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Buckeye
Goodreads Choice Award
Nominee for Readers' Favorite Historical Fiction (2025)15 hours, 44 minutes
One town. Two families. A secret that changes everything.
“A small-town novel of epic proportions” (Tom Perrotta), this captivating story weaves the intimate lives of two midwestern families across generations, from World War II to the late twentieth century.
“I love this book with my entire heart.”—Ann Napolitano, New York Times bestselling author of Hello Beautiful
In Bonhomie, Ohio, a stolen moment of passion, sparked in the exuberant aftermath of the Allied victory in Europe, binds Cal Jenkins, a man wounded not in war but by his inability to serve in it, to Margaret Salt, a woman trying to obscure her past. Cal’s wife, Becky, has a spiritual gift: She is a seer who can conjure the dead, helping families connect with those they’ve lost. Margaret’s husband, Felix, is serving on a Navy cargo ship, out of harm’s way—until a telegram suggests that the unthinkable might have happened.
Later, as the country reconstructs in the postwar boom, a secret grows in Bonhomie—but nothing stays buried forever in a small town. Against the backdrop of some of the most transformative decades in modern America, the consequences of that long-ago encounter ripple through the next generation of both families, compelling them to reexamine who they thought they were and what the future might hold.
Sweeping yet intimate, rich with piercing observation and the warmth that comes from profound understanding of the human spirit, Buckeye captures the universal longing for love and for goodness.
One town. Two families. A secret that changes everything.
“A small-town novel of epic proportions” (Tom Perrotta), this captivating story weaves the intimate lives of two midwestern families across generations, from World War II to the late twentieth century.
“I love this book with my entire heart.”—Ann Napolitano, New York Times bestselling author of Hello Beautiful
In Bonhomie, Ohio, a stolen moment of passion, sparked in the exuberant aftermath of the Allied victory in Europe, binds Cal Jenkins, a man wounded not in war but by his inability to serve in it, to Margaret Salt, a woman trying to obscure her past. Cal’s wife, Becky, has a spiritual gift: She is a seer who can conjure the dead, helping families connect with those they’ve lost. Margaret’s husband, Felix, is serving on a Navy cargo ship, out of harm’s way—until a telegram suggests that the unthinkable might have happened.
Later, as the country reconstructs in the postwar boom, a secret grows in Bonhomie—but nothing stays buried forever in a small town. Against the backdrop of some of the most transformative decades in modern America, the consequences of that long-ago encounter ripple through the next generation of both families, compelling them to reexamine who they thought they were and what the future might hold.
Sweeping yet intimate, rich with piercing observation and the warmth that comes from profound understanding of the human spirit, Buckeye captures the universal longing for love and for goodness.
Audible Audio
First published September 2, 2025
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 18,162 reviews
September 19, 2025
These are always the hardest books to abandon - the ones that everyone else gives five stars to and you plough on against your better instincts, hoping you'll see the light soon! I think I knew from the first few pages that this just wasn't going to be quite for me, despite some amazing endorsements from lots of writers I love.
It was all a bit too twee for my liking. I didn't feel emotionally engaged with any of the 100 pages I read, and I couldn't find one character to care about. And all the 'I see dead people' stuff? No.
People will love this, and I'm almost sad to not be one of them.
It was all a bit too twee for my liking. I didn't feel emotionally engaged with any of the 100 pages I read, and I couldn't find one character to care about. And all the 'I see dead people' stuff? No.
People will love this, and I'm almost sad to not be one of them.
September 4, 2025
A sweeping story that starts in the 1920’s through to the 1970’s, in a town in the mid-west of Bonhomie, Ohio. A story of 2 couples whose lives become entangled.
We meet Cal who is symmetrically misaligned with his legs. Because of this, he is rejected from signing up for the war. Betsy, his wife, is a spiritual healer. She conducts seances to reach the dead to provide closure for her clients. But Cal doesn’t believe what she does is real and hence, a distance grows between them.
Then there is Margaret, who we meet, as a young baby orphaned by her birth mother. Felix, her spouse, is gay but he’s attempted to keep that life separate from theirs until he returns from the war and realizes how difficult the duality has become.
Two boys from each family develop a kindred spirit and become close friends. They become the glue that cements these families together.
Secrets and regrets the cornerstones to each of these characters.
Homosexuality; infidelity; identity; abandonment; grief; ultimately, forgiveness.
And time. A luxury we think we all have. Sometimes it seems to stretch out eternally; and at other times, its end is abrupt.
5⭐️
We meet Cal who is symmetrically misaligned with his legs. Because of this, he is rejected from signing up for the war. Betsy, his wife, is a spiritual healer. She conducts seances to reach the dead to provide closure for her clients. But Cal doesn’t believe what she does is real and hence, a distance grows between them.
Then there is Margaret, who we meet, as a young baby orphaned by her birth mother. Felix, her spouse, is gay but he’s attempted to keep that life separate from theirs until he returns from the war and realizes how difficult the duality has become.
Two boys from each family develop a kindred spirit and become close friends. They become the glue that cements these families together.
Secrets and regrets the cornerstones to each of these characters.
Homosexuality; infidelity; identity; abandonment; grief; ultimately, forgiveness.
And time. A luxury we think we all have. Sometimes it seems to stretch out eternally; and at other times, its end is abrupt.
5⭐️
September 18, 2025
2 1/2 * -- "It was okay, plus"
I can't put my finger on what it is, exactly, that draws me in and hooks me to some literary fiction and not others, but this was one of the "others." A character novel of families and marriages and love and strife and forgiveness: it should have been right up my alley, but I could not bring myself to care about any of the characters, so their trials and achievements failed to move me. Maybe because nobody in the novel displayed a shred of humor? Or the story's pacing, that seemed to be little more than this happened, then this happened, then this happened. As a side note, I also got a little annoyed at the way the narrative referenced events in U.S. history, as if the author felt compelled to check off little boxes for each one.
I can't put my finger on what it is, exactly, that draws me in and hooks me to some literary fiction and not others, but this was one of the "others." A character novel of families and marriages and love and strife and forgiveness: it should have been right up my alley, but I could not bring myself to care about any of the characters, so their trials and achievements failed to move me. Maybe because nobody in the novel displayed a shred of humor? Or the story's pacing, that seemed to be little more than this happened, then this happened, then this happened. As a side note, I also got a little annoyed at the way the narrative referenced events in U.S. history, as if the author felt compelled to check off little boxes for each one.
August 28, 2025
“The things that we love, tell us what we are.”
Buckeye paints a beautiful portrait of small-town America. Spanning from the 1930s through the 1980s, this multilayered, poignant tale had me captivated. The book touches on so many things: identity, loss, family, friends, and love.
Written with so much heart and tenderness, Buckeye is one of those remarkable stories that I will not be forgetting anytime soon. I loved each of the characters and Patrick wrote their flaws so beautifully. The characters are very dimensional and I loved how the author delved into their insecurities. Following them from childhood to adulthood, and even their children's lives, was such a delight.
I listened to the audiobook version which is read by the amazing Michael Crouch. If you decide to pick this one up, I highly recommend this format.
Buckeye by Patrick Ryan will be available on September 2. Many thanks to Penguin Random House Audio for the gifted audiobook!
Buckeye paints a beautiful portrait of small-town America. Spanning from the 1930s through the 1980s, this multilayered, poignant tale had me captivated. The book touches on so many things: identity, loss, family, friends, and love.
