The Heart in Winter

THE SUNDAY TIMES HISTORICAL NOVEL OF THE YEAR THE INSTANT IRISH TIMES BESTSELLER PICKED AS A BOOK OF THE YEAR BY THE GUARDIAN , NEW STATESMAN , OBSERVER , IRISH TIMES , INDEPENDENT , IRISH INDEPENDENT , IRISH EXAMINER , TIMES LITERARY SUPPLEMENT , SCOTSMAN , THE TIMES AND ECONOMIST AN i-PAPER AND SUNDAY TIMES BOOK TO READ THIS SUMMER SHORTLISTED FOR THE 2025 WALTER SCOTT PRIZE WINNER OF THE HWA GOLD CROWN 'An absolute belter of a book' ANNE ENRIGHT He was ready to die for love. He just needed to find the right girl. October, 1891. Tom Rourke is a poet struggling to make a life amongst the Irish migrant workers in Butte, Montana. He is a doper and a drinker and a fearsome degenerate. His life is heading nowhere fast. That is until he meets Polly Gillespie, the new bride of a devout mine captain, and a thunderbolt love affair takes spark. Tom and Polly strike out west on a stolen horse. But a posse of deranged Cornish gunsmen are in hot pursuit of the lovers, and closing in fast . . .

THE SUNDAY TIMES HISTORICAL NOVEL OF THE YEAR THE INSTANT IRISH TIMES BESTSELLER PICKED AS A BOOK OF THE YEAR BY THE GUARDIAN , NEW STATESMAN , OBSERVER , IRISH TIMES , INDEPENDENT , IRISH INDEPENDENT , IRISH EXAMINER , TIMES LITERARY SUPPLEMENT , SCOTSMAN , THE TIMES AND ECONOMIST AN i-PAPER AND SUNDAY TIMES BOOK TO READ THIS SUMMER SHORTLISTED FOR THE 2025 WALTER SCOTT PRIZE WINNER OF THE HWA GOLD CROWN 'An absolute belter of a book' ANNE ENRIGHT He was ready to die for love. He just needed to find the right girl. October, 1891. Tom Rourke is a poet struggling to make a life amongst the Irish migrant workers in Butte, Montana. He is a doper and a drinker and a fearsome degenerate. His life is heading nowhere fast. That is until he meets Polly Gillespie, the new bride of a devout mine captain, and a thunderbolt love affair takes spark. Tom and Polly strike out west on a stolen horse. But a posse of deranged Cornish gunsmen are in hot pursuit of the lovers, and closing in fast . . .

A BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR FROM THE ECONOMIST AND THE MINNESOTA STAR TRIBUNE - Award-winning writer Kevin Barry's first novel set in America, a savagely funny and achingly romantic tale of young lovers on the lam in 1890s Montana. "An absolute belter of a book!" - Anne Enright "A wedding of Cormac McCarthy with Flann O'Brien; a western but also the most Irish of novels; a tragedy written as farce . . . inspiring joy with every incident, every concept, every sentence." -- The Guardian October 1891. A hard winter approaches across the Rocky Mountains. The city of Butte, Montana is rich on copper mines and rampant with vice and debauchery among a hard-living crowd of immigrant Irish workers. Here we find Tom Rourke, a young poet and ballad-maker of the town, but also a doper, a drinker, and a fearsome degenerate. Just as he feels his life is heading nowhere fast, Polly Gillespie arrives in town as the new bride of the extremely devout mine captain Long Anthony Harrington. A thunderbolt love affair takes spark between Tom and Polly and they strike out west on a stolen horse, moving through the badlands of Montana and Idaho, and briefly an idyll of wild romance perfects itself. But a posse of deranged Cornish gunmen are soon in hot pursuit and closing in fast. With everything to lose and the safety and anonymity of San Francisco still a distant speck on their horizon, the choices they make will haunt them for the rest of their lives. In this love story for the ages--lyrical, profane and propulsive--Kevin Barry has once again demonstrated himself to be a master stylist, an unrivalled humorist, and a true poet of the human heart.

A BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR FROM THE ECONOMIST AND THE MINNESOTA STAR TRIBUNE - Award-winning writer Kevin Barry's first novel set in America, a savagely funny and achingly romantic tale of young lovers on the lam in 1890s Montana. "An absolute belter of a book!" - Anne Enright "A wedding of Cormac McCarthy with Flann O'Brien; a western but also the most Irish of novels; a tragedy written as farce . . . inspiring joy with every incident, every concept, every sentence." -- The Guardian October 1891. A hard winter approaches across the Rocky Mountains. The city of Butte, Montana is rich on copper mines and rampant with vice and debauchery among a hard-living crowd of immigrant Irish workers. Here we find Tom Rourke, a young poet and ballad-maker of the town, but also a doper, a drinker, and a fearsome degenerate. Just as he feels his life is heading nowhere fast, Polly Gillespie arrives in town as the new bride of the extremely devout mine captain Long Anthony Harrington. A thunderbolt love affair takes spark between Tom and Polly and they strike out west on a stolen horse, moving through the badlands of Montana and Idaho, and briefly an idyll of wild romance perfects itself. But a posse of deranged Cornish gunmen are soon in hot pursuit and closing in fast. With everything to lose and the safety and anonymity of San Francisco still a distant speck on their horizon, the choices they make will haunt them for the rest of their lives. In this love story for the ages--lyrical, profane and propulsive--Kevin Barry has once again demonstrated himself to be a master stylist, an unrivalled humorist, and a true poet of the human heart.

