Tara Road

Rating:
Summary: Pure enjoyment...
Review: I'm giving this four instead of five stars because it's absolutely a blast of a juicy, gossipy "women's" book, which most of us women love; as for the actual writing - it's not Toni Morrison, okay? Indeed, as one reviewer below has written, it's a little disconcerting when Americans don't speak like Americans. We don't use expressions like "the lot of them" and "I'm off to the store," etc. - things like that. You have to wonder - don't these famous writers get edited?

Still - this is a much more fun potboiler/soap opera than (ick) Danielle Steele, as another reviewer recommended. Danielle Steele's adjectives are, typically: "fabulous" - "fantastic" - "incredible" - "marvelous." As they say, never underestimate the reading taste of the American public! As far as I'm concerned, Pilcher is right up (or down) there with Danielle Steele. But Maeve Binchy was recommended to me years ago by a highly erudite librarian who read everything from Shakespeare to Joyce. Thus, when Tara Road came my way in the form of an unabridged audio tape read by Jenny Sterlin, I figured I'd take a chance, and man - couldn't get enough of it. It's easy listening, but as smooth as Irish coffee laced with Hagendaas ice cream.

Rating:
Summary: I loved this book
Review: The characters are so rich and life like. I couldn't get enough, even though I was sleep deprived from staying up late to read!

Rating:
Summary: An easy, entertaining read...
Review: I've read everything of hers and, honestly, enjoyed this one the most, maybe because it's current and brighter than some of her more somber tales. I flew through this during my summer vacation and found it a very satisfying read. She's a fantastic storyteller. Enjoy!

Rating:
Summary: Enjoyable Read
Review: The first part of "Tara Road", which is a bit slow, tells the story of Ria Lynch, her marriage to Danny Lynch, and her life with him and their two children as they buy a house and renovate it on Tara Road. It also tells the stories of Ria's friends, especially Rosemary Ryan, not quite the friend she appears to be; Gertie, a battered wife who is so used to living a lie that she actually believes it; and Colm, who is struggling to run a restaurant while dealing with his sister's problems.

"Tara Road" picks up pace in the second part, when Ria's life takes an unexpected turn, and she switches houses with Marilyn Vine, an American, who is dealing (not very well) with a tragedy in her life. While the reader knows all about Ria's life (more, in fact than she does), the reader discovers Marilyn's story at the same time as Ria does. In the end, Ria's stay in Connecticut and Marilyn's stay on Tara Road, change them both in ways they never imagined.

Although a bit too long (the first part drags at times), this was an enjoyable read and towards the end, I couldn't put it down. As always, Binchey fills the book with memorable characters, some of whom you'll like, others would will dislike quite a bit. I highly recommend "Tara Road".


Rating:
Summary: Tara Road
Review: A mediocre story about 2 women who switch residences: one in England and one in America. It shows how the change of scenery gives them each a new perspective and allows them to accept their life circumstances better. (This is not one of the better Maeve Binchy stories).

Rating:
Summary: Can't help it! I like this book!
Review: I don't care what anyone says, this author just draws me into the plot and I can't put the book down. Yes, she does seem to have the men in her stories become weak and worthless, but I love how she tells the story. There are quite a few mini-plots that are intertwined and yet very light and easy to read.
I highly recommend this book

Rating:
Summary: merely lukewarm
Review: This was a book that appeared to be in by a deadline. Characters were not fully developed.

Rating:
Summary: Tara Road
Review: This book was worth the read. The characters were diverse and rich; the backstabbing targeted at the main character Ria was incredible. The only part I did not like was that Ria was so incredibly innocent, never suspecting friends and husband to the very end. I suspected certain affairs before they were ever made known within the book. I think Ria is much more intelligent than the author allowed. This woman should have never been subjected to so much betrayal, because the character was smart enough to know better. It was not the betrayal that I found unbelievable, but instead, the fact that Ria did not realize the betrayal.