Written with so much heart and tenderness, Buckeye is one of those remarkable stories that I will not be forgetting anytime soon. I loved each of the characters and Patrick wrote their flaws so beautifully. The characters are very dimensional and I loved how the author delved into their insecurities. Following them from childhood to adulthood, and even their children's lives, was such a delight.
I listened to the audiobook version which is read by the amazing Michael Crouch. If you decide to pick this one up, I highly recommend this format.
Buckeye by Patrick Ryan will be available on September 2. Many thanks to Penguin Random House Audio for the gifted audiobook!
December 29, 2025
In a Nutshell: A character-driven epic historical family saga about four people whose lives become intricately connected. Decent character development, lyrical writing. Straightforward plot. Too much telling, too much secret-keeping. I think this fits under “The Great American Novel” category, which isn't a favourite genre of mine. This is an outlier opinion.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Plot Preview:
Bookish Yays:
🙇🏻♀️ Becky as a character. Quite a strong female main character for a historical fiction, independent in mind and spirit.
🙇🏻♀️ The portrayal of Cal’s disability and how it, though significant, isn't the be-all and end-all of his personality.
🙇🏻♀️ The two couple’s relationships. Quite interesting to do a compare-and-contrast of their circumstances. Explores the role of trust, insecurity, secrets, and shared pain.
🙇🏻♀️ The small-town setting. Put to good use.
🙇🏻♀️ Many deep quotes worth jotting down.
Bookish Okays:
🤷🏻♀️ The character development of the four leads. They are realistic and flawed, which I appreciate. But they are also somewhat drab. I wish at least one of them had a spark of joviality to offer a break from the monotony of gloom.
🤷🏻♀️ The writing structure. Character-driven, with the story divided across chunky sections coming from the third-person POV of various characters. I usually love this format, but the length of each section means that it takes a bit of time to adjust to the new perspective.
🤷🏻♀️ The length and pacing. Decent for a character-driven epic saga, but also a test of the patience, especially in a story where not much is happening on page and yet too much is happening in the background. The book is highly introspective with a lot of moping and mulling, but at no point was it gripping my attention.
🤷🏻♀️ Becky’s psychic abilities and the societal reactions to seances, superstitious beliefs, willingness to try the unconventional – all great. But despite it playing a strong role in Becky’s arc, the writing focusses only on the worldly side of seances and not the otherworldly aspects. This was really disappointing given what was indicated about Becky’s abilities.
🤷🏻♀️ This book fits what is called ‘The Great American Novel’. Plenty of US history and pop culture references to help us remember that the book is about (mostly) ordinary US citizens during extraordinary times. All well except that it goes overboard on the patriotism. I can see why it would resonate strongly with US readers, but I felt like I was being taken through a calendar-based checklist of key US historical events.
🤷🏻♀️ For a generational saga, the book does well with the first gen but not much for the next gen. I would have liked more details on the children whose lives were dictated by their parents’ connection.
Bookish Nays:
🤦🏻♀️ The ease with which the characters forgave infidelity immediately disconnected me from them. I am not that angel-hearted and a casual brushing aside of infidelity never works for me.
🤦🏻♀️ A multitude of themes within the arcs, none out-of-the-expected except for the half-baked seances. The ingredients of this novel are standard features of most family sagas. I wish there were more originality to this work.
🤦🏻♀️ The first half was decent enough but the second half lost me entirely with its OTT drama and unrealistic communication and unnecessary secrets.
🤦🏻♀️ I could have forgiven the above had the book had a strong ending. But the finale is surprisingly lacklustre for a saga. It does feel realistic in some ways, but for a book nearing 500 pages, it needed more smoothness than a rushed, abrupt culmination.
🎧 The Audiobook Experience:
The audiobook, clocking at 15 hrs 44 min, is narrated by Michael Crouch. While he does a commendable job, this book, with multi-character perspectives, needed multiple narrators. Having one narrator for each POV would have helped break the tedium of hearing only one voice for almost 16 audio hours. Further, two POVs were female, so their emotions would have sounded more convincing coming from a female narrator.
Overall, I did expect to like this book better, given how much acclaim it has been getting. Then again, almost all the enthusiasm comes from US reviewers. I might have felt the same had there been an epic saga set during India’s formative years. But to me, this novel went overboard on US history and underperformed on personal emotions and originality.
Recommended to saga-loving readers looking for the “Great American Novel.”
2.9 stars. (3.75 for the first half, 2 stars for the second half. Averaged.)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Connect with me through:
My Blog || The StoryGraph || Instagram || Facebook ||
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Plot Preview:
Bonhomie, Ohio. 1920s onwards till the 1980s.
Cal: Born with one leg shorter than the other; always self-conscious about not being serve during the war.
Becky: Cal’s wife; has a gift that enables her to communicate with spirits, but many consider her a sham.
Margaret: Trying her best to escape her painful past, but even a secure present isn't secure enough.
Felix: Has his reasons for marrying Margaret; serving with the navy during the war.
How are the two couples interconnected? What does fate have in store for them? We learn this and more through the third-person perspectives of all four characters in a story that spans decades.
Bookish Yays:
🙇🏻♀️ Becky as a character. Quite a strong female main character for a historical fiction, independent in mind and spirit.
🙇🏻♀️ The portrayal of Cal’s disability and how it, though significant, isn't the be-all and end-all of his personality.
🙇🏻♀️ The two couple’s relationships. Quite interesting to do a compare-and-contrast of their circumstances. Explores the role of trust, insecurity, secrets, and shared pain.
🙇🏻♀️ The small-town setting. Put to good use.
🙇🏻♀️ Many deep quotes worth jotting down.
Bookish Okays:
🤷🏻♀️ The character development of the four leads. They are realistic and flawed, which I appreciate. But they are also somewhat drab. I wish at least one of them had a spark of joviality to offer a break from the monotony of gloom.
🤷🏻♀️ The writing structure. Character-driven, with the story divided across chunky sections coming from the third-person POV of various characters. I usually love this format, but the length of each section means that it takes a bit of time to adjust to the new perspective.
🤷🏻♀️ The length and pacing. Decent for a character-driven epic saga, but also a test of the patience, especially in a story where not much is happening on page and yet too much is happening in the background. The book is highly introspective with a lot of moping and mulling, but at no point was it gripping my attention.
🤷🏻♀️ Becky’s psychic abilities and the societal reactions to seances, superstitious beliefs, willingness to try the unconventional – all great. But despite it playing a strong role in Becky’s arc, the writing focusses only on the worldly side of seances and not the otherworldly aspects. This was really disappointing given what was indicated about Becky’s abilities.
🤷🏻♀️ This book fits what is called ‘The Great American Novel’. Plenty of US history and pop culture references to help us remember that the book is about (mostly) ordinary US citizens during extraordinary times. All well except that it goes overboard on the patriotism. I can see why it would resonate strongly with US readers, but I felt like I was being taken through a calendar-based checklist of key US historical events.
🤷🏻♀️ For a generational saga, the book does well with the first gen but not much for the next gen. I would have liked more details on the children whose lives were dictated by their parents’ connection.
Bookish Nays:
🤦🏻♀️ The ease with which the characters forgave infidelity immediately disconnected me from them. I am not that angel-hearted and a casual brushing aside of infidelity never works for me.
🤦🏻♀️ A multitude of themes within the arcs, none out-of-the-expected except for the half-baked seances. The ingredients of this novel are standard features of most family sagas. I wish there were more originality to this work.
🤦🏻♀️ The first half was decent enough but the second half lost me entirely with its OTT drama and unrealistic communication and unnecessary secrets.
