Rating: 
Summary: Absolutely Fabulous!
Review: It is said that the best authors write of what they know. That must be the reason Maeve Binchy, a writer for "The Irish Times", is so very good. Her novels center around her native Ireland, and the main characters are generally women. "The Glass Lake" is no exception. Set in the early 1950's, this book tells the tale of the McMahon family. Helen McMahon (the Mother) has been known to walk through life with listless eyes and a heavy heart. Her pharmacist husband Martin loves her entirely, but knows he was her second choice. Their children, Kit and Emmet, grow up never seeing anything amiss. That is, until Helen goes missing and the town is in a panic to try and find her. She was last seen at the huge lake in town, a place where one girl had drown herself years ago. After Helen is not found for some time, the lake is dragged and a body is found. Since the water and fish have eroded the body, they cannot tell if it's defenitely her, but they assume it is. A funeral is held for her and the family begins to mourn.However... in London, Helen McMahon is walking hand in hand with her first love, Louis. There are a series of events that has brought her back to him, and I won't disclose those (for fear of ruining the book for you). She has left a note for Martin explaining her actions (which he never gets). She changes her name, finds a great job, and lives with Louis. She even finds a confidante in Ivy, their sweet and caring landlady. But, when Helen reads in the papers that all of Lough Glass has assumed her to be dead, she gets an overwhelming urge to call home to her children. She realizes, however, that she has made a terrible mistake and has paid for eternity with her true love by sacraficing her children. How Lena gets back into Kit's life and what crazy turns her relationship with Louis take are skillfully crafted by the master, Binchy. An excellent novel of deceit, sorrow, and overwhelming love.
Rating: 
Summary: Another Page Turner by Binchy!!
Review: The first Maeve Binchy book I read was Tara Road. I loved it so much I felt compelled to read more of Binchy. This book is equally as good. It drew me in from the beginning and it made not want to put it down until the last page. Throughout the book Kit grows into a remarkable yound woman who stands true to her morals. The character of Helena starts off very mysterious, but in the end she is someone who you really feel sorry for. She escapes a comfortable life with little happiness and goes off with her first and only love- only to be betrayed in the end. The only part that I find disappointing (besides the somewhat rushed end) is that while Lena Gray aches to write to her daughter and see her grow- there is little mention of her son. I realize there is a connection between mother and daughter, but the fact that she hardly inquired about her growing son is a little disturbing. Nonetheless, a great read. I'm looking forward to reading another Maeve Binchy page-turner.
Rating:
Summary: Gets Better As You Go
Review: This is the second Maeve Binchy book I've read. Although it took me a while to get into the book, the second half more than made up for the slow beginning. The ending is superb and not at all predictable. Stick with it!
Rating:
Summary: Absolutely Fabulous!
Review: It is said that the best authors write of what they know. That must be the reason Maeve Binchy, a writer for "The Irish Times", is so very good. Her novels center around her native Ireland, and the main characters are generally women. "The Glass Lake" is no exception. Set in the early 1950's, this book tells the tale of the McMahon family. Helen McMahon (the Mother) has been known to walk through life with listless eyes and a heavy heart. Her pharmacist husband Martin loves her entirely, but knows he was her second choice. Their children, Kit and Emmet, grow up never seeing anything amiss. That is, until Helen goes missing and the town is in a panic to try and find her. She was last seen at the huge lake in town, a place where one girl had drown herself years ago. After Helen is not found for some time, the lake is dragged and a body is found. Since the water and fish have eroded the body, they cannot tell if it's defenitely her, but they assume it is. A funeral is held for her and the family begins to mourn. However... in London, Helen McMahon is walking hand in hand with her first love, Louis. There are a series of events that has brought her back to him, and I won't disclose those (for fear of ruining the book for you). She has left a note for Martin explaining her actions (which he never gets). She changes her name, finds a great job, and lives with Louis. She even finds a confidante in Ivy, their sweet and caring landlady. But, when Helen reads in the papers that all of Lough Glass has assumed her to be dead, she gets an overwhelming urge to call home to her children. She realizes, however, that she has made a terrible mistake and has paid for eternity with her true love by sacraficing her children. How Lena gets back into Kit's life and what crazy turns her relationship with Louis take are skillfully crafted by the master, Binchy. An excellent novel of deceit, sorrow, and overwhelming love.
Rating:
Summary: Compelling characters but believable?
