Rating: 
Summary: Profound and simple
Review: A while ago a friend of mine finished The Copper Beech, sighed deeply, handed it to me and said, "what a good story." I finally opened it when I was lying in a hospital bed, out of my mind to be more active and casting about for something in which to lose myself. This book was the perfect solution.There is nothing tricky or academic about this story which centers around a schoolhouse shaded by a copper beech in a small Irish town. The characters' stories are sweet and funny and occasionally very touching. The people in Shancarrig all want something out of their lives and have the often unclear task of making a life out of difficult situations. On their way, they experience unrequited love, death, adultery (Binchy is adroit enough not to judge too harshly) and murder. Among the local characters are schoolteachers, a doctor, priests (although this is an Irish town, these priests having nothing in common with Father Ted...), a housekeeper, innkeeper and a rogue. Although each story seems to be told separately, the tales intertwine beautifully and simply. Some reading experiences, like certain days in the years, are both profound and simple. Reading The Copper Beech was like that.
Rating:
Summary: Heartwarming Stories
Review: After reading some of Maeve's so-so works, I am pleased to announce this one is of better quality than "Silver Wedding" and "Lilac Bus." This is a bunch of short stories of the people who live and grew up in Shancarrig. They all attended school in the village and the school is nestled beneath the shade of a great big copper beech tree. There is a story about the local doctor, the local priest, the schoolteachers, the poor kids and so forth. Maeve weaves her spell again ~~ all you can do is give into her spell and read about ordinary people living ordinary lives with the occassional surprises and revelations. It's a lovely book to snuggle with by the fire on a blustering cold winter day. And this time, Maeve writes more thoroughly of the characters, not cutting off their stories so abruptly like several of her books have been. You can tell she really thought the characters out and how their stories entwined together like any other villages or towns. It's a wonderful book to read ~~ I wouldn't hesitate reading this one again! 1-12-04
Rating:
Summary: Heartwarming Stories
Review: After reading some of Maeve's so-so works, I am pleased to announce this one is of better quality than "Silver Wedding" and "Lilac Bus." This is a bunch of short stories of the people who live and grew up in Shancarrig. They all attended school in the village and the school is nestled beneath the shade of a great big copper beech tree. There is a story about the local doctor, the local priest, the schoolteachers, the poor kids and so forth. Maeve weaves her spell again ~~ all you can do is give into her spell and read about ordinary people living ordinary lives with the occassional surprises and revelations. It's a lovely book to snuggle with by the fire on a blustering cold winter day. And this time, Maeve writes more thoroughly of the characters, not cutting off their stories so abruptly like several of her books have been. You can tell she really thought the characters out and how their stories entwined together like any other villages or towns. It's a wonderful book to read ~~ I wouldn't hesitate reading this one again! 1-12-04
Rating:
Summary: Very Cute!!!
Review: I am a very selective reader, but I really did enjoy reading "The Copper Beech". I liked how the chapters were assigned to different characters, through that you got to know the town & see their lives through every angle.I do regret that I owned this book for 2 years before I made myself read it,it was very good, and I should have read it sooner. This book was filled with wonderful stories that were truly moving. I got caught up in them---they were so inventive. I would absolutely recommend this book--I love Maeve & it was very good!!!
Rating:
Summary: Maeve Binchy makes me want to travel to Ireland
Review: I discovered Maeve Binchy some years ago :-). Saw Tara Road on the shelves in my favorite book store here in Norway and it called out to me. Bought it, took it home and became an addicted Maeve Binchy fan. Since then I have read most of her books. Not many have been available here in my town in Norway, but I have bought some online and also found a couple at my local library. It was a big surprise though when I some time ago found a used copy of The Copper Bech at a local secondhand book store.
I finished The Copper Beech today, after getting deeply involved in the characters in the book.
The Copper Beech is set in Ireland like most of Binchy's books. Outside a small countryside school stands a copper beech, and once eight children carved their names in this tree. The children come from different backgrouds, what units them is the Shancarrig school where they all have spent an important part of their past. The book tells different stories, all about these kids and their life. It is a book about love and death, about daily life and about extraordinary events. Maeve Binchy is a master to tell a story the way you know it could have happend, her characters could me my neighbours, or yours for that. And at the same time she shows that there are extraordinary stories to be covered everywhere, in everybody's lives.
Though this is not my favorite Maeve Bincy, so far Evening Class holds that possition, I love the book. It has it's place on the shelves in my growing collection of Maeve Binchy books, and passing the shelves glimpsing the books I know I have hours of cozy hours ahead of me if or rather when I want to read them over again. I'm glad I still have some unread Maeve Bincy books to look forward to, Scarlet Feather on top of that list.