🤦🏻♀️ I could have forgiven the above had the book had a strong ending. But the finale is surprisingly lacklustre for a saga. It does feel realistic in some ways, but for a book nearing 500 pages, it needed more smoothness than a rushed, abrupt culmination.
🎧 The Audiobook Experience:
The audiobook, clocking at 15 hrs 44 min, is narrated by Michael Crouch. While he does a commendable job, this book, with multi-character perspectives, needed multiple narrators. Having one narrator for each POV would have helped break the tedium of hearing only one voice for almost 16 audio hours. Further, two POVs were female, so their emotions would have sounded more convincing coming from a female narrator.
Overall, I did expect to like this book better, given how much acclaim it has been getting. Then again, almost all the enthusiasm comes from US reviewers. I might have felt the same had there been an epic saga set during India’s formative years. But to me, this novel went overboard on US history and underperformed on personal emotions and originality.
Recommended to saga-loving readers looking for the “Great American Novel.”
2.9 stars. (3.75 for the first half, 2 stars for the second half. Averaged.)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Connect with me through:
My Blog || The StoryGraph || Instagram || Facebook ||
March 17, 2026
i need like 15 more of this style of book IMMEDIATELY. adored this
September 6, 2025
This is an emotionally poignant and beautifully written novel that follows two families through four decades living in the fictional small town of Bonhomie, Ohio.
Set against the backdrop of both World War ll and the Vietnam war.
Secrets don’t stay private in a small town.. and there is a big one here.
Great characters that I will certainly continue to think about.
I really enjoyed this one!
Set against the backdrop of both World War ll and the Vietnam war.
Secrets don’t stay private in a small town.. and there is a big one here.
Great characters that I will certainly continue to think about.
I really enjoyed this one!
November 4, 2025
Life is fragile and complicated and finite as we already know. Life happens and may not always be what we hope for . Babies are abandoned, or born with physical deformities, or born with special gifts that not everyone believes in , or are born as someone they have to hide from the world. Ryan does an amazing job of illustrating how these circumstances of his characters made them in many ways who they were. But he also portrays how it’s so much more than fate that determines our identity. It’s also the consequences of actions, our own and of those around us, consequences of the times, the events happening that shape who we are. Through a story that spans decades from before WWII to after the Vietnam war, life happens to two families who are forever connected by all of these things. The effects of war, grief, abandonment, infidelity, alcoholism, the unacceptability at that time of homosexuality are themes of this story . But mostly it’s about how no matter what, it’s love and forgiveness that can get us through it. Beautifully done . Highly recommended.
October 5, 2025
This book just didn’t work for me. It was a mile wide and an inch deep. The characters felt very surface level and there was so much telling instead of showing. Honestly, I was bored for most of it, and I would have DNF’d if it wasn’t a book club read.
December 22, 2025
5-star read!!! this book was so unique and beautifully written omg 😭 i’m so happy i snuck this in before the end of the year. it is worth the hype my friends!!
to me this felt like a mix of Kristin Hannah books and The Great Believers by Rebecca Makkai. idk don’t ask!
this is a historical fiction spanning across two major wars following characters that were EXTREMELY flawed yet easy to root for. idk how the author did that????!!! seriously nearly everyone made major errors and lack of judgement calls and yet it was so uniquely human and just beautifully done. if you like family drama and character driven novels, this is for you.
it’s a bit emo but i loved every second of it. at no point in the story did i ever guess where this was going… what a ride! another epic pick from @readwithjenna 👏🏼 would not have been on my radar without her choosing this book and those are low key my faves!
i did an audio + physical combo and loved both. prob loved the audio a bit more bc i like the narrator’s other work (one is the great believers lol!)
bravo!!!!! worth the read for sure—it’s long but moves very quick and hooked me right away.
to me this felt like a mix of Kristin Hannah books and The Great Believers by Rebecca Makkai. idk don’t ask!
this is a historical fiction spanning across two major wars following characters that were EXTREMELY flawed yet easy to root for. idk how the author did that????!!! seriously nearly everyone made major errors and lack of judgement calls and yet it was so uniquely human and just beautifully done. if you like family drama and character driven novels, this is for you.
it’s a bit emo but i loved every second of it. at no point in the story did i ever guess where this was going… what a ride! another epic pick from @readwithjenna 👏🏼 would not have been on my radar without her choosing this book and those are low key my faves!
i did an audio + physical combo and loved both. prob loved the audio a bit more bc i like the narrator’s other work (one is the great believers lol!)
bravo!!!!! worth the read for sure—it’s long but moves very quick and hooked me right away.
August 5, 2026
This was a beautifully written story that follows 2 families whose lives intertwine in messy but powerful ways. A very strong character study book - we dive into grief, sacrifice, forgiveness and more over the span of 50 or so years - as the world experiences hardships caused by war.
Buckeye did so much within these 430 pages. We saw as war brought out the bad in people - racism, hate, anger. But also how it brought out this sense of community, and how some people felt called to support one another in such different ways.
We also followed characters who all felt pressured to live their lives in very specific ways due to societal expectations, but because they weren't fully living in alignment with what they truly desired - they acted out. Which then led them to feel this unshakeable inner conflict between guilt & happiness, all the while knowing that they do love the partners they've chosen... but maybe just not enough, or maybe the wrong way.
I do think as the book went on, the middle to end portion dragged on for a bit too long. It did also start feeling too birds-eye-view time montage-esque for me to fully enjoy, and I feel like these parts broke my immersion and connection to the characters a bit.
All in all, a beautiful read. Reminded me a bit of The Women by Kristin Hannah in the sense that we not only followed these characters as they suffered hardships through war, but also the aftermath of a war, bringing attention to the lack of aftercare that existed for those that had faced so much trauma.
Buckeye did so much within these 430 pages. We saw as war brought out the bad in people - racism, hate, anger. But also how it brought out this sense of community, and how some people felt called to support one another in such different ways.
We also followed characters who all felt pressured to live their lives in very specific ways due to societal expectations, but because they weren't fully living in alignment with what they truly desired - they acted out. Which then led them to feel this unshakeable inner conflict between guilt & happiness, all the while knowing that they do love the partners they've chosen... but maybe just not enough, or maybe the wrong way.
I do think as the book went on, the middle to end portion dragged on for a bit too long. It did also start feeling too birds-eye-view time montage-esque for me to fully enjoy, and I feel like these parts broke my immersion and connection to the characters a bit.
All in all, a beautiful read. Reminded me a bit of The Women by Kristin Hannah in the sense that we not only followed these characters as they suffered hardships through war, but also the aftermath of a war, bringing attention to the lack of aftercare that existed for those that had faced so much trauma.
September 27, 2025
Small Town Fiction at Its Finest...
In Bonhomie, Ohio, two couples, Cal and Becky Jenkins, and Felix and Margaret Salt, have entangled their lives, beginning with a chance meeting that led to an impulsive moment of passion...
Buckeye begins with intense backstories of these four main characters starting several decades before WWII, and continues into the 1980s.
* Cal can't enlist in the fight overseas. This rejection stings.
* Becky is a seer connecting clients to lost loved ones.
* Felix enlists in the Navy and safely serves on a cargo ship.
* Margaret keeps secrets from her past buried deep within.
I found Margaret and Felix's relationship more interesting and complicated in the first half. In the second half, Cal and Becky's relationship takes on new layers and tones. What relationship isn't more complex at some point in a marriage?
The 450+ page count surprised me, but well into the story, it didn't drag, and I wasn't distracted. I wanted to spend more time with these characters, and perhaps read more about what would come with the next generation.
