Echoes

Rating:
Summary: not an easy read
Review: I have always enjoyed Binchy's books. My favorite being "LIght a penny candle". But this book was so difficult to get into. The characters did not come to life for me as in her other novels. She took a long and sometimes boring path to develop the characters. I found this book to be a bit of a HO-HUMMER!

Rating:
Summary: trivial and boring
Review: Maeve Binchy is nothing more than a formula writer. She has shown that she can write a good friendship yarn; however, she doesn't seem to progress as a writer. Novel after novel, she churns out the same type of story-line. Perhaps it's time to turn her talents towards other topics. A very disappointing read.

Rating:
Summary: You can't put this book down!
Review: I read this book after reading Circle of Friends, and I was afraid I might be disappointed, but I was not. This book was just as engaging and entertaining as Circle of Friends. You become attached to these characters, they mean something to you. You feel as though you've known them forever. If you read this, I guarantee you will not be disappointed.

Rating:
Summary: A book you will not want to put down!!
Review: I found this book very captivating...I would start reading it and before long, hours had passed and I had not noticed! You get drawn into the life and goings-on of the characters in the book to where you fill as if you have been to their town and lived there forever. A great book if you have a busy life..written in a way that if you don't get a chance to read it a day or two, when you pick it up again you it's as if you never put it down!

Rating:
Summary: A stunning small-town drama with passionate undercurrents
Review: In 'Echoes', Maeve Binchy has created a masterpiece, chronicling principally the lives of the two protagonists, Clare and David. They are two children growing up under the watchful eye of Castlebay, the sleepy Irish seaside resort where they live. The small-town mentality dictates who one can and cannot associate with: in other words, Clare from the huckster's shop and David the doctor's son can never be compatible. However, Dublin, and the lure of education, takes the two away from home and here, on neutral ground, they discover a mutual admiration and respect of the kind neither has ever known before. However, as their lives get drawn closer and closer together, they also realise that there is no escaping from Castlebay and their roots. Binchy's characters are extremely realistic, from the determined Clare to the passive David. What makes the book so eminently readable, however, is the league of supporting characters she creates, such as Angela, the supportive teacher struggling to keep a secret of her own from the prying eyes of the town, to Gerry Doyle, a man whose passions are too great to be contained within the confines of a small Irish town. The authress has a gossipy, chatty style that almost lulls you into believing that, far from reading a book, you are actually having an enthralling conversation with a close friend. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who has an interest in life, love, or gossip.

Rating:
Summary: Another great book from Maeve Binchy
Review: ECHOES by Maeve Binchy

Here's a book I read earlier this summer - ECHOES by Maeve Binchy. It's the story of two people, David Powers and Clare O'Brien, and how their lives seem to be destined to come together, despite what social status dictates. They grow up in the same small town of Castlebay in Ireland, travelling in different circles, since David's family is well to do, while Clare's is part of the working class. But they eventually find their lives intertwined as they approach adulthood.

Clare's desire as she's growing up is to leave this small town, where she knows she would be trapped forever, expected to live out a life as traditionally as women have in the past - get married, have babies. Clare wants more for herself, and with the help of her teacher Angela O'Hara, who had remained single so far into her adult life, she tries to meet her goal.

David's calling is to be a doctor as his father before him. For him, his parents prefer something better than being stuck forever with a lower class girl like Clare. It is their hopes that he marries into a prominent Irish family and continues the family practice.

But fate has something different in mind. The story of David and Clare had me glued to this book, and as always Maeve Binchy tells a great story, filled with wonderful personalities that surround the main characters. I highly recommend ECHOES as one of Binchys' best books to date. Don't be put off by the length. It's worth the read!

Rating:
Summary: --I loved this story--
Review: In looking through books on tape at the library, I ran across ECHOES, and decided to give it a try. I had never heard of it before, but have found most of Maeve Binchy's stories to be more than good. What at great treat! This is a terrific story about a small seaside village in Ireland called Castlebay. I was immediately hooked on the story.

Clare O'Brien is the daughter of a poor shopkeeper and meant to stay in her place in this village where your birth status decides your life. The assumption is rather amazing since the story takes place in the 1950's and early 1960's. Clare is very bright and stands out in a family where her siblings are certainly not overachievers. She's helped and motivated by a young teacher who sees herself in Clare and wants to give her a chance at a better life. Clare works hard and wins several scholarships, which enable her to go on to the university in Dublin. This story is filled with a cast of characters who seemed very genuine to me. The unfolding events explain how Clare changes and how the village people, both rich and poor, view the young woman. Clare's own family, seem to be at odds with the fact that she wants to improve her lot in life, and her choice of a husband is not well received by anyone.

The author's daughter, Kate Binchy, read my audio book. She was such an excellent reader, that I will now look for her name on other audio books. She was able, with different Irish accents, to keep each character totally unique.

Rating:
Summary: Binchy Rules!
Review: This gal sure can spin a yarn! Reading this book is an instant ticket to a small seaside town in 1950's Ireland. The main characters tend to be cheerful and optimistic while handling life's ups and downs. Very inspiring to a pessimist like myself.
Although The Glass Lake is my favorite Binchy novel so far, this ranks as one of the better ones. But even bad Binchy, like the disappointing Scarlet Feather, is better than most mass produced paperback romances -- or "Oprah" selections, for that matter! I did think the ending was quite abrupt, but other than that, it was enjoyable, and as always, sad to leave the characters behind :(

Rating:
Summary: Like your favourite old sweater
Review: ECHOES was my first exposure to Maeve Binchy, and I was not disappointed. It is the timeworn tale of the girl from the wrong side of the tracks, who wins the love of the wealthy boy. But it doesn't necessarily end happily ever after, and for that it's a step above your run-of-the-mill romance novel.

Binchy's enchanting depiction of Ireland in the `50s and `60s and her loving characterizations warmly send the reader into that time and place. It was a treat for me every evening to come home from working in the corporate frenzy of the new millennium to return to that simpler time. Nothing too terribly shocking or powerful, not a whole lot to contemplate when you reach the end, just a welcome respite for a few hundred pages.

If, as many reviewers here have suggested, ECHOES is not Maeve Binchy's best work, then I find myself very fortunate to be able to work my way through her catalog.

Rating:
Summary: Echoes
Review: This book deftly follows the relationship of a mother and daughter as they seem to always find their way back to each other regardless of what happens along the way. It is a definite page turner and one of my absolute favorite Binchy books.