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Hearts & Bones: Love Songs for Late Youth
Hearts and Bones is a book about relationships. It explores what love does to us, and how we survive it.
First-time lovers make mistakes; brothers and sisters try to forgive one another; and parents struggle and fail and struggle again. Teenage souls are swayed by euphoric faith in a higher power and then by devotion to desire, trapped between different notions of what might be true. Quiet revolutions happen in living rooms, on river banks, in packed pubs and empty churches, and years later we wonder why we ever did the things we did.
Set between Ireland and London in the first two decades of this millennium, the stories in Hearts and Bones , Niamh Mulvey's debut collection, look at the changes that have torn through these times and ask who we are now that we’ve brought the old gods down. Witty, sharply observed and deeply moving, these ten stories announce an extraordinary new Irish literary talent.
First-time lovers make mistakes; brothers and sisters try to forgive one another; and parents struggle and fail and struggle again. Teenage souls are swayed by euphoric faith in a higher power and then by devotion to desire, trapped between different notions of what might be true. Quiet revolutions happen in living rooms, on river banks, in packed pubs and empty churches, and years later we wonder why we ever did the things we did.
Set between Ireland and London in the first two decades of this millennium, the stories in Hearts and Bones , Niamh Mulvey's debut collection, look at the changes that have torn through these times and ask who we are now that we’ve brought the old gods down. Witty, sharply observed and deeply moving, these ten stories announce an extraordinary new Irish literary talent.
224 pages, Hardcover
Published June 23, 2022
62 people are currently reading
6184 people want to read
About the author
Niamh Mulvey
2 books46 followersNiamh Mulvey is from Kilkenny, Ireland, and is now based in South London. Her short fiction has been published in The Stinging Fly, Banshee and Southword and has been shortlisted for the Seán O’Faoláin Prize for Short Fiction 2020.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 215 reviews
September 25, 2022
Having read these 10 stories over the course of a few months, I now struggle to remember what many of them were about. If there’s an overarching theme, it’s (young) women’s relationships. “My First Marina,” about a teenager discovering her sexual power and the potential danger of peer pressure in a friendship, is similar to the title story of Milk Blood Heat by Dantiel W. Moniz. In “Mother’s Day,” a woman hopes that a pregnancy will prompt a reconciliation between her and her estranged mother. In “Childcare,” a girl and her grandmother join forces against the mum/daughter, a would-be actress. “Currency” is in the second person, with the rest fairly equally split between first and third person. “The Doll” is an odd one about a ventriloquist’s dummy and repeats events from three perspectives.
I had two favourites: “Feathers” and “Good for You, Cecilia.” In the former, a woman rethinks her relationship with her boyfriend when the 2010 volcanic eruption restricts her to his French flat and she gets chatting with his cleaner. In the latter, a mother and daughter go to watch their daughter/sister’s dance recital in Dublin and witness the fall of a statue of St. Cecilia in a church they stop into. These are all matter-of-fact, somewhat detached stories set in European cities over the last decade or so. None of the protagonists particularly emotionally engaged me with their plights. Overall, this felt reminiscent of Wendy Erskine’s work, but not as original or powerful.
I had two favourites: “Feathers” and “Good for You, Cecilia.” In the former, a woman rethinks her relationship with her boyfriend when the 2010 volcanic eruption restricts her to his French flat and she gets chatting with his cleaner. In the latter, a mother and daughter go to watch their daughter/sister’s dance recital in Dublin and witness the fall of a statue of St. Cecilia in a church they stop into. These are all matter-of-fact, somewhat detached stories set in European cities over the last decade or so. None of the protagonists particularly emotionally engaged me with their plights. Overall, this felt reminiscent of Wendy Erskine’s work, but not as original or powerful.
February 18, 2022
I flew through this book of short stories. I found each one intriguing and engaging with a simple but evocative prose that created some truly beautiful moments. I couldn’t put it down!
The book consists of 11 short stories, taking place mostly between Ireland and London, with a brief sojourn in provincial Southern France. They are all about the intricacies of relationships, with others and ourselves, and are told by narrators that vary in age, gender and social background.