An immersive reading experience; the audiobook is narrated by Michael Crouch, whose narration is steady. However, there is little distinction between the narrator’s gender voicing, causing it to sound muddled more often than not. This book would have been a perfect candidate for a multi-cast narration.
Buckeye is the first book I've read by Patrick Ryan. I'll be checking into his backlist and paying attention to what's new in the future. I re-read the final chapter before starting my review, and cried just as much as I did the first time. FYI—tissues may be necessary while reading this book!
5⭐
Thank you to Random House Publishing Group - Random House and Patrick Ryan for the gifted DRC through NetGalley. This is my honest and voluntary review.
In Bonhomie, Ohio, two couples, Cal and Becky Jenkins, and Felix and Margaret Salt, have entangled their lives, beginning with a chance meeting that led to an impulsive moment of passion...
Buckeye begins with intense backstories of these four main characters starting several decades before WWII, and continues into the 1980s.
* Cal can't enlist in the fight overseas. This rejection stings.
* Becky is a seer connecting clients to lost loved ones.
* Felix enlists in the Navy and safely serves on a cargo ship.
* Margaret keeps secrets from her past buried deep within.
I found Margaret and Felix's relationship more interesting and complicated in the first half. In the second half, Cal and Becky's relationship takes on new layers and tones. What relationship isn't more complex at some point in a marriage?
The 450+ page count surprised me, but well into the story, it didn't drag, and I wasn't distracted. I wanted to spend more time with these characters, and perhaps read more about what would come with the next generation.
An immersive reading experience; the audiobook is narrated by Michael Crouch, whose narration is steady. However, there is little distinction between the narrator’s gender voicing, causing it to sound muddled more often than not. This book would have been a perfect candidate for a multi-cast narration.
Buckeye is the first book I've read by Patrick Ryan. I'll be checking into his backlist and paying attention to what's new in the future. I re-read the final chapter before starting my review, and cried just as much as I did the first time. FYI—tissues may be necessary while reading this book!
5⭐
Thank you to Random House Publishing Group - Random House and Patrick Ryan for the gifted DRC through NetGalley. This is my honest and voluntary review.
September 15, 2025
Because of the flood of five-star reviews on Goodreads, my FOMO kicked in and I quickly picked up Patrick Ryan’s Buckeye.
The novel opens with a single, electrifying moment: the news breaks that the Allies have triumphed in Europe, and in the small town of Bonhomie, Ohio, hardware store manager Cal impulsively kisses Margaret, a beautiful woman in the shop. That kiss—fleeting, reckless, and unforgettable—sets in motion a chain of events that alters the course of two families. Cal is married to Becky, while Margaret’s husband, Felix, is serving in the Navy. What begins as passion in a crowded store evolves into decades of consequences.
In an NPR interview, Ryan revealed that the inspiration came from a family secret: his grandmother had a long-running affair in her Ohio town. This sparked his meditation on secrecy—how much energy it takes to preserve a lie, the damage secrecy can cause compared to the original act, and the complicated questions around forgiveness. When is it too late to confess? When is it more harmful to reveal than conceal?
From that kiss, Ryan traces the intertwined lives of four central figures: Margaret Salt and her husband Felix, Cal and his wife Becky. He portrays them with compassion and nuance—deeply flawed yet achingly human.
The novel sweeps from WWII through the end of the Vietnam War, capturing both historical upheaval and the textures of everyday life: avocado-green telephones, shag carpeting, Pet Rocks, CB radios, telegrams, and songs like Nights in White Satin woven into the narrative.
At its core, Buckeye is about identity, belonging, and the role of forgiveness in family life. Secrets—between spouses, parents, and children—shape destinies as much as wars or social change.
This is a sweeping saga of two families across three decades, a work of realistic fiction that feels intimate and universal at once. Patrick Ryan has written a novel that is sure to appear on “Best of 2025” lists.
I listened to the audio, which was expertly narrated. It's a journey of a story, which makes it perfect for the audio format.
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December 2, 2025
Buckeye, the new novel by Patrick Ryan, is a sweeping small-town saga, focusing on the drama of ordinary lives.
Set in the quiet (fictitious) small town of Bonhomie, Ohio, Buckeye tells the story of the Jenkins and Salt families, whose lives become forever intertwined after an impulsive kiss, celebrating the Allied victory in Europe during World War II.
It follows the two families from the postwar years, through Vietnam, and into the 1980s.
Ryan sprinkles details throughout of the styles and practices that governed the decades of the mid-20th century: fashions, home furnishings, careers, military service, the institution of marriage, and the art of homemaking.
Much like life, Ryan doesn’t shy away from the messiness, but he also shows the tenderness that exists underneath.
Fans of Pulitzer Prize-winning author Elizabeth Strout and her novels (raises hand) will connect with Buckeye and might recognize pieces of their own lives, like the parent who means well but doesn’t always get it right or the awkward tension that lingers during family gatherings.
Even if you didn’t grow up in Ohio like I did, even if your family history looks different, the emotions Ryan explores are universal: the longing to belong, the pain of feeling misunderstood, the strange pull of the past.
It’s not a flashy novel. It doesn’t rely on big reveals or shocking twists.
Instead, Buckeye offers something rarer: a mirror held up to the ordinary struggles and quiet triumphs that shape our lives.
Not every book needs a world-ending threat or a shocking plot twist.
Sometimes the most powerful stories are the ones that force us to look at ourselves in new ways.
Set in the quiet (fictitious) small town of Bonhomie, Ohio, Buckeye tells the story of the Jenkins and Salt families, whose lives become forever intertwined after an impulsive kiss, celebrating the Allied victory in Europe during World War II.
It follows the two families from the postwar years, through Vietnam, and into the 1980s.
Ryan sprinkles details throughout of the styles and practices that governed the decades of the mid-20th century: fashions, home furnishings, careers, military service, the institution of marriage, and the art of homemaking.
Much like life, Ryan doesn’t shy away from the messiness, but he also shows the tenderness that exists underneath.
Fans of Pulitzer Prize-winning author Elizabeth Strout and her novels (raises hand) will connect with Buckeye and might recognize pieces of their own lives, like the parent who means well but doesn’t always get it right or the awkward tension that lingers during family gatherings.
Even if you didn’t grow up in Ohio like I did, even if your family history looks different, the emotions Ryan explores are universal: the longing to belong, the pain of feeling misunderstood, the strange pull of the past.
It’s not a flashy novel. It doesn’t rely on big reveals or shocking twists.
Instead, Buckeye offers something rarer: a mirror held up to the ordinary struggles and quiet triumphs that shape our lives.
Not every book needs a world-ending threat or a shocking plot twist.
Sometimes the most powerful stories are the ones that force us to look at ourselves in new ways.
December 30, 2025
Where do I start? Yes, this was a good book with a great storyline. The writing was superb, and the characters are all very memorable. But yet, I didn’t love this book like everyone else did. I really enjoyed it, but it started to drag on. I think if this book was trimmed down by 100 pages, it would have been perfect (for me). This is a good story, but because it spans out over decades, it is quite long.
This book is very popular right now, and very highly rated- so I won’t go into too much detail about what the story is about. I will say there are several characters in this story, but two that held my attention the most, and the two that I enjoyed reading the most about were Margaret and Cal.
Margaret is an orphan, who finds her way to the small town of Bonhomie, Ohio when she marries the handsome Felix. Cal, was born and raised in Bonhomie, and is often left feeling sorry for himself because he was born with one leg shorter than the other.
We learn of the War going on, people’s paths crossing in Bonhomie, family secrets, marriages and infidelity. There were many things that held my interest, but as I stated, I think his book was too lengthy.
