Rating: 
Summary: Page turner
Review: My new favorite book; I could not put it down. I hate to even tell the story line, but you will love it, trust me! This is my first Binchy book and I can't wait to read another. You will not be able to put this down once you start to read. I love the way she writes. You'll be immersed in one character or situation and Binchy will quickly take you to another place. It is a real page turner and yet you are just reading about people's lives. Could there possibly be a sequel does anyone know? Any reccomendations of what to read next of Binchy's?
Rating:
Summary: circle of friends
Review: Fabulous, real, loving, with so many charachters to keep straight and to rush back and forth as thou you were actually there in the conversation is great! Descibing each character and the surrondings makes me want to visit! Never boring I love maeve binchy's writing style!
Rating:
Summary: Highly Recommended!
Review: While wandering through the library in search of a good summer novel, my fiance picked this book up for me. I was hesitant at first, as the title and description on the cover did not particularly appeal to me. However, he told me how much he had heard about this book from family members, and he concluded that it would be a novel I would enjoy as well. I had never read Binchy before, but oh, what a novel with which to begin! After swiftly reading it, I decided to read as many of Binchy's books as I could get my hands on -- that's how much I enjoyed the story. I was consumed with the characters and their situations, and I soon began to feel as though I was completely involved as well. The characters were deeply developed and consistent from the very beginning until the last page. I felt satisfied after finishing the novel, but also disappointed that there was not more! Some of the previous reviews complain that the novel is "not a work of great literature," but what does that mean? That is not a tangible thing to measure, and it is an arbitrary at that -- I suppose literature earning the description of "great" is chock full of symbolism and deeper meanings. All I know is that I enjoyed the characters, plot, culture, and dialogue, and it was a wonderfully relaxing story into which I could immerse myself after countless semesters full of "great literature" which my professors insisted upon. It was a pleasure to read Circle Of Friends.
Rating:
Summary: better than the movie
Review: Its been a while since I read this but there are still many parts that I will always remember. This was the first book of Maeve Binchy's that I read and since then I have read probably a dozen more of her works and still find this one as the best!
Rating: 
Summary: One of Binchy's Best!!!
Review: Binchy is my favorite author & along with The Glass Lake,Circle of Friends is one of her best & my favorites.Yes,it takes a while to get good but once it does you will be so glad you picked it up.Circle of Friends has everything--secrets,first love,the atmosphere of a small town, death, betrayal, friendship, etc.I really enjoyed this book & read it in a very short time because it is one of those novels that you don't want to put down & you do want to pass on to others.The characters are well developed & you find yourself getting into the book & loving it.I would recommend this if you're looking for a good read by Binchy that will fly by.It fully deserves the 4 stars as a great piece of literature.
Rating:
Summary: Magnificent work of literature
Review: When I read Binchy's book of 'Circle of Friends', I felt like flipping through the pages of the book once more. Such a heart-warming story about the original characters Benny, Eve, Nan, and Jack. It came to my interest when I heard that there was a movie made, based upon the book, starring Minnie Driver and Chris O' Donnel. I thought that it would be a big Hollywood hit, maybe even better than the book. But without even finishing the movie, knowing that it was a big disappointment, I left. To me the book had more realistic characters, telling the story of each person. Their history and their family background, first giving an introduction of every character's life. Not to mention that the movie mainly focused on Benny and Jack. What the movie totally left out, is the Roman Catholic way of life, and the Irish culture. Don't miss out on the friendship of these wonderful characters. Watching the movie is just a waist of time. Turn off the video and please, pick up the book.
Rating:
Summary: My all-time favorite Binchy book!
Review: I remember the first time I picked up this book ~~ it was my grandmother's and I was in high school. I sat down and read it and totally fell in love with Binchy's writing. In fact, I believe this book set me on the path to reading "better" books! Rereading this book again really affirms the feelings I had experienced the first time around. It is just one of my favorite books of all time! Benny, Eve, Sean, Jack, Nan and other characters are ones that you'll never forget. If you have friends that you ran around with in college and still keep in touch with ~~ I highly recommend this book. It is a book about friendship, love, romance and dreams. Any one of any age can read this book and find the meaning of friendship in it. With Benny's relationship with Jack ~~ there's that first love and intrigue; with Benny's friendship with Eve, there's the silliness that girls share as well as their confidences, hopes and dreams ~~ as well as recovering from broken hearts and disappointment; and there's Sean, the guy everyone loves to hate. Let's not forget Jack ~~ the guy every woman longs to love ~~ only to be pulled up short by his mistakes in love. This book covers the depth of human emotions that beset all of us at one time or another! I recommend readers picking up this book and spend a few days reading it ~~ I can guarantee that the characters with all their flaws will stay with the reader for a long time. It is a book I would read over and over ~~ it's like coming home and finding your best friend waiting for you.
Rating:
Summary: An all-nighter
Review: This is an amazing book. Once I started reading, I could not put it down until I had read up to the very last page. The characters were so real, and the plot was excellent. I sympathized with Benny, rejoiced when good things happened to her and got very sad when things went badly. Even though it didn't have a Hollywood ending, I thought it was very true to the characters. Some people might find it a bit slow, but I loved every page of it. Even being very tired the next day was worth it. A must read.
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Summary: Runs Rings Around the Movie
Review: Seen the movie? If you're visiting this review because you liked the movie and are trying to decide whether to buy the book-- wait no longer. Buy it now! The secret of the book's appeal is its ability to get inside the protaganist's character-- make you feel what she feels-- *become* her, regardless of your own gender. The plot is gentle, wandering, complex, not at all predictable, as opposed to the film version. (Minnie Driver may be a great actress, but the movie doesn't let her plumb the depths of this character, and the need to fit it all into an hour and a half means you miss half the plot. You know you're in trouble when a major character from the book is missing entirely from the movie.) If you liked the movie, you'll LOVE the book.
Rating:
Summary: Much better than the movie
Review: If you liked the movie of "Circle of Friends," you will love the book. I enjoyed this book the first time I read it. But, to my surprise, I found it doesn't get stale with repeated readings. This is one of my favorite "read-again" books. The story and the characters are what make both the book and the movie entertaining. But, what makes the book so great is the stuff that was left out of the movie. The histories and families of Benny, Nan and Jack are described in more detail. But, the best is what Maeve Binchy provides in her story for Eve. We see more into her life with the nuns. And, Eve's situation when she goes to college adds to her character, personality and gives Eve a wonderful new relationship. Eve lives and works in the house of a woman who provides room and board for college boys and who just lost her son. Their relationship adds a wonderful sub-plot to this book (which unfortunately was cut from the movie). "Circle of Friends" differs from the movie in several other respects. Benny and Eve don't meet Nan until college. Characters not in the book compete with Benny for Jack's affection. Eve forms a wonderful relationship with Simon's little sister. And, the end is much different. Read the book and discover all the wonderful characters and plot the movie didn't share.
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