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Any Human Heart
Any Human Heart
Aug 6, 2025 1:15 AM

Author:William Boyd,Darren Boyd

Any Human Heart

Brought to you by Penguin.

Every life is both ordinary and extraordinary, and Logan Mountstuart's - stretching across the twentieth century - is a rich tapestry of both. As a writer who finds inspiration with Hemingway in Paris and Virginia Woolf in London, as a spy recruited by Ian Fleming and betrayed in the war, and as an art-dealer in '60s New York, Logan mixes with the men and women who shape his times. But as a son, friend, lover and husband, he makes the same mistakes we all do in our search for happiness. Here, then, is the story of a life lived to the full - and a journey deep into a very human heart.

Superb, wonderful, enjoyable' Guardian

'Full of delights' The Times

'A work of astonishing ventriloquistic virtuosity... brilliant' Sunday Telegraph

'Wise, profound and moving' William Sutcliffe, Independent on Sunday

'A terrific journey through the 20th century. Thoroughly entertaining and enjoyable' Guardian

'Astounding. One of Boyd's greatest achievements... A pleasure' Mail on Sunday

'Generous, witty, sneakily profound' Evening Standard

'The pleasures are endless... Supremely entertaining' Washington Post

'A fabulous book all about life. I think of Any Human Heart often - the sign of a truly great book' Fi Glover, New Statesman

© William Boyd 2002 (P) Penguin Audio 2020

Reviews

Slick and polished...immersive productions of much-loved novelisations...long may we enjoy them.

—— Doctor Who Magazine

Reading The End of the Day is like studying a stained-glass window up close...a large, beautiful, mysterious work of art.

—— David Ebershoff, New York Times bestselling author of The Danish Girl and The 19th Wife

A writer with a profound comprehension of emotional destruction, loss and redemption...

—— Francesca Angelini , Sunday Times

Fabulously rich and compelling.

—— Daily Mail

[A] glorious novel.

—— Helen Macdonald , Guardian

Written in lyrical, beautiful prose that makes even waking up seem like a poetic event, The End of the Day makes sense of the events of a single day in a compelling work of fiction.

—— GMA.com

A moody, atmospheric domestic drama with a mystery novel somewhere in its family tree.

—— Kirkus Reviews

Clegg delivers a thoughtful, well-observed story... The splendid prose and orchestrated maneuvering will keep readers turning the pages and send them back to the beginning, to read it all over again.

—— Publishers Weekly

A declining heiress returns home for the first time in decades, but can't remember why. Her former maid's daughter runs a taxi company in Hawaii. Her aunt is left with a baby whose parents have vanished. Leave it to Clegg to brilliantly bind these threads.

—— Entertainment Weekly

Clegg tantalisingly reveals the clues that connect the characters to each other. A gripping read.

—— Psychologies

Arresting and impressive.

—— Ethan Croft , Literary Review

Superb ... The stories move from breathtakingly vulnerable to extraordinarily funny, and all with such skill and lightness of touch. I loved it

—— Louise O'Neill

I don't know another writer who could balance poignancy and hilarity with such grace ... Goosebumps! Guffaws! It's got it all. I love this book

—— Doireann Ní Ghríofa , via Twitter

Guffaw-out-loud funny

—— Business Post

A riotous read from the get-go ... An absolute tonic for our times

—— RTÉ Guide

F*cking fantastic. Patrick is a brilliant writer

—— Blindboy Boatclub , via Twitter

Lovely ... It's very worth reading

—— Dara Ó Briain , via Twitter

A wonderful book ... done with a gorgeous twist of humour and great emotional insight ... One of my books of the year

—— Ryan Tubridy , RTÉ Radio 1

Exquisite ... One of the funniest writers in Ireland

—— Irish Examiner

Immensely readable, warm, human and very, very funny

—— Irish Daily Star

Pixies were loud-quiet-loud. Patrick Freyne is funny-sad-funny. I really loved his new book

—— Ed O'Loughlin , via Twitter

Readers are sure to find themselves touched by Freyne's writing ... Delightful

—— Journal.ie

Freyne's thoroughly entertaining debut is a flash of warmth and wit in the darkness

—— Totally Dublin

Genuinely moving ... [It] will evoke warmth in anyone who isn't totally sociopathic

—— Hot Press

A delightful insight into the mind of the hilarious Patrick Freyne

—— Irish Country Magazine

So honest, so funny, and most importantly, 11/10 for self-deprecation

—— Sarah Breen

Brilliant ... An absolute mind hug

—— Niall Breslin

Freyne's radar is precision-honed to find the madness within the mundane

—— Sunday Independent

More moving that I ever expected and somehow funnier than I assumed

—— Emer McLysaght , Irish Times, Best Books of 2020

Captivating and moving.

—— Tablet, *Summer Reads of 2021*

Moving... Beneath the attention-seeking is a well-loved author who has gone through his cupboards, giving us all that he has.

—— Johanna Thomas-Corr , Sunday Times

A defiant and witty testimony to mortality and a tender remembrance of his friends and literary heroes… I’ve been reading and re-reading it this year

—— Times Literary Supplement, *Books of the Year*

Continues in the same superior vein as Restoration… The fusion of such an engrossing character, and the minutiae of another time, remains a marvel

—— Daily Telegraph

In this evocative and beautifully drawn novel of family and loyalty in the face of an uncertain future Tremain continues the story of a wonderfully unique character

—— Hannah Britt , Daily Express

Hugely enjoyable

—— Reader's Digest

Merivel’s hapless charm remains intact in this tour de force of literary technique

—— Sunday Telegraph (Seven)

A sequel that looks back to the earlier novel without ever quite recapturing its spirit is the perfect form in which to evoke that feeling of having to carry on, and of trying to make yourself have fun even with it eventually begins to hurt

—— Colin Burrow , Guardian

A marvelllously rollicking good read, and it is such a pleasure to meet Robert Merivel again. Rose Tremain brings the character to life in a way that makes you want to find out even more about the period. Enormously skilled and deft

—— Good Book Guide
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