All in all, this was a good read- just not one of my favorites. However, many others have truly loved this book, so maybe I just wasn’t in the mood for this right now.
This was my December, 2025 BOTM pick.
(3.5 stars)
This book is very popular right now, and very highly rated- so I won’t go into too much detail about what the story is about. I will say there are several characters in this story, but two that held my attention the most, and the two that I enjoyed reading the most about were Margaret and Cal.
Margaret is an orphan, who finds her way to the small town of Bonhomie, Ohio when she marries the handsome Felix. Cal, was born and raised in Bonhomie, and is often left feeling sorry for himself because he was born with one leg shorter than the other.
We learn of the War going on, people’s paths crossing in Bonhomie, family secrets, marriages and infidelity. There were many things that held my interest, but as I stated, I think his book was too lengthy.
All in all, this was a good read- just not one of my favorites. However, many others have truly loved this book, so maybe I just wasn’t in the mood for this right now.
This was my December, 2025 BOTM pick.
(3.5 stars)
August 2, 2025
Waterstones fiction book of the month September 2026
“ 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, Ann Patchett 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 .
“ 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, Ann Patchett 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 .
September 2, 2025
"One town. Two families. A secret that changes everything."
“A small-town novel of epic proportions” (Tom Perrotta), this captivating story weaves the intimate lives of two Midwestern families across generations, from World War II to the late twentieth century."
So much love for this book and can't wrap my mind around this debut without all the emotions spilling out. Well-worth the slow build and descriptors of every flawed but lovable character. It encircles the small towns of America with average people experiencing love, loss and forgiveness. The characters are fully fleshed out with their hopes and challenges. They suffered betrayal, but found forgiveness in the process of over 40 years. A small kiss between two strangers tentacles into consequences that reach generations.
In Bonhomie, Ohio, Cal and Becky Jenkins & Felix and Margaret Salt are entwined in a remarkable story, connecting and disconnecting them in everyday life moments. You can't miss this opportunity to see how one kiss can be endearing and misunderstood. Capturing moments from WWII through the Vietnam war, and how it brought these people together, which would leave a trail of guilt.
Outstanding writing and so much heart and love went into it. Thank you NetGalley and Random House for this outstanding ARC.
“A small-town novel of epic proportions” (Tom Perrotta), this captivating story weaves the intimate lives of two Midwestern families across generations, from World War II to the late twentieth century."
So much love for this book and can't wrap my mind around this debut without all the emotions spilling out. Well-worth the slow build and descriptors of every flawed but lovable character. It encircles the small towns of America with average people experiencing love, loss and forgiveness. The characters are fully fleshed out with their hopes and challenges. They suffered betrayal, but found forgiveness in the process of over 40 years. A small kiss between two strangers tentacles into consequences that reach generations.
In Bonhomie, Ohio, Cal and Becky Jenkins & Felix and Margaret Salt are entwined in a remarkable story, connecting and disconnecting them in everyday life moments. You can't miss this opportunity to see how one kiss can be endearing and misunderstood. Capturing moments from WWII through the Vietnam war, and how it brought these people together, which would leave a trail of guilt.
Outstanding writing and so much heart and love went into it. Thank you NetGalley and Random House for this outstanding ARC.
February 23, 2026
I really enjoyed this one- 4 ⭐️
Buckeye is a sweeping yet intimate family saga set in the small Ohio town of Bonhomie, tracing two couples—and their intertwined lives—across four decades starting right after WWII.
What begins as a single, impulsive moment of connection on V-E Day slowly unspools into marriages, quiet regrets, shifting loyalties, and the everyday rhythms of small-town America. The story feels both epic in scope and deeply personal, following the ripple effects of choices that no one can fully take back.
It’s sad and messy in the most human, recognizable way—full of flawed people stumbling through love, duty, desire, and disappointment. Secrets hang over everything, shaping relationships in subtle but profound ways, and the novel captures how those hidden truths weigh on the next generation.
I felt so bad for Tom (Buckeye) his confusion, vulnerability, and the way the adults’ complicated lives press down on him really gutted me. His pain lingered long after I closed the book.
Ryan’s writing is tender and sharply observant without ever feeling flashy or melodramatic. He nails the quiet emotional weight of ordinary moments—the small kindnesses, the growing distances, the attempts to hold a family together amid change and loss. It’s the kind of character-driven story that sneaks up on you, rich with empathy for imperfect lives.
If you love multi-generational sagas that explore longing, hidden truths, resilience this one is worth checking out.
I did the majority of this one on audio and it’s fantastic! Great narration!
*
*
⋆✴︎˚｡⋆ Connect with me on Instagram ˗ˏˋ★‿︵‧ ˚ ₊⊹
Buckeye is a sweeping yet intimate family saga set in the small Ohio town of Bonhomie, tracing two couples—and their intertwined lives—across four decades starting right after WWII.
What begins as a single, impulsive moment of connection on V-E Day slowly unspools into marriages, quiet regrets, shifting loyalties, and the everyday rhythms of small-town America. The story feels both epic in scope and deeply personal, following the ripple effects of choices that no one can fully take back.
It’s sad and messy in the most human, recognizable way—full of flawed people stumbling through love, duty, desire, and disappointment. Secrets hang over everything, shaping relationships in subtle but profound ways, and the novel captures how those hidden truths weigh on the next generation.
I felt so bad for Tom (Buckeye) his confusion, vulnerability, and the way the adults’ complicated lives press down on him really gutted me. His pain lingered long after I closed the book.
Ryan’s writing is tender and sharply observant without ever feeling flashy or melodramatic. He nails the quiet emotional weight of ordinary moments—the small kindnesses, the growing distances, the attempts to hold a family together amid change and loss. It’s the kind of character-driven story that sneaks up on you, rich with empathy for imperfect lives.
If you love multi-generational sagas that explore longing, hidden truths, resilience this one is worth checking out.
I did the majority of this one on audio and it’s fantastic! Great narration!
*
*
⋆✴︎˚｡⋆ Connect with me on Instagram ˗ˏˋ★‿︵‧ ˚ ₊⊹
September 7, 2025
Stunning work of literature. 📕
“What is it about time that confounds us? We spend it. We save it. We while it away. We kill it. We complain about not having enough of it; or having too much of it on our hands. We regret what we’ve done with it. We give it away. We want it back. We say “time and time again” when something is bothering us “it’s time” when something is supposed to end….all we should ever want of time is more of it.”
At 448 pages it is rare to say I didn’t want this to end. This was such a character driven novel that I wasn’t ready to say good-bye to the people I had come to love and others loathe.
War, grief, sexuality and family. This book encapsulates small town living with all that entails. The impact that war has on family and the deep seated PTSD which was so eloquently written about. In a small town, the need to hide from our own true selves as there is no such thing as a closeted secret.
….And yet, there was a secret. A secret that was held onto for far too long.
I think this would be an amazing bookclub pick. There are so many moral dilemmas, parenting issues and general topics that would make for excellent discussion.
A definitive all-time favourite book for me. I can see why this book is creating such a buzz. 🐝
“What is it about time that confounds us? We spend it. We save it. We while it away. We kill it. We complain about not having enough of it; or having too much of it on our hands. We regret what we’ve done with it. We give it away. We want it back. We say “time and time again” when something is bothering us “it’s time” when something is supposed to end….all we should ever want of time is more of it.”
At 448 pages it is rare to say I didn’t want this to end. This was such a character driven novel that I wasn’t ready to say good-bye to the people I had come to love and others loathe.
