Rating: 
Summary: Good story but ...
Review: ... a little long.This story of two women swapping houses and thus learning much over the course of one summer about themselves is really quite good. You find yourself cheering for the ladies as you read. However, the story takes quite a while to get going. But once you start reading it, you get so attached to some of the characters, mainly Ria in my case, that you bear through the longer bits because you just have to know what happens in the end. Great main character, nice feel-good story.
Rating: 
Summary: Heartwarming, couldn't put it down
Review: I really enjoyed reading this book. I found it very difficult to put down. I needed to find out what would happen next! I cannot wait to read my next Maeve Binchy book.
Rating: 
Summary: Realistic heroines
Review: Ria Lynch, wife of a fast-track Dublin real estate agent, and Marilyn Vine, American college administrator, have never met yet will make a profound difference in each other's lives. Both are suffering silently through crises of the heart. Both are desperate to escape their pain. Marilyn contacts Ria in the hopes of asking her well-connected husband for information about residential exchanges between Ireland and the USA. One thing leads to another and the women decide to swap homes with each other for the summer. Each makes her escape to a picture-perfect home across the sea, and each woman soon discovers that nothing is quite as it seems, that those impeccable houses hide a wealth of dark secrets. What worked for me: It was very interesting seeing situations through the eyes of so many of the players (and there were many in this story.) Yes, it added a lot of length to an already long book, but had some value in letting the reader see what a tangled web life was for those people. Size-wise the women were all very different. But Ria, the character who was on center stage most of the time, sounded to be at the round end of average, particularly by the time she's been married for several years, has had two kids, and become the stereotypical frumpy hausfrau. What didn't work for me: The story was very long, particularly the first half which took forever building up the history of the characters. But once you reach the midpoint and the two ladies swap homes, the story just flies from there. (I was up until 2 am trying to find out how it all turns out.) Some of the characters were fairly strong, but others were rather wispy and less-than-genuine and ended up taking away from the depth of the story. And though it may have felt trite in places, I have to confess to shedding a tear or two when things got rough for the ladies. Overall: "Tara Road" is an epic saga about friendship, loss, and betrayal, and worth picking up if you can tough out the first half of the book. (Look for an abridged or audio cassette version if you can.) If you liked "Tara Road" you might also enjoy: "Last Chance Saloon", "Having It and Eating It", and "Good in Bed".
Rating: 
Summary: I couldn't even finish it
Review: This book was SO boring. I borrowed the book from a friend since I was flying back and had nothing to read - what a mistake. I read during the entire flight and was so bored that I tried sleeping. Once I was home I tried to get through it and finally skipped to the last couple of chapters and amazingly knew what was going on. I have never read Maeve Bincy before and it's doubtful I will again. I love reading but this one just didn't do it for me.
Rating:
Summary: A Captivating Story!
Review: Be careful...if you begin this book, you will not be able to put it down!! Binchy does it again!
Rating:
Summary: emotionally wonderful!
Review: a wonderful, gut wrenching ride through this woman's life. Highly recomened!!
Rating:
Summary: HUH??
Review: Where's the climax?! Where's the excitement?!
Way too long and draggy. A waste of my time. Totally.
Rating:
Summary: Good pick, Oprah!
Review: This is one of Oprah's better picks. I am planning on reading more by Ms. Binchy. This was a story that pulled me in, couldn't put it down.
Rating:
Summary: Binchy has rich characters and a good story
Review: I enjoyed the pace of Tara Road, as well as the characters because they were flawed, secretive, open, selfish, and real. Ria was our main character, and her house swap with Marilyn, is a plot device that reveals character secrets to show us some major character flaws in those involved in their lives. Marilyn was introduced later in the story, and I did not feel as much of a bond to her at the end of the story, but I did feel that I was glad to have known Ria. Ria's world is crumbling as she faces her husband's lies, finanical problems, and betrayal of friends. Marilyn is facing major sorrow in the loss of a loved one, and her inability to deal with her sadness and the secrets around her loss, make her future unknown. In this story, Binchy demonstrates the dangers of secrets and lies, and how it affects the lives of the main characters as well as the supporting cast. Ria and Marilyn learn more about each other, having never met, then by seeing one another face-to-face. Just by meeting their friends and family, Ria and Marilyn piece together the truth in each other's lives, without ever knowing the truth of their own reality. A well written piece of irony. I recommend Tara Road on its rapid pace, fleshed-out characters and reality of plot. Worthy of 4 stars.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent Story with a Great Cast of Characters
Review: Tara Road takes you directly into the heart of Ireland and captivates with the lives of its well written characters. These characters seemed like real people to me especially Danny and Ria's children, Annie and Brian, who's dialogue sounded so much like the way real siblings would talk to each other. Maeve Binchy also gave us characters that we could truly love (Ria, Colm and Marilyn) plus she created characters that you can truly hate (Danny and Rosemary) I also like the way the author used the house on Tara Road as a symbol of Danny and Ria's marriage and dreams. This was the first book that I have read by Maeve Binchy but I will definitely be reading many more, especially since I really hated for this book to end. This was a real pageturner and I would highly recommend it to everyone.
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