The thing that links them all though, is Mulvey’s reflections on the fragility of reality and truth. The characters all feel disconnected in some way from what they deem reality, and there is a performativity in the way that they love, grieve, and even fear for their loved ones. 10 year old Julia in ‘Childcare’ feels that she ‘has no centre’ and ‘is not a real girl;’ Dar in ‘The Doll’ needs to feel real objects when he feels himself retreating into his own head; the narrator of ‘My First Marina’ struggles to separate the performative aspects of her grief from the reality of it.
The stories also touch upon the impossibility of truly knowing someone, or the truth of how people perceive you. We imagine how people perceive us and the observations they might make about our personalities, but these thoughts are highly unlikely to be true and are rooted in our own opinions of ourselves. Many of the characters grapple with this issue whilst navigating relationships and negotiating their own sense of self and how they fit into the world.
All of these moments are shrewdly observed by Mulvey, in clever, captivating tales of humans and their emotional complexities. I can’t wait to read more of her work.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Picador for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
The book consists of 11 short stories, taking place mostly between Ireland and London, with a brief sojourn in provincial Southern France. They are all about the intricacies of relationships, with others and ourselves, and are told by narrators that vary in age, gender and social background.
The thing that links them all though, is Mulvey’s reflections on the fragility of reality and truth. The characters all feel disconnected in some way from what they deem reality, and there is a performativity in the way that they love, grieve, and even fear for their loved ones. 10 year old Julia in ‘Childcare’ feels that she ‘has no centre’ and ‘is not a real girl;’ Dar in ‘The Doll’ needs to feel real objects when he feels himself retreating into his own head; the narrator of ‘My First Marina’ struggles to separate the performative aspects of her grief from the reality of it.
The stories also touch upon the impossibility of truly knowing someone, or the truth of how people perceive you. We imagine how people perceive us and the observations they might make about our personalities, but these thoughts are highly unlikely to be true and are rooted in our own opinions of ourselves. Many of the characters grapple with this issue whilst navigating relationships and negotiating their own sense of self and how they fit into the world.
All of these moments are shrewdly observed by Mulvey, in clever, captivating tales of humans and their emotional complexities. I can’t wait to read more of her work.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Picador for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
February 13, 2024
Geen slecht boek! Heb alleen het gevoel dat ik de helft van de verhalen al vergeten ben
April 23, 2022
Hearts and Bones (the title a nod to the Paul Simon song) is a collection of ten short stories by Kilkenny-born author, Niamh Mulvey. Capturing the first two decades of this millennium through the eyes of a host of characters, Mulvey describes Hearts and Bones as a collection of "love songs for late youth", which is so apt.
Many of these stories are about either childhood, adolescence or young adulthood, or about older characters looking back at these periods in their lives. They are about the things that happen to us through the course of our years, that we look back on with new perspective. Humanness and human connection are explored beautifully, in tales that shine a light on friendship, parenthood and family ties, and love in its many forms.
My favourite stories were "Mother's Day", "Blackbirds", "The Doll" and the title story, "Hearts and Bones", particularly for how they explored human connection and how relationships change because of time. There were one or two stories I wanted more from, but I see this as greed on my part rather than a failing of the author.
The writing in this collection is stunning: sharp and observant, deeply moving and brimming with both depth and clarity. People - and what it means to be human - is the heart and bones of this book, and I loved it.
Many of these stories are about either childhood, adolescence or young adulthood, or about older characters looking back at these periods in their lives. They are about the things that happen to us through the course of our years, that we look back on with new perspective. Humanness and human connection are explored beautifully, in tales that shine a light on friendship, parenthood and family ties, and love in its many forms.
My favourite stories were "Mother's Day", "Blackbirds", "The Doll" and the title story, "Hearts and Bones", particularly for how they explored human connection and how relationships change because of time. There were one or two stories I wanted more from, but I see this as greed on my part rather than a failing of the author.
The writing in this collection is stunning: sharp and observant, deeply moving and brimming with both depth and clarity. People - and what it means to be human - is the heart and bones of this book, and I loved it.
July 26, 2022
Hearts and Bones by Niamh Mulvey is a collection of ten short stories about all different kinds of love.