War, grief, sexuality and family. This book encapsulates small town living with all that entails. The impact that war has on family and the deep seated PTSD which was so eloquently written about. In a small town, the need to hide from our own true selves as there is no such thing as a closeted secret.
….And yet, there was a secret. A secret that was held onto for far too long.
I think this would be an amazing bookclub pick. There are so many moral dilemmas, parenting issues and general topics that would make for excellent discussion.
A definitive all-time favourite book for me. I can see why this book is creating such a buzz. 🐝
November 9, 2025
Patrick Ryan's Buckeye absolutely tore my heart out. There were numerous instances throughout where I felt compelled to pause and reflect on some of the regrettable decisions I have also made over the years, and how they have impacted the trajectories of those I love. These dynamic, emotionally powerful and authentic characters wouldn't allow for anything less from me.
Narrator Michael Crouch has never shined higher. Many thanks for the stunningly moving performance.
Narrator Michael Crouch has never shined higher. Many thanks for the stunningly moving performance.
August 27, 2025
4.75 stars “Wise and heartbreaking” (Ann Napolitano), this captivating epic weaves the intimate lives of two Midwestern families across generations, from World War II to the late twentieth century."
This sweeping saga is an intimate portrait of two families in the small town of Bonhamie, Ohio, set against the backdrop of WWII, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War. It follows the families over a period of forty years. You learn of their hopes and dreams, their talents, their challenges, and insecurities. We learn everything about the Salt and Jenkins families over the years and how they are inextricably linked together. The character development is flawless. You know each and every character completely, including their motivations and flaws.
This is literary fiction at its finest. Fully fleshed out characters, intimate moments, raw emotions, and thought-provoking pearls of wisdom woven throughout the novel. Themes of love and loss, grief and forgiveness, parent-child relationships, motivation, ambition, betrayal, and misunderstanding are superbly explored. This is a highly character driven novel that can move slowly at times so be aware of that. For fans of literary fiction, this is a must-read. Highly recommended by Ann Patchett, Ann Napolitano, and Chris Whitaker.
Many thanks to NetGalley, Random House, and Patrick Ryan for an advance reader's copy in exchange for my honest review.
This sweeping saga is an intimate portrait of two families in the small town of Bonhamie, Ohio, set against the backdrop of WWII, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War. It follows the families over a period of forty years. You learn of their hopes and dreams, their talents, their challenges, and insecurities. We learn everything about the Salt and Jenkins families over the years and how they are inextricably linked together. The character development is flawless. You know each and every character completely, including their motivations and flaws.
This is literary fiction at its finest. Fully fleshed out characters, intimate moments, raw emotions, and thought-provoking pearls of wisdom woven throughout the novel. Themes of love and loss, grief and forgiveness, parent-child relationships, motivation, ambition, betrayal, and misunderstanding are superbly explored. This is a highly character driven novel that can move slowly at times so be aware of that. For fans of literary fiction, this is a must-read. Highly recommended by Ann Patchett, Ann Napolitano, and Chris Whitaker.
Many thanks to NetGalley, Random House, and Patrick Ryan for an advance reader's copy in exchange for my honest review.
October 10, 2025
4.5 ⭐️
Audiobook was fantastic!
I think going into this book blindly is only going to elevate the experience. This is a very complicated World War II era, family drama, where we move through several different decades of choices and decisions which then follow consequences and forgiveness. It’s one of those books that I knew I would gravitate to because of the family drama genre, and the simple fact that this shows such human nature and the rawness of how difficult life can be for someone. I really loved the audiobook and thought it was a great story to listen to. It wasn’t challenging to follow, but only magnified my connection to these characters and the family and all of the different events that occurred throughout this chunk of time. I thought the author handled a lot of difficult topics in such a delicate and beautiful and relatable way. My only hangup is, I thought there could’ve been a little bit of editing because the middle felt a little drawn on.
Audiobook was fantastic!
I think going into this book blindly is only going to elevate the experience. This is a very complicated World War II era, family drama, where we move through several different decades of choices and decisions which then follow consequences and forgiveness. It’s one of those books that I knew I would gravitate to because of the family drama genre, and the simple fact that this shows such human nature and the rawness of how difficult life can be for someone. I really loved the audiobook and thought it was a great story to listen to. It wasn’t challenging to follow, but only magnified my connection to these characters and the family and all of the different events that occurred throughout this chunk of time. I thought the author handled a lot of difficult topics in such a delicate and beautiful and relatable way. My only hangup is, I thought there could’ve been a little bit of editing because the middle felt a little drawn on.
January 18, 2026
I’m between 3 and 4 stars!
This is a quietly powerful yet somber story that lingers long after the final page. Every choice the four main characters make ripples forward, shaping several lives in ways that can’t be undone.
At its heart, this is a story of guilt, compassion, understanding, remorse, and the hard truth that the past can’t be fixed, only accepted. The emotional weight is constant, and by the end, I felt more sad than comforted.
While I admired the craft behind this book, I didn’t love it as much as I expected to. Because the story spans decades, it occasionally felt stretched, and the pacing dragged for me in places. I found myself wishing the story had been more tightly edited, with subtle touches of levity woven in to balance its heaviness.
Overall, this is a well-written, impactful book that will resonate deeply with many readers, even if it didn’t completely win me over!
This is a quietly powerful yet somber story that lingers long after the final page. Every choice the four main characters make ripples forward, shaping several lives in ways that can’t be undone.
At its heart, this is a story of guilt, compassion, understanding, remorse, and the hard truth that the past can’t be fixed, only accepted. The emotional weight is constant, and by the end, I felt more sad than comforted.
While I admired the craft behind this book, I didn’t love it as much as I expected to. Because the story spans decades, it occasionally felt stretched, and the pacing dragged for me in places. I found myself wishing the story had been more tightly edited, with subtle touches of levity woven in to balance its heaviness.
Overall, this is a well-written, impactful book that will resonate deeply with many readers, even if it didn’t completely win me over!
October 16, 2025
“Buckeye”, by Patrick Ryan
5 brilliant stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
What a delightful surprise this book was! The storytelling is superb!
Thanks to my GR friends for bringing this book to my attention.
This was a terrific break from crime fiction.
It’s a sweeping, character-driven story that explores American life across multiple decades through the interwoven lives of two families between 1920 and the 80’s.
What really pleased me was the storytelling, which was so compelling and so clear, especially when taking into consideration that there were not a lot of dialogues.
The writing was simple and straightforward and the development of the story (although slow, but far from boring) was not overly dramatic, with a good timeline structure.
The characters are very sad but are also deeply sympathetic and realistic, and I was completely immersed in their stories. I felt very attached to them.
I praised the author for describing casual sex encounters without the need for creating steamy scenes, and also for avoiding stereotypes of gay characters.
Themes of forgiveness, reconciliation, and the enduring impact of the past are central to the narrative.
If you are looking for a book of action then this is not the one.
Terrific work of fiction!
Excerpt: “What is it about time
that confounds us? We spend it. We save it. We while it away. We waste it. We kill it. We complain about not having enough of it, or about having too much of it on our hands. We regret what we've done with it. We give it away. We want it back. We say "time and again" when something is bothering us and "it's time" when something is supposed to end. Felix saw it so clearly: all we should ever want of time is more of it. Life was so simple when it was reduced to the barest of necessities: more time; more air; more Duke Ellington.”
Hardcover (Random House): 464 pages
5 brilliant stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
What a delightful surprise this book was! The storytelling is superb!
Thanks to my GR friends for bringing this book to my attention.
This was a terrific break from crime fiction.
It’s a sweeping, character-driven story that explores American life across multiple decades through the interwoven lives of two families between 1920 and the 80’s.