Happy reading
Rating: 
Summary: Good read, but not Maeve's best work
Review: If you're like me and you read a lot of Maeve Binchy, this one is a little repetitive and uses many concepts from earlier stories. While still worth a read for the wonderful descriptions of a small Irish town and it's inhabitants, it isn't one I would pick up again and again. "Circle of Friends", "Firefly Summer" and "Glass Lake" are much better. My favorite of all is "Light a Penny Candle" - one of the best books I have ever read of this genre.
Rating: 
Summary: Wonderful author!
Review: Maeve Binchy can write a story with the best of them. Her characters come to life and the reader really cares about them, since she writes about their hope and dreams, as well as their activities. In The Copper Beech, Binchy details the lives of different people in a small Irish town. Most of the characters are local children who have carved their names in the copper beech tree outside of their school. She describes the class distinctions in the town, which sometimes separate those who have been schoolmates, after they leave their school days. The final chapter ties the characters together and lets the reader in on what has happened to the people that have been described throughout the book. This is a wonderful read!
Rating:
Summary: Life and Love in Shancarrig
Review: THE COPPER BEECH by Maeve Binchy THE COPPER BEECH by Maeve Binchy is a series of stories centering on the townspeople of Shancarrig, Ireland. The reference to the copper beech is to a large tree that stands near the school grounds where the town's children grew up. Many initials had been etched into this tree, representing many memories of those that had passed through this town and through the school. While Binchy's latest book QUENTIN'S had a similar approach, I felt it failed as a novel in comparison to THE COPPER BEECH. QUENTIN'S used a main story line, with short stories interspersed around the main plot. It was choppy and forced. With THE COPPER BEECH, Binchy succeeded in creating a feel for this small Irish town and for the people that comprised it. As the reader reads each story, they become more immersed in the lives of the towns people. References are made to previous characters, so by the end of the book, one feels that this was a satisfactory journey through the town of Shancarrig, and may want to visit it again. Some of my favorite stories were about Miss Ross and Father Barry, and their "secret" friendship; the story of Dr Jims and his only son Declan who had to face the world without a mother and with a father that was emotionally distant from him; and Richard Hayes, the wayward nephew of Bill Hayes, and his illicit relationship with married Gloria Darcy, and the hard lessons he learned from her. All the stories I found interesting, and it was one of those books that I didn't want to see end. As with all Binchy books, I think most fans will agree that she writes the type of novel that "feels" like home. Her characters are usually well rounded and full of depth. Her style of writing, which to me resembles friends chatting, is very comfortable to me. Some readers have complained about her books, saying they seem far too long. But I personally enjoy this type of writing, and do recommend THE COPPER BEECH. For those not familiar with her works, I suggest starting with TARA ROAD, which was an Oprah book selection a few years ago.
Rating:
Summary: One small world through everyone's eyes.
Review: The story is about a place and time and how several people's lives unfold over a period of about 30 years. The copper beech is a landmark by the local school in a small town in Ireland. It is marked by the local school children upon graduation and provides a point of reference for many as they grow up. This book chronicles the lives of several of the local people through their own eyes. You see the priest, the young school mistress and several other local town's people recount major events and how they touch each of their lives. What I found particularly interesting is how each event is perceived differently and how each imagine each other's lives. It kind of makes you think for a moment as you look around at the people you know. Makes you realize that you color what you imagine their lives to be, with your own palette and with only partial knowledge. Yet, you often take this as fact rather than your own opinion and are shocked to find out otherwise. It is a thoroughly enjoyable book and leaves you feeling that things aren't always what they seem.
Rating:
Summary: I Can Picture the Place in Ireland
Review: This book is about a little town in Ireland, Shancarrig, where the young people carved their initials and those of their loves into the copper beech tree in front of the schoolhouse. Each person has a history in the story that Binchy tells us about. The first real character is Maddy, who is lonely, until one day she falls in love with the new priest Father Barry, which of course is forbidden, since he's a priest. There is Maura, who comes from a home with a drunken father who is anxious to make a life for herself. She marries Gerry O'Sullivan, and they have a Down-Syndrome baby whom he cannot accept, so he leaves. Eddie Barton, the third character in the story, lives with his mother who is a seamstress for a living. His dad took off a long time ago, so his mom has to make ends meet. He falls in love with a penfriend in Scotland, and eventually they meet and marry each other. Dr. Jims, met and married a lovely lady,and had three children. His wife died in childbirth, however giving birth to their son. Nora and Jim Kelly, the school teachers in the story, always wanted to have children and never could. When Nora's niece loses her mom in a tragic accident, they adopt Maria and give her a home. But not without some worries from the father who is allergic to responsibility. Nessa is a character in the story that has trouble with her overbearing mom. Eventually they come to terms. Richard, a womanizer has an affair with Darcy, a very married woman with two kids. Leo Murphy's life is a story in and of itself. After a tragic event, her mom falls into a state of shock, and never fully recovers. The story was overall, very enjoyable. If you like a nice going along book with family events, be sure to read this!
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