Tara Road

Rating:
Summary: Typical Binchy, But Strangely Dark
Review: As is typical with Maeve Binchy, I couldn't put this book down, but I was left oddly disappointed when I was done. I felt as though I never got to know the main character and I was dissapointed in her doormat behavior towards her philandering, deceitful, spineless husband. How I wished she had stood up to him or even realized that she was better off without him. I know if I want happy endings I could always read Danielle Steele, but this book and its characters were strangely depressing. Not one of my favorites, I'll reserve that for Evening Class and Echoes.

Rating:
Summary: Exceptional, as usual!!!!!
Review: I ran across this book in the airport in Manchester, England and snatched it off the shelf because I knew I had not seen it in my hometown (Denver). My in-laws were born and raised in Ireland and whenever I read one of Maeve's books it's like I'm listening to them when they relate stories from their youth. I love the way she interconnects her characters. This book has moved into the number one spot of favorite books by Maeve Binchy. I eagerly await anything by her.

Rating:
Summary: A big, wonderful old-fashioned read
Review: I purchased this book from Amazon.co.uk and what a wonderful treat. Reading Maeve Binchy has always been like drinking hot chocolate on a snowy winters day - she has a way of soothing the soul, especially when ones soul is in need. "Tara Road" is a novel to savor and cherish - I simply could not put it down, nor did I want it to end. As far as I am concerned it could have gone on for another 400 pages. Ms. Binchy tells the story of ordinary people both in Ireland and in the United States who experience the trial and tribulations we all experience whether it be a troubled marrriage or a family crises. She treats all her characters with sensitivity and the dialogue her characters speak are never haphazard. And just like life, Ms. Binchy's characters do not solve their situations in a nicely, neat resolution. Instead, Ms.Binchy shows us the power we humans have to cope, to grow and to learn. And in the end, Ms. Binchy gives us all hope. This book will not be published in the U.S. until March. Treat yourself now and buy this book from Amazon.co.uk. You will not be sorry as this is one of the best novels this year.

Rating:
Summary: Another special story from a favourite author
Review: Maeve Binchy has a special way of making her characters become like old friends of her readers, and in Tara Road, this is true once again. I soon became engrossed in this tale of love, life and disappointment, with its rich cast of characters, likeable and not-so-likeable. This story is a testament to the healing powers of time, love and friendship. Highly recommended!

Rating:
Summary: brillent
Review: I eagerly await Maeve Binchy's new books. She has the unique gift of tying all the characters together. Once I start I can't put the book down and nothing gets done!! As an immigrant in America, she brings me back to Ireland and has me walking the streets just like her books. Thanks Maeve Binchy.

Rating:
Summary: A wonderful tale of dissapointment and hope.
Review: Not your usual maeve Binchy tale, it reads more like a book by Patricia Scanlon. The story tackles 90's Dublin rather than rural Ireland, which I'm used to in Maeves books.The story is touching, a cumpulsive page turner.Tara road is full of interesting charaters and will leave you both heartened by the hope over adversity of the female leads,and delighted by the downfall of the weak and selfish characters. You cant beat Maeve Binchy for an uplifting read.

Rating:
Summary: Wonderful and also darkly thought provoking
Review: I admire all of Maeve's books and this was eagerly anticipated. The story is true to her usual form, with delightful characters that we can all identify with, but there was something almost disturbing about this story line that had me thinking long after I finished it. It is a delightful and very enjoyable book, with a dark undercurrent that reflects the different things we all juggle and deal with in modern life. I highly recommend it

Rating:
Summary: BINCHY IN TRUE FORM
Review: A true Binchy classic -- wonderful character development, interesting story and a tale that takes you away. Once again, Binch has written a book so full of emotion, belief and prose worth re-reading the minute you finish the book, you just don't want the book to end.

Rating:
Summary: Another engrossing novel in typical Binchy fashion
Review: Binchy fans will quickly become engrossed in this latest novel, with its two very different central characters. Ria, living in Dublin, and Marilyn, in the States, appear at first to be very different, yet when their lives become (accidentally?) intertwined, it seems that both have similar needs and heartaches after all. As always, Binchy's characters are vividly drawn: it is as easy to visualise Ria's farmhouse kitchen, full of friends and the smells of warm baking, as it is to picture Marilyn in her perfect, orderly garden, attempting by physical labour to purge the deep trauma she has undergone. The supporting cast of characters, vividly drawn also, add to the emotions of Ria's and Marilyn's stories. A lovely gentle novel, testament to the healing powers of time, love and friendships.

Rating:
Summary: Fabulous entertainment as usual
Review: Well, it's nice to know that we in Australia had early access to this one! Maeve's characters are so finely drawn that you feel they are your friends - you laugh with them, and you cry with them. The story has enough complexities to maintain interest, and as usual there is something magical about the whole thing. This one will not disappoint.