What really pleased me was the storytelling, which was so compelling and so clear, especially when taking into consideration that there were not a lot of dialogues.
The writing was simple and straightforward and the development of the story (although slow, but far from boring) was not overly dramatic, with a good timeline structure.
The characters are very sad but are also deeply sympathetic and realistic, and I was completely immersed in their stories. I felt very attached to them.
I praised the author for describing casual sex encounters without the need for creating steamy scenes, and also for avoiding stereotypes of gay characters.
Themes of forgiveness, reconciliation, and the enduring impact of the past are central to the narrative.
If you are looking for a book of action then this is not the one.
Terrific work of fiction!
Excerpt: “What is it about time
that confounds us? We spend it. We save it. We while it away. We waste it. We kill it. We complain about not having enough of it, or about having too much of it on our hands. We regret what we've done with it. We give it away. We want it back. We say "time and again" when something is bothering us and "it's time" when something is supposed to end. Felix saw it so clearly: all we should ever want of time is more of it. Life was so simple when it was reduced to the barest of necessities: more time; more air; more Duke Ellington.”
Hardcover (Random House): 464 pages
September 28, 2025
Secrets and lies will never die. They live inside you and shape your future if you let them.
People scarred for life with events that they had little or no control over. There was Margaret, a character that was hard to understand, left by her mother as an infant in a basket of a girl's home. She could never get over the fact of abandonment and her behaviors reflected her yearning for love. However, love was not something she could find or even give.
Cal Jenkins, a man burdened by a birth defect in his leg, and feeling sorrow for not being able to serve his country in WW 2. For a brief time, he finds a bit of semi happiness but that results in a secret he delays revealing until the very worse happens. Cal's wife is a seer, she can perceive the dead and as her reputation spreads, she and Cal drift further apart.
Felix, Margaret's husband does serve on a cargo ship during the war, but when tragedy happens, Felix finally comes to the realization of what he is, a secret he was so ashamed of he never considered sharing it until that special someone came along.
The story touches one's heart while people struggle to come to terms in the aftermath of tragedy, desertion, and the turbulent times after the war in a small town in Ohio.
Can they find peace within themselves to overcome a lifetime of secrets?
People scarred for life with events that they had little or no control over. There was Margaret, a character that was hard to understand, left by her mother as an infant in a basket of a girl's home. She could never get over the fact of abandonment and her behaviors reflected her yearning for love. However, love was not something she could find or even give.
Cal Jenkins, a man burdened by a birth defect in his leg, and feeling sorrow for not being able to serve his country in WW 2. For a brief time, he finds a bit of semi happiness but that results in a secret he delays revealing until the very worse happens. Cal's wife is a seer, she can perceive the dead and as her reputation spreads, she and Cal drift further apart.
Felix, Margaret's husband does serve on a cargo ship during the war, but when tragedy happens, Felix finally comes to the realization of what he is, a secret he was so ashamed of he never considered sharing it until that special someone came along.
The story touches one's heart while people struggle to come to terms in the aftermath of tragedy, desertion, and the turbulent times after the war in a small town in Ohio.
Can they find peace within themselves to overcome a lifetime of secrets?
September 20, 2025
The ultimate Great American Novel.
"Wasn’t it a fair measure of a person, what they did with their mistakes? How they managed to stumble into some of the right steps, after taking all the wrong ones?"
On the heels of Nazi Germany’s surrender to the Allied forces in 1945, signifying the beginning of the end of World War II, a single encounter between a man and a woman in the small town of Bonhomie, Ohio, alters the course of both of their lives and those of their families. Cal Jenkins, a man haunted not by war but by his shame of not serving in it, and Margaret Salt, a woman whose husband is stationed in the Pacific, share a fleeting moment that reverberates for generations. What follows is a sweeping saga tracing the Jenkinses and Salts across five decades, from Cal and Margaret’s respective childhoods to their marriages and the moment when their lives first intersect in May of 1945, and onward to the births and lives of their children. Spanning more than five decades, this tender novel chronicles love and betrayal, marriage and divorce, compromise and heartbreak, grief and healing so vividly and heartbreakingly that I never wanted to leave Bonhomie.
"Buckeye" is, quite simply, extraordinary. From the very first pages, I fell in love with Bonhomie and its people. Author Patrick Ryan renders his protagonists - Cal, Margaret, and their extended families - with such tenderness and precision that they felt like family, crafting a novel full of lyrical prose that captures both the sweep of history and the intimacy of private heartbreak, as emotionally poignant as it is compulsively readable.
Set against the backdrop of much of the 20th century, from the 1920s to the 1970s, "Buckeye" perfectly embodies the spirit and complexity of the American experience in a time of unrest and technological advances. It doesn’t just tell a story about two families, it channels the spirit and contradictions of America itself. It’s a novel about mistakes and second chances, about the ways we stumble through love and loss, and about time: how we waste it, wish for it, and above all, long for more of it.
"What is it about time that confounds us? We spend it. We save it. We while it away. We waste it. We kill it, or complain about not having enough of it, or having too much of it on our hands. We regret what we’ve done with it. We give it away. We want it back. We say "time and time again" when something is bothering us and "it’s time" when something is supposed to end. Felix saw it so clearly: all we should ever want of time is more of it."
Oh, how I wish I’d had more time with these characters. "Buckeye" is the kind of book I’ll buy for my shelf, revisit again and again, and press into the hands of anyone looking for the next Great American Novel.
All the stars - this is easily my favorite book of 2025 so far.
Many thanks to Random House Publishing Group for providing me with a digital copy of this wonderful book via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.
"Buckeye" was published on September 2, 2025, and is available now.
"Wasn’t it a fair measure of a person, what they did with their mistakes? How they managed to stumble into some of the right steps, after taking all the wrong ones?"
On the heels of Nazi Germany’s surrender to the Allied forces in 1945, signifying the beginning of the end of World War II, a single encounter between a man and a woman in the small town of Bonhomie, Ohio, alters the course of both of their lives and those of their families. Cal Jenkins, a man haunted not by war but by his shame of not serving in it, and Margaret Salt, a woman whose husband is stationed in the Pacific, share a fleeting moment that reverberates for generations. What follows is a sweeping saga tracing the Jenkinses and Salts across five decades, from Cal and Margaret’s respective childhoods to their marriages and the moment when their lives first intersect in May of 1945, and onward to the births and lives of their children. Spanning more than five decades, this tender novel chronicles love and betrayal, marriage and divorce, compromise and heartbreak, grief and healing so vividly and heartbreakingly that I never wanted to leave Bonhomie.
"Buckeye" is, quite simply, extraordinary. From the very first pages, I fell in love with Bonhomie and its people. Author Patrick Ryan renders his protagonists - Cal, Margaret, and their extended families - with such tenderness and precision that they felt like family, crafting a novel full of lyrical prose that captures both the sweep of history and the intimacy of private heartbreak, as emotionally poignant as it is compulsively readable.
Set against the backdrop of much of the 20th century, from the 1920s to the 1970s, "Buckeye" perfectly embodies the spirit and complexity of the American experience in a time of unrest and technological advances. It doesn’t just tell a story about two families, it channels the spirit and contradictions of America itself. It’s a novel about mistakes and second chances, about the ways we stumble through love and loss, and about time: how we waste it, wish for it, and above all, long for more of it.
"What is it about time that confounds us? We spend it. We save it. We while it away. We waste it. We kill it, or complain about not having enough of it, or having too much of it on our hands. We regret what we’ve done with it. We give it away. We want it back. We say "time and time again" when something is bothering us and "it’s time" when something is supposed to end. Felix saw it so clearly: all we should ever want of time is more of it."
