Rating: 
Summary: Long and Engaging
Review: ... For the first 100 or so pages, lots of really nice things happen. Which is great. For us in reality, maybe, but not in a book. I'm not sure why Ms. Binchy took so long for some significant conflict to occur, but then she and I are not on any kind of personal first name basis or anything so I can't ask her. However, once some significant conflict occurs, then it gets interesting and it's quite an enjoyable read. The problem with long books is that toward the end, you don't want it to end because you've invested so much time reading the darn thing, and you've gotten kinda used to living with these characters. Still the advantages of this long book outweigh the disadvanatages. The characters are fun, the story lines are well presented. No big surprises or anything (especially after reading others' reviews), but it's not so predictable that it's boring. I enjoyed the Irish dialogue. The difference in speech between the Irish characters and American characters helps differentiate the two major story lines.
Rating: 
Summary: Pleasant book, but not captivating-lacked depth of character
Review: The premise and story behind this book were very pleasant; however, it was "lightweight". I didn't get the feeling that I "knew" the characters like you do in many books. I'm not even sure what they really looked like via the book. There were many characters, a lot of switching back and forth via story lines (think soap opera) and a general vagueness of the characters. When something happy/sad/pleasant happened, you didn't "feel" it; it was quite generic. It was a very long book with nothing really to bite into. Also, there was a question/situation that was alluded to, but was never answered. I won't be reading this author again.
Rating:
Summary: The scandals never ended.
Review: It kept me interested. I really liked her depiction of the children in the book, they were very likeable. The neverending scandals and discoveries of improprieties was a bit much but I guess it kept the book moving. This was the first book of hers I've ever read.
Rating: 
Summary: Tara Road made me a real Binchy fan
Review: Tara Road is a wonderful novel that I simply loved to read. It's got plenty of drama though is light enough to keep you in tune with the characters. Maeve Binchy has the gift of connecting the reader to the characters using light comedy and obviously by utilzing her own life experience, as well. I didn't think I'd become such a fan of novels set in Ireland but it's been quite an interesting journey through her novels and many characters make appearances in other novels which makes Binchy's novels terrific for back-to-back reading.
I highly reccommend this novel to anyone who would like to get back "into" reading.
Rating:
Summary: A story of inspiration and truth to one's self
Review: This is a novel about family, friends and neighbors to include a connection between two women living separate lives an ocean apart. Ria is a young woman from Ireland whose first love, Danny is the man she eventually marries and with whom she raises two children. Years later, she faces the shocking realization that, what she thought was the "perfect" marriage and family, comes to a sudden end by her husband's abrupt departure. In the mean time, Marilyn, who resides in Connecticut, is living day to day doing her best to endure a painful recovery of her own personal loss. One day Marilyn phones Ria's residence and a chance dialogue between them results in arranging for the two women to switch residences for a summer. In doing so, certain events and truths are revealed to one another about the other's life; events and experiences that were the other to know the truth could cause great pain and heartache. They discover that things are not always as they seem, and have seemed. Danny is not the debonaire husband Ria idealized him to be. Rosemary gives the appearance of being the loyal friend and confidante; "appearance" being the definitive word. Gertie is so deep in her denial that her pretending to be happy becomes her saving grace. Ms. Binchey a superb story teller. Her style is that of interwoven dialogue and emotional action/reaction. I found myself completely absorbed in each of these people's lives until the very last page.
Rating:
Summary: 502 pages and I still want more
Review: I loved this story, and I wish I could keep on living with them on Tara Road. Ria is exceptionally sweet, her desire to please makes her a tad oblivious. The author doesn't have to spell it out, we're all suspicious of Rosemary. But because this is Ria's story, we remain unknowledgeable of any wrongdoing until Marilyn enters the scene. When Ria threatens Danny with a fork in Colm's restaurant, I was really hoping she'd go through with it. Poke his eye out, Ria! All the characters are beautifully well-rounded, but there are quite a few of them. For some reason, I kept forgetting who Hilary was...! I went and bought this book, and hope to give it to my mother (though I know it'll take her eons to finish). So I'm here now to encourage you to read it right now, and share the story with me!
Rating:
Summary: Maeve Binchy does it again
Review: I have never been disappointed reading one of Binchy's novels, and this was no exception. Binchy's characters always come to life for me and her descriptions always make me want to travel to Ireland. This book is also interesting, as the author takes us away from Ireland for part of the book and lets us see the United States through the eyes of an Irish traveler. I thought this, in addition to a few American characters, brought a fresh perspective to Binchy's writing.
Rating:
Summary: A Real Story about a Woman in Love
Review: This story revolves around Ria who lives in Ireland. It tells of how she meets the right man, never thinking she would and falls head over heels in love with him. He is full of ambition and big dreams about becoming rich and important. He sets his sights on a house located on Tara Road. A stroke of luck and some not so honest preplanning brings the dream to reality. Ria settles in and brings warmth to a house filled with the aroma of food and cozy antiques. She draws people to her and they fill the house which fills with her children and relatives. The characters are well drawn and humor flows from the writers pen. The relationship between Ria and her husband is not what she thinks. It is so real, women can easily get lost in their imagination as to what they think their husband thinks, projecting their own needs onto their mate, getting lost in a dreamworld and blind to the obvious. Ria's innocence is sweet and she comes across very loving but naivete can come from lack of communication and intimacy between partners. The book is done in such a wonderful human way with my longing for it to continue! I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.
Rating:
Summary: Tara Road
Review: Having read several of Binchy's works I went into Tara Road with an attitude of familiarity. So I, from the start, paid particular attention to the character developments of Nora and her young daughters, Hilary and Ria. The effort was certainly worthwhile. In the writer's usual flow, giving us peaks of growth stages, she introduces us to another portion of the Dublin area and a diversified cross section of endearing and frustrating characters. I was suspicious of Rosemary from the beginning and Danny was the spark that Ria's naïveté required. ... The humiliation of Ria's attempt to hang on to what was already gone brought tears of identification to my eyes. Mona's eventual reward was sweet without vindictiveness and Gertie's loss was certainly her gain. Brian was my middle son's irritating and adorable personality. And Colm's last page plans leaves such hope in the end. Before I was anywhere near the middle of the book I had definite hopes and fears for the cadre of friends and foes I had come to know, know on a personal level. If there is any criticism on my part it is that the Americans sound rather English to me, but being a Westerner, maybe New Englanders really do sound that foreign. Nonetheless, a good read, a woman's story with insight and generosity.
Rating: 
Summary: Entertaining and light
Review: Nothing earthshattering, just a short, entertaining audio book which can stave off commute boredom. If you like this author or if you like romance novels in general, you'll probably like this audiobook.
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