Review: The Glass Lake is about the eighth book I've read by the Irish author, Maeve Binchy. This novel, like many others, including _Circle of Friends_, is set in a small Irish village with parts set in London and Dublin. Also like _Circle of Friends_, _The Glass Lake_ has a very compelling central character in Kit McMahon. There are several problems with this book however, that I didn't find in _Circle of Friends. Another central characer is Helen McMahon, AKA Lena Gray, Kit's mother. Their relationship and the events strain reality. Helen runs away from her family to be with her one true love, Louis Gray. Kit finds a letter for her father but burns it, thinking it is a suicide note. Her reasonbeing her mother could never have a Catholic burial if the village thought she committed suicide. The village does find a water-logged corpse so the village and her family mourn her death. Meanwhile Helen/Lena is setting up house with Louis in London. When she finds out her family thinks she is dead, she allows them to continue thinking this. She begins a correspondence with Kit as a "supposed" friend of Kit's mother.
I cannot buy the idea of a mother leaving her two children, especially the way Helen's loving nature is emphasized in the book. There are a few love subplots in the novel but for the most part there is an awful lot of padding. Of 757 pages, about 500 is repetition. I have to admit though, the book did hold my interest. I never once considered stopping reading it. Although not very believable, I did enjoy it.
Rating: 
Summary: capsized!
Review: ...could not get into the premise of this book. Not the best Binchy.
Rating:
Summary: The Best of Binchy is Written Here!
Review: This was truly the best of Binchy that I have ever read. Kit McMahon knew her mother was desparately unhappy when she saw her at the kitchen table one day crying. Then suddenly one day, her mom Helen McMahon takes a walk by the lake; never to return again. When a body was found, she was presumed dead. But what no one really knew, was that the body they buried, was not that of Helen McMahon's, but someone else's. Helen was off leading another life, unbeknownst to her family. Later,Kit will discover the truth about her mother, but keeps it a deep secret.
Rating:
Summary: A wonderful novel!
Review: Maeve Binchy redeems herself again with this novel ~~ even though it's not as comfy as her previous novels. It has a darker undertone than her others ~~ but still, Binchy writes riveting of her characters that makes you keep turning the pages. Kit has a deep secret ~~ tormented by the possible fact that her mother committed suicide, she finds a letter on her dad's pillow and burns it without even reading it. And this is the story of a tormented daughter and her mother, Helena, who had run away with her first love. Somehow they get past through all the deceptions and found each other again ~~ and this is their stories. It is a book that delves deeper into darker questions ~~ how could a woman just abandon her children and let them believe that she is dead? Then Binchy writes convincingly of Lena's love for her children and how she longs to see them again ~~ pushing aside her doubts and fears. It is a book that makes you stop and question ~~ what would I do if I were in her shoes? This is one of Maeve's finest and a keeper in my personal library! 12-18-03
Rating:
Summary: How we all make our own lives
Review: Maeve Binchy does it again. In this book she brings you lives in a small town, with many little secrets, and one big one. Two young girls grow up together in a small town. For all intents and purposes, their lives, should end up being carbon copies of one another. However, one has a mother that doesn't quite fit in. She's from out of town and never quite fit the mold. As time goes on, both girls consider themselves inseparable until one major event in the town changes, their lives forever. From this point, their paths are changed, the mold is cast and they will never see things quite the same again. The rest of the town as well, reels from this event, bringing it from its sleepy complacency. However, as all children do, they grow up and start to stretch their horizons. A small connection to the past that helps one of the girls heal from the earlier events nearly tumbles her into a new despair. It is a situation she can't fathom and opens many old wounds. This story of Kit and Cleo, one of Maeve Binchy's fine novels, reminds you that things are not always what they seem and a point of view can change over time, when the world tests your character and your relationships.
Rating:
Summary: My favorite book by Maeve Binchy!
Review: If you are even slightly tempted to pick up a copy of this book, do it! It is a great story about Helen McMahon, a young mother living in Ireland in the 1950's. When the story begins, Helen is wondering how her life got to this sad point. Her family, made up of her husband, Martin, and her children, Kit and Emmet, thinks that all is well. One day she disappears, and the story has begun. It is a surprise to everyone in town that she had suicidal tendencies, as no one ever saw her act anything but cheerful. The consequences of her disappearance stay with her family and influence their lives from that day forward. We find out what happens to her family, and how they cope without this very important element. There are some major twists and turns along the way for her family, and indeed for other people close to them in the town of Lough Glass (the Glass Lake of the title), but suffice it to say that this is a book you do not want to miss! Maeve Binchy has done her absolute best work with this book, and it would be quite hard for any other author to top - it remains one of my favorite books of all time. And I know I'm not alone in rating it so highly. My summary does not really do the story justice, but I'm trying to give you enough information to want to read it without giving the whole story away. There is a lot more to the story, believe me, but you will have to read the book or other reviews to find out what happens. "The Glass Lake" is truly an excellent book!
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