Oh, how I wish I’d had more time with these characters. "Buckeye" is the kind of book I’ll buy for my shelf, revisit again and again, and press into the hands of anyone looking for the next Great American Novel.
All the stars - this is easily my favorite book of 2025 so far.
Many thanks to Random House Publishing Group for providing me with a digital copy of this wonderful book via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.
"Buckeye" was published on September 2, 2025, and is available now.
August 13, 2025
This is going to be the generational trauma novel of the fall. It is Ohio's Forrest Gump, without the grandiosity.
Imagine you are looking at an American history book from around 1920-1976. Then zoom into Ohio, then a town of 6,000 people called Bonhomie. Then zoom further onto two interconnected families. Cal Jenkins was exempt from military service because one leg is longer than the other. He marries local girl Becky Hanover, who soon discovers a special gift. Margaret Anderson was an abandoned infant who grows up in a girls' orphanage. She is happy to marry Felix Salt, although they barely know each other, and soon he is off to war.
“Is the future knowable? Will our older selves be anything like our younger selves thought we would be? We can only find out by writing it down and then putting it out of our minds and letting life take its course. The unraveling of time should be mysterious, don’t you think?”
Sweeping long periods of time, this descriptive book hits on most major historical events and how they may be experienced by small town white America. If it has any faults, it is probably a bit nostalgic, but those moments are always followed by a reality of the time that leaves this reader grateful to have been born later. Several songs are mentioned that keep me moving along with the Jenkins and Salt families. Every storyline is sandwiched within the context of American history.
In many ways, it is the story of every midwestern town. The story explores patriotism, duty, honor, and what makes a family. Cal's father Everett often writes letters to the current president expressing his dissatisfaction, these letters make me wonder what my great grandfather would have written.
The characters are far from perfect, with the possible exception of Becky, they are flawed and afraid to be who they are meant to be. I think the characters will stay with me for a long time.
For fans of Long Island Compromise, The Celebrants, Same As it Ever Was, and Blue Sisters.
Here is my Hollywood Cast
Cal- Adam Driver
Felix- Jeremy Allen White
Becky- Anne Hathaway
Margaret- Emma Stone
Everett- Tom Hanks
I think it is high time to ask if you have noticed that the ones who do the talking in war are never the ones who do the dying?
Thanks to NetGalley and Random House for the ARC. Book to be published September 2, 2025.
Imagine you are looking at an American history book from around 1920-1976. Then zoom into Ohio, then a town of 6,000 people called Bonhomie. Then zoom further onto two interconnected families. Cal Jenkins was exempt from military service because one leg is longer than the other. He marries local girl Becky Hanover, who soon discovers a special gift. Margaret Anderson was an abandoned infant who grows up in a girls' orphanage. She is happy to marry Felix Salt, although they barely know each other, and soon he is off to war.
“Is the future knowable? Will our older selves be anything like our younger selves thought we would be? We can only find out by writing it down and then putting it out of our minds and letting life take its course. The unraveling of time should be mysterious, don’t you think?”
Sweeping long periods of time, this descriptive book hits on most major historical events and how they may be experienced by small town white America. If it has any faults, it is probably a bit nostalgic, but those moments are always followed by a reality of the time that leaves this reader grateful to have been born later. Several songs are mentioned that keep me moving along with the Jenkins and Salt families. Every storyline is sandwiched within the context of American history.
In many ways, it is the story of every midwestern town. The story explores patriotism, duty, honor, and what makes a family. Cal's father Everett often writes letters to the current president expressing his dissatisfaction, these letters make me wonder what my great grandfather would have written.
The characters are far from perfect, with the possible exception of Becky, they are flawed and afraid to be who they are meant to be. I think the characters will stay with me for a long time.
For fans of Long Island Compromise, The Celebrants, Same As it Ever Was, and Blue Sisters.
Here is my Hollywood Cast
Cal- Adam Driver
Felix- Jeremy Allen White
Becky- Anne Hathaway
Margaret- Emma Stone
Everett- Tom Hanks
I think it is high time to ask if you have noticed that the ones who do the talking in war are never the ones who do the dying?
Thanks to NetGalley and Random House for the ARC. Book to be published September 2, 2025.
October 16, 2025
Yes! Yes! YES!!!! So darned good!😲
There's no point repeating what other reviewers have said, so check out the many wonderful reviews for this really excellent and very worthwhile story here: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2...
5 “There's–no–such–thing–as–fun–for–the–whole–family” stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
LBC 2025: Book 6
There's no point repeating what other reviewers have said, so check out the many wonderful reviews for this really excellent and very worthwhile story here: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2...
5 “There's–no–such–thing–as–fun–for–the–whole–family” stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
LBC 2025: Book 6
August 31, 2025
Two strangers meet have an innocent kiss as they hear of the end of World WarII. So the story begins in a small town in Ohio.
Cal Jenkins was unable to serve in WWII because of one of his legs was shorter than the other. He marries Becky who becomes a spiritualist, who can communicate with the dead.
We meet Margaret who had a very difficult childhood going from one foster family to another.
She marries Felix Salt who serves in the Navy. She receives a telegram that her husband’s ship has been attacked in the Philippines.
This is a sweeping novel of two families facing the turmoil of two wars and dealing with everyday life.
Beautifully written with well developed characters. This story will just draw you in to the atmosphere of a small town. It is a captivating story of love, loss and grief.
This story will stay with you for a long time.
Thank you to Random House and NetGalley for this advanced readers copy.
Cal Jenkins was unable to serve in WWII because of one of his legs was shorter than the other. He marries Becky who becomes a spiritualist, who can communicate with the dead.
We meet Margaret who had a very difficult childhood going from one foster family to another.
She marries Felix Salt who serves in the Navy. She receives a telegram that her husband’s ship has been attacked in the Philippines.
This is a sweeping novel of two families facing the turmoil of two wars and dealing with everyday life.
Beautifully written with well developed characters. This story will just draw you in to the atmosphere of a small town. It is a captivating story of love, loss and grief.
This story will stay with you for a long time.
Thank you to Random House and NetGalley for this advanced readers copy.
February 6, 2026
"The things we love tell us who we are."
Buckeye is about the Salt and Jenkins families who live in Ohio and the intimate, secretive way their lives intertwine. Cal Jenkins was born with asymmetrical legs, so he is unable to fight in World War II. He marries Becky. She has a unique gift and can communicate with the spirits of dead people. Her abilities attract the attention of many people, but Cal doesn't really believe in her unique spiritual abilities. Cal and Becky have a son, Skip.
Margaret Salt is married to Felix. Felix is fighting in World War II. Thrilled when the war ends, Margaret unexpectedly kisses Cal in celebration. One thing leads to another.....
Buckeye is a small-town saga spread over many decades that peeks inside the lives of those who have become entangled.
Buckeye is about the Salt and Jenkins families who live in Ohio and the intimate, secretive way their lives intertwine. Cal Jenkins was born with asymmetrical legs, so he is unable to fight in World War II. He marries Becky. She has a unique gift and can communicate with the spirits of dead people. Her abilities attract the attention of many people, but Cal doesn't really believe in her unique spiritual abilities. Cal and Becky have a son, Skip.
Margaret Salt is married to Felix. Felix is fighting in World War II. Thrilled when the war ends, Margaret unexpectedly kisses Cal in celebration. One thing leads to another.....
Buckeye is a small-town saga spread over many decades that peeks inside the lives of those who have become entangled.
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