Tara Road

Rating:
Summary: Can't help it! I like this book!
Review: I don't care what anyone says, this author just draws me into the plot and I can't put the book down. Yes, she does seem to have the men in her stories become weak and worthless, but I love how she tells the story. There are quite a few mini-plots that are intertwined and yet very light and easy to read.
I highly recommend this book

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: I loved this book
Review: The characters are so rich and life like. I couldn't get enough, even though I was sleep deprived from staying up late to read!

Rating:
Summary: An easy, entertaining read...
Review: I've read everything of hers and, honestly, enjoyed this one the most, maybe because it's current and brighter than some of her more somber tales. I flew through this during my summer vacation and found it a very satisfying read. She's a fantastic storyteller. Enjoy!

Rating:
Summary: Enjoyable Read
Review: The first part of "Tara Road", which is a bit slow, tells the story of Ria Lynch, her marriage to Danny Lynch, and her life with him and their two children as they buy a house and renovate it on Tara Road. It also tells the stories of Ria's friends, especially Rosemary Ryan, not quite the friend she appears to be; Gertie, a battered wife who is so used to living a lie that she actually believes it; and Colm, who is struggling to run a restaurant while dealing with his sister's problems.

"Tara Road" picks up pace in the second part, when Ria's life takes an unexpected turn, and she switches houses with Marilyn Vine, an American, who is dealing (not very well) with a tragedy in her life. While the reader knows all about Ria's life (more, in fact than she does), the reader discovers Marilyn's story at the same time as Ria does. In the end, Ria's stay in Connecticut and Marilyn's stay on Tara Road, change them both in ways they never imagined.

Although a bit too long (the first part drags at times), this was an enjoyable read and towards the end, I couldn't put it down. As always, Binchey fills the book with memorable characters, some of whom you'll like, others would will dislike quite a bit. I highly recommend "Tara Road".


Rating:
Summary: Tara Road
Review: A mediocre story about 2 women who switch residences: one in England and one in America. It shows how the change of scenery gives them each a new perspective and allows them to accept their life circumstances better. (This is not one of the better Maeve Binchy stories).

Rating:
Summary: Can't help it! I like this book!
Review: I don't care what anyone says, this author just draws me into the plot and I can't put the book down. Yes, she does seem to have the men in her stories become weak and worthless, but I love how she tells the story. There are quite a few mini-plots that are intertwined and yet very light and easy to read.
I highly recommend this book

Rating:
Summary: merely lukewarm
Review: This was a book that appeared to be in by a deadline. Characters were not fully developed.

Rating:
Summary: Tara Road
Review: This book was worth the read. The characters were diverse and rich; the backstabbing targeted at the main character Ria was incredible. The only part I did not like was that Ria was so incredibly innocent, never suspecting friends and husband to the very end. I suspected certain affairs before they were ever made known within the book. I think Ria is much more intelligent than the author allowed. This woman should have never been subjected to so much betrayal, because the character was smart enough to know better. It was not the betrayal that I found unbelievable, but instead, the fact that Ria did not realize the betrayal.