Some stories were longer than others which meant that I definitely connected to some characters more. Each focused on personal relationships between people and what love means to them. For example, one short story was told in three parts, each from a different characters point of view. I was most intrigued by these characters because I had read the most about them. The majority of the stories I was not too invested in and I found that they didn’t different enough from each other for me to remember them all separately. The last story on abortion I enjoyed and stood out more to me as I liked the emphasis on Irish culture. This is a quick and easy read and a good introductory book towards short stories, however it didn’t stand out enough for me.
February 23, 2024
Iets anders dan ik gewoon ben, maar vooral enorm goed geschreven en verwoord. Wat een knap staaltje literatuur 👏🏼
July 12, 2022
Hearts and Bones is a collection of eleven short stories from Irish author Niamh Mulvey; this is her first published work.
I enjoyed some of those eleven stories more than others, as I think is always the way with a collection of essays, but my overwhelming feeling upon finishing this book was how well written, and thought provoking it was. I found myself still thinking about some of the characters for days afterwards.
The connecting thread between all of the stories is relationships; between mothers and daughters, siblings, romantic and not-so-romantic partners. Love, families, and religion are also explored and here I must give a content warning for miscarriage, mental health struggles, bullying, and alcoholism. It’s hard to describe too, but the author captures perfectly those relationships you get into as a teen/young adult that make you feel squirmy when you think about them. Sorry, I have no better way of phrasing that because I am not a beautiful writer, like Niamh Mulvey is, but at least I get to enjoy her stunning prose instead 🥰
With thanks to @netgalley and @panmacmillan for the opportunity to read Hearts & Bones, available now
I enjoyed some of those eleven stories more than others, as I think is always the way with a collection of essays, but my overwhelming feeling upon finishing this book was how well written, and thought provoking it was. I found myself still thinking about some of the characters for days afterwards.
The connecting thread between all of the stories is relationships; between mothers and daughters, siblings, romantic and not-so-romantic partners. Love, families, and religion are also explored and here I must give a content warning for miscarriage, mental health struggles, bullying, and alcoholism. It’s hard to describe too, but the author captures perfectly those relationships you get into as a teen/young adult that make you feel squirmy when you think about them. Sorry, I have no better way of phrasing that because I am not a beautiful writer, like Niamh Mulvey is, but at least I get to enjoy her stunning prose instead 🥰
With thanks to @netgalley and @panmacmillan for the opportunity to read Hearts & Bones, available now
May 1, 2023
I didn't dislike any of these stories, but I didn't feel gripped by any of them, either. In a few months' time, I don't think I'll remember any of them.
February 2, 2024
Echt niet mijn ding. Het leest wel vlot door de korte hoofdstukken/kortverhalen, maar ik begreep vaak niet waarover het ging
March 15, 2022
If you are reluctant about reading short stories, then I recommend this collection for starters. Ten stories that perfectly capture the zeitgeist of 21st century life. This is Niamh Mulveys debut collection and I loved it!
Set mainly in Ireland and London, these are stories about family, love, shame and struggle: a 10 year old navigating life with her alcoholic mother, a young man dealing with his mental health by way of an unusual hobby, a woman acting out the perfect revenge. The stories are straightforward little snapshots of everyday life and situations that are so relatable. There’s a beautiful story about the perennial mother/daughter relationship where Mulvey perfectly captures the to-and-fro of this most powerful alliance.
Writing a short story is infinitely more difficult than writing a novel as every word must count, with no room for wasted words. You must draw the reader in from the start, there’s no time to set up a scene, or build up tension. Mulvey does this with ease. Her prose is pitch perfect. She describes the ending of a marriage “𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘩𝘢𝘴 𝘧𝘢𝘥𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘸𝘢𝘺 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘢 𝘱𝘩𝘰𝘵𝘰𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘱𝘩 𝘭𝘦𝘧𝘵 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘶𝘯”. Her characters feel like people Ive met in life.
A really impressive, assured collection, and at 160 pages, a book that can easily be read in one sitting, or a long car journey. 𝘏𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘉𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘴 is published in June 2022 and Mulvey also has a novel (𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘈𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘴 ) due out in 2023.
