The Recurring Cast
Donal Ryan books in order · Donal Ryan reading order · 7 books · 2012 to 2023

Donal Ryan Books in Order and Reading Order

Donal Ryan writes powerful novels about rural Ireland, told in many voices. The Spinning Heart, set in a Tipperary village after the crash, made his name, and Heart, Be at Peace returns to the same village.

Best estimate, compiled from series guides, publisher descriptions and reviews where available, and from memory otherwise. Book level only, not chapter level. Minor includes cameos and brief references. Each book carries a confidence rating in its tooltip.

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Donal Ryan books in order

The first The Spinning Heart book is The Spinning Heart (2012). There are 7 books in all, published from 2012 to 2023, across 2 series and groups.

The Donal Ryan reading order: each series in publication order, with its lead characters. Where the story runs in a different order, switch to Story order. Crossover books are marked and listed under their main series. Use My books to track what you have read.

The Spinning Heart

2 books · Set in TipperaryLiterary fiction
  1. 1The Spinning Heart2012Buy on Amazon
  2. 2Heart, Be at Peace2023Buy on Amazon

Novels

5 books · Set in TipperaryLiterary fiction
  1. 1The Thing About December2013With Johnsey CunliffeBuy on Amazon
  2. 2All We Shall Know2016With Melody SheeBuy on Amazon
  3. 3From a Low and Quiet Sea2018Buy on Amazon
  4. 4Strange Flowers2020With Moll GladneyBuy on Amazon
  5. 5The Queen of Dirt Island2022With Saoirse AylwardBuy on Amazon

Who appears in which book

Click a name to follow that character from book to book, or a book title to see its cast.

LLeadMMajor·MinorHas a note
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Characters

5 recurring and key characters, with the book each one first appears in.

The village

Leads

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