The Copper Beech

Rating:
Summary: Not one of Binchy's best efforts
Review: I found this a disappointment from one of my favorite authors. The character development was sketchy and the simultaneous stories told separately hard to follow and ultimately unfulfilling. The final denouemoent was interesting but the ending seemed hurried.

Rating:
Summary: Pedestrian
Review: I had never read Binchy and was not expecting much, since she regularly appears on bestseller lists. The entire plot can be summarized by the last chapter in which all of the characters lives are resolved into happy, rewarding ones with a wave of Binchy's word processor. Conflicts are resolved offstage, probably because she cannot write about anything more intense than a walk in the woods. Married couples are rewarded with precisely 3 children by the book's end and self-sacrificing types, like Maura, who is a thief and blackmailer, are given the town's love and sympathy. The world Binchy is writing about never existed; she completely ignores the challenges of historical setting and character development for the pablum of pop fiction.

Rating:
Summary: Not one of her better books
Review: I have read 4 of Meave Bincy's books now and this one was a disappointment. Didn't seem to hold my interest as well as "CIrcle of Friends" or "Firefly Summer".

Rating:
Summary: Wonderful !
Review: I just finished listening to the unabridged version of "Copper Beech" and thoroughly enjoyed it. the reader spoke with an Irish accent and had a clear voice. I loved the characters and this "book" kept my interest throughout. Can't wait to find some more books and/or tapes by this author. Very enjoyable and I highly recommend it.

Rating:
Summary: Alright
Review: I started this book thinking that it was probably very good. It sounded interesting. The first story about Maddy was wonderful and it even made me cry, something books rarely make me do. I couldn't wait to read the next stories. They must be as great. Maura started out good but it tried to hard to pull at your heart and I didn't really like it. Then there was Eddie and that was SOOO good! It made me laugh and make me really happy. Then from there it went down. All it was were scandalous love affairs and just boredom. I kept waiting for the next Maddy or Eddie but it just didn't happen. Nora Kelly was alright, but the rest were just awful. Now I don't think much of Maeve Binchy. Such a shame since she can obviously write well like in those two chapters.

Rating:
Summary: wicked good
Review: i thought this book was really good like all her other books, but dont read it unless you have a lot of free time... you wont be able to put it down!

Rating:
Summary: A Colorful Read
Review: I'm not a Maeve Binchy fan or anything but this book was good enough to keep me up late at nite reading it. I love all her characters in the book. They're all so colorful. You have to read it.

Rating:
Summary: Binchy loves her characters and so will you
Review: If I had to specify one criterion which I use to decide whether I will like a piece of fiction, it is this: It must have characters that I care about. The best books have characters that I actually love, at least as long as I'm reading the book. Binchy, more than any writer of my acquaintance, LOVES her characters. Even those who are a bit irresponsible, even those who are weak, are portrayed with sympathy and understanding. "The Copper Beech" is vintage Binchy, populated with characters who are smart and not-so-smart, weak and strong, rigidly ethical and on the make. But we come to accept all of them as part of our cozy and deeply satisfying world. Besides being a terrific read, "The Copper Beech" will cause you to be a bit less judgmental of your fellow man, at least for awhile. Stan ([e-mail])

Rating:
Summary: Good read, but not Maeve's best work
Review: If you're like me and you read a lot of Maeve Binchy, this one is a little repetitive and uses many concepts from earlier stories. While still worth a read for the wonderful descriptions of a small Irish town and it's inhabitants, it isn't one I would pick up again and again. "Circle of Friends", "Firefly Summer" and "Glass Lake" are much better. My favorite of all is "Light a Penny Candle" - one of the best books I have ever read of this genre.

Rating:
Summary: Wonderful author!
Review: Maeve Binchy can write a story with the best of them. Her characters come to life and the reader really cares about them, since she writes about their hope and dreams, as well as their activities. In The Copper Beech, Binchy details the lives of different people in a small Irish town. Most of the characters are local children who have carved their names in the copper beech tree outside of their school. She describes the class distinctions in the town, which sometimes separate those who have been schoolmates, after they leave their school days. The final chapter ties the characters together and lets the reader in on what has happened to the people that have been described throughout the book. This is a wonderful read!