Rating: 
Summary: Disappointing (but even a mediocre Binchey is a good read)
Review: Ms. Binchey is a gifted storyteller. Her other works are opulent in imagery. Her characters drew the reader into their lives. Unfortunately, Tara Road is not one of Ms. Binchey's better books. Neither the plot nor the characters in this book are very interesting. The writing seems rushed - as though to meet a publisher's deadline. If you've never read any of Maeve Binchey's books, start with Copper Beeches or Firefly Summer. But be warned, Binchey is highly addictive.
Rating: 
Summary: This is Maeve Binchy at her best!
Review: A compelling story--hard to put it down
Rating:
Summary: No, not her best, but worth reading
Review: Too long a set up, too much dialogue, not enough of those narratives that allow characters to reveal themselves slowly . . . Binchy is perhaps at her best with books like "Circle of Friends," "Echoes," and "The Glass Lake." Maybe we American readers prefer that approach because Binchy does it so charmingly and that's what we look for . . . Ria just didn't engage me. In fact, no character did. Ms Binchy, we love you, but bring back Benny and Eve!
Rating:
Summary: warm AND VERY ENTERTAINING
Review: I loved this book as much as her others. The characters are so real with lives much like most of ours I can really live with the people in the story and it's hard to put her books down. The story made me wish I could be a neighbor to these friendly people and most of all to see Tara road. Her insight into people is amazing. the cover said a lot too about the richness of this novel. Thank you MS. MAEVE BINCHY-I wait for the next one.
Rating:
Summary: Mine was a feeling of disappointment.
Review: I have aways been a fan of the books of Maeve Binchy. Nothing will ever change that. She gives us a realistc view of modern day Ireland but her latest book, "Tara Road," proved to be something of a letdown after "Evening Class" and "The Glass Lake." After reading her book I sent it around the family for them to read and found my opinion wasn't necessarily shared by them. Although I didn't think this was her best work, I will always look foreward to this author's work. As an Irish-American I am greatly impressed with the work of today's contemporary Irish authors. There are some excellent authors working in that country today and Maeve Binchy is among them. Her characters are always well drawn and those in "Tara Road" are no exception.
Rating:
Summary: A must read !!!! I loved it!!!
Review: I love Books written by Maeve Binchy. She is a talented writer. I am in the beginning of this novel and I love it. I really like the way she creates her characters. They all seem so real and one cares for all of them. I bought it the day it arrived and I can not put it down. This is a must read book. But all of her books are.
Rating:
Summary: Not her best..but still enjoyable
Review: This is not Binchy's best book. I prefer Lilac Bus and Copper Beech. How can she top those? In Tara Road, the book plods along so steadily and then suddenly whips up to an ending as if the publisher called and told her to hurry it up. Also, the betrayal of her best friend is never resolved. We really never know how Ria or Rosemary's lives turn out...or Marilyn for that matter.
Rating:
Summary: This is another absorbing read by a master storyteller.
Review: To paraphrase "a reader from San Diego" I, too, have read and re-read all of Maeve Binchy's books and was thrilled with the publication of another full-length novel - her short stories are wonderful too but they leave you wanting more! Reading Maeve Binchy is always a magical experience. She transports you to Ireland and involves you in the lives of her characters to the extent that you are sorry to have the story end. Her tales are comforting and warm - no one can describe friendships, family relationships and love, true and otherwise, the way she can. I believe "Tara Road" is a departure for her in that the setting is current-day Dublin rather than an Irish village in the midlands or the coast. I looked forward to and enjoyed this book tremendously. But, I do think that perhaps it did not have the enthralling sweep of "Echos", or "Circle of Friends", or "The Glass Lake." However, I think that anything by Maeve Binchy can stand alone as a terrific read and "Tara Road" is certainly that. I've read some of the reader criticisms of this book that complain about her characters always being the same and, in fact, interchangeable from book to book. My answer to that is people are always the same in real life... friendship, love, family - all life is a repitition. Isn't there a famous quote that states "There is nothing new under the sun"? For example, there are woman who stay in abusive relationships, woman who turn a blind eye to cheating husbands, women who have a marvelous talent for business, teenagers who don't get along with their parents, etc. The fact that "Tara Road" contains characters who behave this way as they do in other novels by Maeve Binchy is just a reflection of the reality of everday life. I believe one of her greatest talents is getting the reader to look upon these frailties with compassion and sympathy. I have yet to be disappointed by any of Maeve Binchy's endings - they are so satisfying - all usually get their proper deserts the bad and the good! And that is what we would like to see happen in life! So, if you haven't yet: Read "Tara Road" and anything else by this wonderful writer. I look forward as always to her next and next!!
Rating: 
Summary: My First Binchy
Review: This was my first Maeve Binchy book and I read it because the artwork on the cover is so striking (yes, I do judge a book by its cover :-) ), plus the plot of the women exchanging homes intrigued me. I was a little worried at first because I didn't expect the author to go into so much detail and outline Ria's life before the actual exchange took place, but I got into it and found myself liking Ria as she genuinely seemed like a kind, caring person. I do have to admit I got some of the characters mixed up as there were a few forgettable people in the cast who didn't seem to offer much to the story, but that is a minor complaint. All in all I was very happy with this book and plan on going back and reading her prevous books, especially Glass Lake and Circle of Friends.
Rating:
Summary: Binchey's best
Review: Another wonderful weave of fully developed characters that become your friends and family. Tara Road is the story of love and friendship in Dublin. The characters are loveable, flawed and life long friends. I cared immensly about the main characters and was intrigued at the clues the author drops to let you know things are not as they seem. Her Irish wit and discriptions of poeple and places is what made me rush to but her newest work. If you liked Glass Lake or Cirlce of Friends you will love Tara Road. I miss these characters now that I am finished with the book. The story of a young girl as she grows into womanhood, first love marriage and raising a family. The life long friends that color her life and are the weave of her life on Tara Road. Her mother, her friends and her husband are so real and fully developed they come to life and evoke a range of emotion.
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