Rating: 
Summary: Save the trees, yet again!
Review: The radio reception in my car is quite..., so i resort to books on tape for my long drives. This book by Maeve Binchy is a first for me, and probably a last. Before i wrote this review, i read what others had thought, and someone complained that the story begs for a plot, and that it is much better to read the first 300 pages and skip to the last 100. I can't agree more. In fact, that's basically what i did with the tapes. I went all the way through tape 4, returned the audio book to the library, and checked out the printed version, where i skipped to the end. The story has a lot of fluff, a lot of filler, and therefore it becomes draggy and lackluster. The last pages were a bit more interesting, but the end was a big letdown for me. There are too many issues that are left unanswered, such as Kit's inheritance, Louis' new life and repercussions, Emmet's romance with Anna... I would be extremely interested in reading justifications as to why this is such a long, drawn out story, when the basics could have been very well told in less than half the book. The result would have been much brighter.
Rating: 
Summary: An interesting interplay between Predestination - Free Will
Review: Early on, Maeve Binchy brings in the local priest's comments on predestination versus free will. I believe it is Ms. Binchy's central theme in a story that describes young Stevie Sullivan as a look-alike and act-alike to the amoral Louis Gray. Binchy also seemingly implies that both young Emmet McMahon and his sister Kit McMahon will be the willing victims to their lovers --as was their mother, Helen McMahon (Lena Gray)--the victim of Louis Gray. However, Maeve Binchy's real message is that in these cases, free will dominates: The Sullivan boy overcomes his earlier nature; Emmet is strong and confident and is able to win the love of beautiful Anna Kelly on his terms, and Kit McMahon does not "accept" what she believes to be unworthy behavior by Stevie. "The Glass Lake" is a tale of triumph over one's baser nature and is well-worth reading.
Rating: 
Summary: Panifully slow and long
Review: I stuck with this book because I wanted to see why Maeve Binchy seems so popular. I still don't get it. How many times did we need to hear that Helen married a man she really didn't love, or that Philip was in love with Kit but she did not return his feelings? Kit fell in love with Stevie, but I just don't believe that she would have still cared for him when she found that he had beat Louis so badly that he lost teeth. That would not be the kind of person Kit would care for. Parts of the story were pretty good, like when Kit threw away the letter, but overall I found it terribly slow with lots of uninteresting reading.
Rating:
Summary: A Glass Lake rewiew for history
Review: In the beginning of the story Kit is a young girl. She makes a decision that changes her whole life. She burns her mother's letter to her father. Kit pulls through her mother's death with the help of her Mother's friend who she goes to meet when she is older. Kit deals with many of her problems fairly well. She uses her brains and talent to fight against the odds. The novel is about spousal cheating, hidden identities and going out there and making the best of what you have. The title is a very important part of the story. Glass Lake it the translation of Lough Glass the town where everything happens. A boat is found floating in the middle of the lake which leads everyone to believe that Helen is drown in the lake. The book was O.K. I like the mystery part of the book but the cheating and sleeping around is not what I enjoy reading about. The relationships between the man and women in the novel are not very good. The book seems to say that any one can get away with anything if they can charm people. Kit is a strong character. She overcomes several life changes throughout the novel. She was naïve about many of the problems that she faces and makes unwise decisions because her lack of knowledge. Kit did not understand why her mother never fit into the lifestyle of Lough Glass. She sees her mother as she cries and then soon after found out she was drown. This leads to Kit to believe that her mother took her own life. Kit than burns the letter that her mother wrote to her father. Later when she finds where her mother really is she is able to forgive her and keeps writing to her about how her every day life is. Her forgiveness for her mother shows strong character though her mother's decisions change her whole life. I thought the ending was interesting and unusual. Lena is very afraid that Louis would tell Martin that she is still alive and mess his life up once again. She was so upset that she became crazed and drove her car head on into an oncoming truck on accident. Kit gets all of her mom's money and pays Louis back by telling him that Lena was always in contact with Kit. This was not true but it hurt Louis. This book has influenced my thinking. It shows that with the right clothes, a charming personality and deceitful dealings with others can get people somewhere in life; or so it seems in this book. It also helped me to decide not to read any more of Maeve Binchy's books.
Rating: 
Summary: irish is as irish does
Review: the best thing about this book is the dialog, in which you can really hear the irish accent. the story hook, the disappearance of the mother, is very clever, and some of the characters are also fine, kit mac mahon and her mother in particular, but i felt the plot got away from her; MB has a tendency to pack her stories with characters and some of them always get lost, and this happened here. and her fixation on "smart"--meaning trendy and fashionable, not intelligent--got to me. but i was in ireland last summer and all through the book i kept hearing those lilting, lovely voices.
Rating: 
Summary: Even Better than Tara Road
Review: Although a long book, I did not want it to end. I was so engrossed in all the characters that I couldn't wait to get home from work, do the chores and finally be able to sit down and read.
Rating:
Summary: Wonderful
Review: This a wonderful story of how small towns are. Being from one you know that every one knows everything, or at least thinks that they do. As always Binchy's characters are witty and delightful. If you are looking for an amusing, wistful and sometimes emotional read then "The Glass Lake" is for you.
Rating:
Summary: Another Winner!!
Review: Days after I finished reading _The Glass Lake_ I found myself wondering what had become of the characters, like they were friends I lost touch with rather than fictional creations. It was the same with _Tara Road_. Binchy's characters are so real: not many women out there can say they have never been involved with a man like Louis. I found Kit's strength literally inspiring. And as much as I wanted to find Helen contemptable for deserting her family for "love" of another man, something in me understood. The plot twists itself through the intertwined lives of the people in the small town of Lough Glass, and each person will get stuck in your heart. The only reason this book didn't five stars from me was the rushed ending, as detailed by another reviewer.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent characterisation and theme
Review: One could certainly point out deficiencies in The Glass Lake, with implausible plot twists and tiresome later chapters at the top of the list. However, Maeve's brilliance in character development, the depiction of every sort of love relationship, and the underlying theme of facing heartbreak and hard choices at midlife makes the temptation to criticise evaporate. The action drags at certain points, but several characters, particularly Helen, Ivy, and Sister Madeleine (three highly different personalities), are a marvellous kaleidoscope of women who took odd directions to seek a cherished change in their lives. As well, all would face the consequences of the choices - and I'll not spoil the outcome for the new reader by saying whether they were positive or not. Helen, for all of her intelligence and flair, is to explore whether a goal related to her career is what actually frustrates her after all. Perhaps Helen and Madeleine have a bit too outstanding a flair for magical fixes (in all lives except their own), but this, after all, is Ireland! This rich, compassionate, deep novel must be Maeve's best.
Rating:
Summary: A Good Story with Rushed End
Review: First Binchy's book that i read was The Glass Lake,and the reason at that time was that i wanted to know anything about ireland, because i was in love with an irish man..that was why i wanted to read the thick book. But then,after i read it..it was more than what i wanted to know.Now,although i'm not in love anymore with that man..i still love Binchy's Books..with her Irish touch and everyday life.. The Glass Lake is a touching story, about a women who had to choose between her family (a nice husband she doesn't love and the children she really loves)AND a man she always loves.How her decision changed her lifes and also her daughter lifes..how the love of a mother to her children never stops although she had to pretend..This books shows the devotion of a woman to a man she really loved and sacrifice anything, even her children, for the man who doesn't deserve it. A very touching story about love,courage and also friendship.. Although the ending is kind of disappointing, but the main story is very touching..A very sensitive and bright Author!
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