Set mainly in Ireland and London, these are stories about family, love, shame and struggle: a 10 year old navigating life with her alcoholic mother, a young man dealing with his mental health by way of an unusual hobby, a woman acting out the perfect revenge. The stories are straightforward little snapshots of everyday life and situations that are so relatable. There’s a beautiful story about the perennial mother/daughter relationship where Mulvey perfectly captures the to-and-fro of this most powerful alliance.
Writing a short story is infinitely more difficult than writing a novel as every word must count, with no room for wasted words. You must draw the reader in from the start, there’s no time to set up a scene, or build up tension. Mulvey does this with ease. Her prose is pitch perfect. She describes the ending of a marriage “𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘩𝘢𝘴 𝘧𝘢𝘥𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘸𝘢𝘺 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘢 𝘱𝘩𝘰𝘵𝘰𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘱𝘩 𝘭𝘦𝘧𝘵 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘶𝘯”. Her characters feel like people Ive met in life.
A really impressive, assured collection, and at 160 pages, a book that can easily be read in one sitting, or a long car journey. 𝘏𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘉𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘴 is published in June 2022 and Mulvey also has a novel (𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘈𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘴 ) due out in 2023.
March 22, 2022
An interesting debut short story collection from Irish author Niamh Mulvey, with echoes of Deirdre Sullivan, Sally Rooney and Claire Keegan.
For me, there were two standout stories in the collection: the title story Hearts and Bones, and The Doll, which I thought was expertly crafted, creepy and compelling - a near perfect short story about a young man grappling with his mental health.
A lot of the other stories didn’t work all that well for me unfortunately. They either ended abruptly or were just a little too vague to be truly memorable.
My First Marina held promise but I never felt I could grasp how the author wanted me to feel about it. Currency, a story told in the second person, was similarly obtuse and kept the reader at arm’s length. I just wanted a little bit more.
Nonetheless, some lovely writing and I look forward to reading more from this author.
*Many thanks to the author, the publisher Picador Books and @netgalley for an opportunity to read an ARC of this book which will be published in June. As always, this is an honest review.*
For me, there were two standout stories in the collection: the title story Hearts and Bones, and The Doll, which I thought was expertly crafted, creepy and compelling - a near perfect short story about a young man grappling with his mental health.
A lot of the other stories didn’t work all that well for me unfortunately. They either ended abruptly or were just a little too vague to be truly memorable.
My First Marina held promise but I never felt I could grasp how the author wanted me to feel about it. Currency, a story told in the second person, was similarly obtuse and kept the reader at arm’s length. I just wanted a little bit more.
Nonetheless, some lovely writing and I look forward to reading more from this author.
*Many thanks to the author, the publisher Picador Books and @netgalley for an opportunity to read an ARC of this book which will be published in June. As always, this is an honest review.*
August 11, 2025
good concepts but by the end you just think "what the absolute fuck was the point of any of that?"
August 18, 2022
Interesting short stories
February 16, 2023
2.5⭐️ good but didn’t enjoy
April 11, 2023
I enjoyed these stories but I think nearly all of them felt more like opening chapters than brief, bright, self-contained short stories
February 12, 2024
A super interesting short story collection!
My favorite stories were «My First Marina» and «Feathers» I think. They were both haunting, exhilitrating, and thematically very interesting (young women navigating relationships, sex, shame, and unforeseen circumstances)
I am excited to read the stories again and see how my view of them changes over time !
My favorite stories were «My First Marina» and «Feathers» I think. They were both haunting, exhilitrating, and thematically very interesting (young women navigating relationships, sex, shame, and unforeseen circumstances)
I am excited to read the stories again and see how my view of them changes over time !
October 3, 2023
Not my favourite read, I was not really invested in any of the short stories and was confused by some of them. The one about the ventriloquist doll was so weird. But I did enjoy the one about the woman who found out she was being cheated on since there was real character growth in that story and was a lovely tale of womanhood. But other than that, none of the stories stuck with me.
October 30, 2025
3.5✨
Overall, it’s a solid story collection, each piece stands on its own yet feels strangely connected to the others. It’s an easy, relaxed read, perfect to pick up as a palate cleanser between heavier books and that’s exactly how I enjoyed it.
I’m definitely interested in reading more from this author; her debut already caught my attention.
Overall, it’s a solid story collection, each piece stands on its own yet feels strangely connected to the others. It’s an easy, relaxed read, perfect to pick up as a palate cleanser between heavier books and that’s exactly how I enjoyed it.
