Book #84 The Heart's Invisible Furies

The Heart's Invisible Furies by John Boyne
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

My thanks to NetGalley and Random House UK Transworld for my ebook copy of The Heart’s Invisible Furies.

The Heart’s Invisible Furies by John Boyne is the best book I have read this year, one of my all time best, featuring alongside Birdsong by Sebastian Faulks and An Equal Music by Vikram Seth. It is that good. A novel that spans seven decades, a tapestry of social and political events in post-war Ireland. A tale of one man seeking happiness, looking for his true self in a country beset by the Catholic church, moral hypocrisy and sexual repression. One man - Cyril Avery.

Who is Cyril Avery? Adopted at birth in 1945 by Charles and Maude Avery his adoptive parents who persist in telling him he is not a real Avery and never will be. Despite this he is well looked after and cared for by the wealthy Averys. He was born out of wedlock to a teenage girl cast out from her rural Irish community. Cyril has no idea who his birth mother is. Cyril will spend a lifetime seeking an identity, a journey that will take him to many countries over his three score years and ten when happenstance will feature so often. The reader knows what Cyril doesn’t. Throughout, this results in passages of belly-laughing hilarity and heartbreaking moments that reduced me to tears.

This is the story of Ireland from the 1940s to today through the eyes of one ordinary man. It has made me laugh out loud and well up with tears, often on the same page. it reminds us of the redemptive power of the human spirit. The Heart’s Invisible Furies is a joy to read, a treasure, near six hundred pages of perfection.

I loved this book and have been fortunate enough to obtain the hardback edition signed by the author. A wonderful keepsake.


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BirdTrack

I have joined BirdTrack. This is a site where records submitted by BirdTrackers form the central elements of the page. You can explore the map to find out what has been seen locally or to visualise the relative frequency of records of any species across Britain and Ireland. You can discover the latest reporting rates (the percentage of complete lists that contain each species) using the interactive graphing facility and see which members of the BirdTrack community have been most active via the ‘Top BirdTrackers’ tables… and log in to see how your own BirdTrack stats compare.

Having entered my record list for 2014 so far I find myself at position number 1,780 in terms of species recorded this year.

Clearly I have much to do. A visit to Rye Harbour Nature Reserve this weekend should contribute significantly to my list....

First Irish-bred White-tailed Eagle found shot

Ongoing raptor persecution is a sadly familiar story in the UK, 60 years after it was made illegal, but it's rearing its ugly head in Ireland too. One of the first White-tailed Eagles Haliaeetus albicilla to fledge in the Irish reintroduction scheme has been found dead with shotgun injuries. It was found by a member of the public near Ballinderry, North Tipperary, on the north-east shore of Lough Derg.

Subsequent post-mortem examination by pathologists at the Regional Veterinary Laboratory at Knockalisheen, in Co. Limerick showed that the young male eagle had been shot, the body holding some 45-50 shotgun pellets. The impact of the shooting broke one of its legs and wings but the bird survived for some weeks after the shooting before dying. The horrific nature of the bird's shooting and ultimate death has shocked all those involved in the reintroduction project.

For the full story see here: http://www.irishtimes.com/news/environment/one-of-only-two-irish-bred-white-tailed-eagles-shot-and-killed-1.1713647 

My Seasons Greetings

I started this blog in July 2013. Since then I have received over 11,000 page views. The fact that folk worldwide have found interest in my pages is heartwarming. I am a modest blogger. My original 'theme' centred on birdlife and conservation but has included several hiccups along the way as I have ventured into the dangerous world of politics. Despite this, my readership has continued to bloom. Thank you for that. I continue to be amazed at the geographical spread of those readers who have viewed my posts. Many from the USA, others from my home country and many more from China, Russia, Germany, France, Spain, the Philippines, Ukraine, Ireland, South Africa, the Netherlands and more. The world in which we live, on this great planet Earth, is populated by many diverse peoples and I am thrilled that so many of you have found my blog and taken the time to read my pages. It says to me that multiculturalism is alive and I welcome that.

To every one of you who has visited my blog I would like to wish you an ongoing life of peace and happiness. This season in Europe that we refer to as Christmas has become so over commercialised that I no longer recognise its relevance. I prefer to consider this a time to think about family, to recall the true meaning of Christmas and to enjoy a few days of peace on Earth. If only that could become reality.

To my readers worldwide I send you my heartfelt wishes for a happy Christmas and a New Year that will encompass your dreams...

Extremely Rare Vagrant on Shetland

An extremely rare vagrant has been seen this week on Shetland. The Hudsonian Whimbrel Numenius hudsonicus was first recorded on Fair Isle in May 1955. This week saw the appearance of one on Mid Yell and will become only the fourth record for Shetland.

Hudsonian Whimbrel

This brings the total number of individuals seen in Britain since 1950 to eight. Before this week's individual the most recent sighting was in 2011 from September 20th - 25th at Mizen Head, Co. Cork, Ireland.

I am not a rarity chaser but I would love to be on Shetland right now....