THE SUNDAY TIMES HISTORICAL NOVEL OF THE YEAR THE INSTANT IRISH TIMES BESTSELLER PICKED AS A BOOK OF THE YEAR BY THE GUARDIAN , NEW STATESMAN , OBSERVER , IRISH TIMES , INDEPENDENT , IRISH INDEPENDENT , IRISH EXAMINER , TLS , SCOTSMAN , THE TIMES AND ECONOMIST What if we ride out tonight? What if we ride out and never once look back? October, 1891. Butte, Montana. A hard winter approaches across the Rocky Mountains. The city is rich on copper mines and rampant with vice and debauchery among a hard-living crowd of immigrant Irish workers. Here we find Tom Rourke, a young poet and balladmaker, but also a doper, a drinker and a fearsome degenerate. Just as he feels his life is heading nowhere fast, Polly Gillespie arrives in town as the new bride of the devout mine captain Long Anthony Harrington. A thunderbolt love affair takes spark between Tom and Polly and they strike out west on a stolen horse, moving through the badlands of Montana and Idaho. Briefly an idyll of wild romance perfects itself. But a posse of deranged Cornish gunsmen are soon in hot pursuit of the lovers, and closing in fast . . .

THE SUNDAY TIMES HISTORICAL NOVEL OF THE YEAR THE INSTANT IRISH TIMES BESTSELLER PICKED AS A BOOK OF THE YEAR BY THE GUARDIAN , NEW STATESMAN , OBSERVER , IRISH TIMES , INDEPENDENT , IRISH INDEPENDENT , IRISH EXAMINER , TLS , SCOTSMAN , THE TIMES AND ECONOMIST What if we ride out tonight? What if we ride out and never once look back? October, 1891. Butte, Montana. A hard winter approaches across the Rocky Mountains. The city is rich on copper mines and rampant with vice and debauchery among a hard-living crowd of immigrant Irish workers. Here we find Tom Rourke, a young poet and balladmaker, but also a doper, a drinker and a fearsome degenerate. Just as he feels his life is heading nowhere fast, Polly Gillespie arrives in town as the new bride of the devout mine captain Long Anthony Harrington. A thunderbolt love affair takes spark between Tom and Polly and they strike out west on a stolen horse, moving through the badlands of Montana and Idaho. Briefly an idyll of wild romance perfects itself. But a posse of deranged Cornish gunsmen are soon in hot pursuit of the lovers, and closing in fast . . .

A MOST ANTICIPATED BOOK: THE LA TIMES, THE GUARDIAN, AND MORE! - Award-winning writer Kevin Barry's first novel set in America, a savagely funny and achingly romantic tale of young lovers on the lam in 1890s Montana. "A wedding of Cormac McCarthy with Flann O'Brien; a western but also the most Irish of novels; a tragedy written as farce . . . inspiring joy with every incident, every concept, every sentence."-- The Guardian October 1891. A hard winter approaches across the Rocky Mountains. The city of Butte, Montana is rich on copper mines and rampant with vice and debauchery among a hard-living crowd of immigrant Irish workers. Here we find Tom Rourke, a young poet and ballad-maker of the town, but also a doper, a drinker, and a fearsome degenerate. Just as he feels his life is heading nowhere fast, Polly Gillespie arrives in town as the new bride of the extremely devout mine captain Long Anthony Harrington. A thunderbolt love affair takes spark between Tom and Polly and they strike out west on a stolen horse, moving through the badlands of Montana and Idaho, and briefly an idyll of wild romance perfects itself. But a posse of deranged Cornish gunmen are soon in hot pursuit and closing in fast. With everything to lose and the safety and anonymity of San Francisco still a distant speck on their horizon, the choices they make will haunt them for the rest of their lives. In this love story for the ages--lyrical, profane and propulsive--Kevin Barry has once again demonstrated himself to be a master stylist, an unrivalled humourist, and a true poet of the human heart.

A MOST ANTICIPATED BOOK: THE LA TIMES, THE GUARDIAN, AND MORE! - Award-winning writer Kevin Barry's first novel set in America, a savagely funny and achingly romantic tale of young lovers on the lam in 1890s Montana. "A wedding of Cormac McCarthy with Flann O'Brien; a western but also the most Irish of novels; a tragedy written as farce . . . inspiring joy with every incident, every concept, every sentence."-- The Guardian October 1891. A hard winter approaches across the Rocky Mountains. The city of Butte, Montana is rich on copper mines and rampant with vice and debauchery among a hard-living crowd of immigrant Irish workers. Here we find Tom Rourke, a young poet and ballad-maker of the town, but also a doper, a drinker, and a fearsome degenerate. Just as he feels his life is heading nowhere fast, Polly Gillespie arrives in town as the new bride of the extremely devout mine captain Long Anthony Harrington. A thunderbolt love affair takes spark between Tom and Polly and they strike out west on a stolen horse, moving through the badlands of Montana and Idaho, and briefly an idyll of wild romance perfects itself. But a posse of deranged Cornish gunmen are soon in hot pursuit and closing in fast. With everything to lose and the safety and anonymity of San Francisco still a distant speck on their horizon, the choices they make will haunt them for the rest of their lives. In this love story for the ages--lyrical, profane and propulsive--Kevin Barry has once again demonstrated himself to be a master stylist, an unrivalled humourist, and a true poet of the human heart.