarchy in midcentury Ireland and beyond." (O, The Oprah Magazine)

What listeners say about The Heart's Invisible Furies

Average Customer Ratings
Overall
  • 5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    336
  • 4 Stars
    63
  • 3 Stars
    10
  • 2 Stars
    2
  • 1 Stars
    3
Performance
  • 5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    331
  • 4 Stars
    36
  • 3 Stars
    11
  • 2 Stars
    1
  • 1 Stars
    5
Story
  • 5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    315
  • 4 Stars
    55
  • 3 Stars
    8
  • 2 Stars
    3
  • 1 Stars
    2

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

5 Stars

Absolutely loved this book. It had me laughing constantly. The narrator was phenomenal. 5 stars.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Great epic tale

I truly enjoyed this book. Heartwarming and funny with an outstanding performance by Stephan Hogan. His different voices for the characters were so great, particularly for Mary Margret lol “that’s not my standard at all”

Highly recommend

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Great read!

This was a very engaging story! Well written and narrated! When I started the book, I was a bit concerned about how it would be to listen to a 21 hour story, but I was sorry when it ended. I would highly recommend this book.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Worth the 20 hours

I purchased this title based on the reviews only and it did not disappoint. I found myself smiling as I listened, as the humour is subtle and witty. It is a full circle book, that leaves you satisfied at the end. I find myself missing the characters now that I am finished listening to it. They were a part of my daily commute to work! Narration was amazing, which earns it 5 stars.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

deserves 6 stars!!

OMG what an amazing book (not to mention amazing performance). its been a while since I've read a book that has moved me so much. This is a gem. Don't hesitate to spend a credit on it. You'll laugh out loud and maybe even she'd a sentimental tear or two. Am so glad I read this.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Reads like a movie

I loved the narrator so much. He really made the story come alive. I didn't know much about this book before I started it. I enjoyed it immensely. I was moved, entertained, angered. I enjoyed stories that cover entire generations. And this story come together nicely. Did not disappoint!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

my favourite listen so far

loved it. The narration was excellent and the story line very touching and hit close to home for me. Very believable

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Enthralling and entertaining Irish drama

Right from the start this story drew me in and held me tight. Loved it.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Good Story (but has explicit content)

Overall, this was a good story. It kept me interested the whole way through. A few frustrating story points, and some of the sex scenes were too graphic for my taste.
It had a great ending, and was not what I was expecting.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Stunning

I am speechless. This is the most stunning, heart wrenching, gorgeous piece of writing I have ever read or listened to.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!