I’m definitely interested in reading more from this author; her debut already caught my attention.
December 1, 2022
Review To Come
June 25, 2023
Gets an extra star because the title comes from a song written about Carrie Fisher…
October 2, 2022
I did read this book quite fast and enjoyed my time with it.
But some of the short stories were just a little too short or didn't hit that good in general.
'Childcare' for me was a really impressive one, maybe my favorite. And 'Currency' was pretty unhinged.
All in all it was a nice read. They might not have been all super mind-blowing and memorable, but it really reminded me of the joys of a nice short story collection.
→ gerne wieder, 3,5/5 ⭐
But some of the short stories were just a little too short or didn't hit that good in general.
'Childcare' for me was a really impressive one, maybe my favorite. And 'Currency' was pretty unhinged.
All in all it was a nice read. They might not have been all super mind-blowing and memorable, but it really reminded me of the joys of a nice short story collection.
→ gerne wieder, 3,5/5 ⭐
June 22, 2023
Torn on this as half the stories were really good and the other half I can’t remember much of. Hearts and Bones, the final story was terrific, The first two also were very good with Marina and the exhibition. I enjoyed Childcare with the fragility of a mothers love. And the doll was strange but enthralling. You can’t like every story in a short story collection. The ones I liked kept this as a three for me. Love Stories for late youth, maybe will read sometime as opposed to audiobooking.
August 19, 2023
2.5, skillful writing but most of these were boring and pointless
September 18, 2023
Finished this over a week ago and I'm still thinking about The Doll
June 15, 2024
I love finding an author through their short stories collection (happened with Ottessa Moshfegh). Can’t wait to see what Niamh does next.
November 9, 2024
Excelentemente bien escrito, no es lento, su primera historia es bastante impactante y cada vez que continúas no puedes parar, es un conjunto de historias donde te sientes reflejada o piensas que es algún familiar tuyo. Es impresionante como describe de manera directa. Y el libro no es de tantas paginas. La portada es impresionante, la adoro! Me gusta coleccionar libros con rostro de mujer. La verdad lo recomiendo mucho. Si no lo encuentras en español aconsejo usar Google traductor. No te vas a arrepentir.
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July 27, 2022
I really enjoyed these short stories. They all held my attention and differed greatly from one another. There wasn’t any that I didn’t like and I flew through them.
My favourite story was Mother’s Day which was about a strained mother daughter relationship. It was so uncomfortable to read and left me feeling so unsettled, I love when authors can do that. The other stories center on love, friendship, loss and everyday struggles which makes them very relatable.
My favourite story was Mother’s Day which was about a strained mother daughter relationship. It was so uncomfortable to read and left me feeling so unsettled, I love when authors can do that. The other stories center on love, friendship, loss and everyday struggles which makes them very relatable.
December 28, 2023
Really liked these stories! Each was different, and some were just plain odd, but all were connected by an incredibly matter of fact tone. I thought this would make me feel a bit detached from these characters by the end but the writing, while simple, was also quite expressive and moving, and I was fascinated by each story.
March 26, 2024
Ik vond 8 van de 10 verhalen heel goed.
Ik hou van de schrijfstijl en hield mij geïnteresseerd.
Ik heb de boodschap van 2 verhalen gewoon niet begrepen, klikte er niet mee dus vandaar een ster eraf.
Voor mensen die houden van een sally rooney stijl is dit zeker een aanrader.
De toon van het verhaal was af en toe vreemd op een goede manier.
Ik hou van de schrijfstijl en hield mij geïnteresseerd.
Ik heb de boodschap van 2 verhalen gewoon niet begrepen, klikte er niet mee dus vandaar een ster eraf.
Voor mensen die houden van een sally rooney stijl is dit zeker een aanrader.
De toon van het verhaal was af en toe vreemd op een goede manier.
August 26, 2025
a very eclectic and unique mix of stories and perspectives. Niamh is great at taking us to the edge to help us peer over the abyss with a mix of understanding and regret. Some of the stories really make you wonder and I am still not sometimes convinced by their abstract nature at times - but they are a universe in themselves. Bite sized yet immensely satisfying.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 215 reviews