Rating: 
Summary: A wonderful book!
Review: I enjoyed reading this one very much, and could hardly put it down. I found it extremely interesting and well-written. Excellent character development - the way the story follows Ria's life makes you love her. Binchy has an incredible way of showing the characters' growth as they progress in their lives. If you like stories that expand over a long period of time, this is a good one for you. I loved reading it because it made me think about the story's situations from different perspectives.
Rating: 
Summary: BARBI'S TARA ROAD
Review: I REALLY LIKED THIS BOOK WITH THE EXCEPTION OF THE BEGINNING. I AM ONE OF THOSE READERS WHO LIKES TO BE GRABBED BY THE VERY FIRST OR AT LEAST THE SECOND PAGE. HOWEVER, THE MORE I READ THE MORE ENGROSSED I BECAME IN ALL OF THE CHARACTERS - ESPECIALLY 'RIA'. I WAS GLAD SHE TOOK THE TRIP TO AMERICA. IT MADE HER REALIZE SHE IS A MUCH STRONGER PERSON THAN SHE WAS GIVING HERSELF CREDIT FOR. I JUST WISHED SHE WOULD HAVE FOUND OUT SOONER WHAT A CAD DANNY WAS!
Rating:
Summary: my review
Review: This book tells the story of a young woman, Ria, and how she marries, has two children and later is dumped by her husband for a younger woman. However, through it all, she manages to find herself and be happy.I have read all of Ms. Binchy's previous novels, and I must say, I enjoyed this book a great deal. The characters are extremely interesting and seem very real. I was sad when the book ended, I wanted to find out more about the characters and their adventures! Maeve Binchy is always very real and entertaining in her novels. This is one of her best yet.... Great Book and fun reading!
Rating:
Summary: My first Binchy novel
Review: I laughed, I cried, I was not over-impressed, but I grew to love Ria and feel for her. Binchy does have a good juggling act going on I must admit, with all of those crazy characters. It was a long ride, but worth it. I may check out one of her others. My big question though, did anyone else realize that A LOT of the characters had the same initial starting their first and last names? It was a little annoying to me. Maybe it was just me, it wouldn't be the first time :)
Rating: 
Summary: A poor effort by a great writer
Review: I have long been an admiring reader of Maeve Binchey's novels, since an Irish friend of a friend in London about 20 years ago encouraged me to read "Light a Penny Candle", and even after being slightly disappointed by "Evening Class", eagerly looked forward to reading "Tara Road". And was REALLY disappointed. In Dublin, Ireland, Ria answers a phone call actually meant for her real estate agent husband from the American, Marilyn, seeking advice about a house exchange for the summer. Finally realising her marriage is over, Ria jumps at the opportunity to get away and try to put things into perspective. I don't know if I've become jaded after too much of a good thing, or if Ms Binchey has. This book follows the trend established with "Evening Class" - again, a huge amount of words and a vast cast were used to distract us from a rather thin story, populated by huge numbers of trite, stereotyped characters. Danny, the charming, aldulterous rogue. Ria, the wife who had no clue. Rosemary, ultra-successful, ultimately the false friend. Gertie, entangled by bonds of 'love' to a stereotypical drunken bully. Marilyn, lost in grief, rejecting her equally grief-stricken husband. Nora, Barney, Polly, Colm, all the (many) others - I just wanted to smack some sense into them! Everyone was so busy keeping various secrets from various others, no-one knew any truths, even though they were all so transparent. The only credible characters in the whole book were Brian, Ria's sometimes embarrassingly outspoken but always honest son, and Bernadette, the other, other, other woman. However, Ms Binchey's wonderful way with words, particularly dialogue, kept me reading the unwieldy 639 page paperback copy I found. Even that failed me. As in her previous novels, dialogue written for Irish characters flows so wonderfully, sometimes I read it aloud, just for the sheer enjoyment of hearing those words. But she used the same idiom for her American characters, making their dialogue ridiculous. I've always admired Ms Binchey's ability to create characters so real, you almost feel you would greet them by name if you were fortunate enough to encounter them in the streets of the equally brilliantly created villages/towns/cities they inhabit. These hackneyed characters were limp, cardboard cutouts. For me, there was no heart in it - it felt like a formula book written to fill a contract. Once I started disliking things, I found more and more. I have awarded my stars on the following basis: one out of nostalgia for the author's previous body of work, and the second for her sheer effort in writing so many words. Although disappointed by this work, I would urge you to read Maeve Binchey's other novels, particularly "Circle of Friends" (the whole point was missed in the translation to the screen), "The Glass Lake" and the wonderful "Light a Penny Candle".
Rating:
Summary: Great Summer Read!
Review: I love Maeve Binchy's writing. I always feel like I am living next door to the character's I am reading about. This was a wonderful story about an Irish housewife who's perfect life is torn apart by a husband who she thought held the same ideals about family life. Then how she picks up the pieces.
Rating:
Summary: Great story, great characters
Review: This is a really human story - I believed in every character, maybe because my family is Irish. They made perfect sense to me. Lots of interesting interaction and it rang true. I listened to it on the CD during a long drive and had to sit in the parking lot until it finished.
Rating: 
Summary: Oh, Please!
Review: Don't waste your time reading this drivel. The storyline was trite; the characterizations were superficial. If you enjoy a book where you can predict exactly what will happen then this is the one for you (if you don't mind the drudgery of plodding through the pedestrian and tedious writing).
Rating:
Summary: A wonderful story
Review: TARA ROAD is the story of Ria Lynch and her charismatic husband, Danny. Ria and Danny live in a large home they've lovingly refurbished in a prestigious Dublin neighborhood on Tara Road with their two children. Ria thinks she's happily married and is content in her life - right up until the day Danny announces he's leaving her for another woman. When a woman from America, Marilyn Vine, calls wanting to exchange houses for the summer with Ria, Ria decides this is a unique opportunity and flies to New England with her two children. Marilyn has as much time adjusting to life in Dublin as Ria does to life in America. Marilyn had always been rather reserved and is stunned at the openness of Ria's friends and neighbors. When they both discover the other is withholding a secret - things really get interesting. What both women discover about themselves via this exchange of homes changes their lives forever. I loved this book and think I would have enjoyed it even if I'd read it not knowing anything about Ireland. Being in Ireland when I read it just added to my enjoyment. I loved Ria's character and even liked her philandering husband, Danny. The wide variety of personalities of Ria's friends and neighbors really makes the book interesting. Since reading TARA ROAD I've acquired most of Binchy's backlist in their British versions and was stunned when in May she announced her retirement. Her next book, SCARLET FEATHER, out in Britain in August, will be her last. At least she has left us plenty of books to read and re-read.
Rating:
Summary: I want a sequel!
Review: I've read many of the listed reviews of this book, and although some say the book is a bit long, I could have read even more! I laughed, I cried, and I would love for Ms. Binchy to write a sequel, to see how things go for Ria and the others--their lives had all changed, and I want to know what life holds for them all!
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