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sjd's review against another edition
2.0
Read this in one "stayed home from work because I needed a break" day. A fun distraction, but not as memorable as The Cooper Beech (my fave Binchy).
toellethebooks's review
4.0
Maeve never disappoints with her rich and detailed descriptions of an Irish small town life dated way back that makes you feel like you've travelled back in time.
Her books always make me want to visit Ireland.
Her books always make me want to visit Ireland.
overbooked_va's review against another edition
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I have a lot to say about this book. I first read it when I was fourteen, and I recall seeing it as a Irish village Romeo and Juliet, which is the type of reading you’d expect from a 14 year old. But now, it felt more grim, more doomed, more tragic. I found myself repeatedly upset by how the universe seemed to conspire to crush Clare and her ambition over and over again, and yet she persists. I have little patience for David. Little. He came from a place of privilege and seemed to have limited emotional maturity or depth. And I find myself conflicted by the depiction of Gerry; initially he was one of few who saw Clare’s potential and was rooting for her. So for him to take a heel turn seemed…odd. Was the reader supposed to feel more sympathy for David so Gerry had to be neutered as a potential alternative? It was incongruous. I’m not saying characters can’t be complex or morally gray, but his turn into an obsessive stalker didn’t work. Maybe Binchy was making a statement about “the nice guy”. But there is so much to chew on here that elevates Echoes above cozy village territory. Binchy has a knack for populating her novels with a cast of characters that never really tip into quirky. There’s an earthiness there and a gritty realism about the limits of bucolic life. She also values education but acknowledges how alienating it can be to better yourself only to discover that your family resents you and the gentry won’t forget where you came from. It’s grim. It’s also honest. I would argue that this is a feminist work as it closely examines the choices women make according to the limited paths available to them. Sometimes it seems the choice is made for you.
I should mention that the subplot of Angela and her brother was wholly uninteresting to me, but it did illustrate the narrow mindedness of a small town and how religion infiltrates daily life. It served to make Angela deeply unlikeable at times, but it’s realistic and fair to depict that people’s principles can be wildly inconsistent. Initially I thought that a woman who cheerfully flaunted convention wouldn’t care that her brother had renounced the priesthood and fallen in love. But I eventually realized that it is refreshingly brutal to let one of the book’s protagonists be so unlikeable with this aspect of her life yet remain a fundamentally decent individual.
It’s interesting to think that not so long ago popular fiction of the type you’d pick up in the airport, or in my case a drugstore on a family trip, would address such weighty topics such as education, class, gender roles, parochial mindset, depression, and infidelity and yet still be considered light. Yet despite the heavy topics, it’s a somehow breezy book with crisp dialogue and brisk pacing. Binchy is an underrated master of prose and student of the human condition.
I should mention that the subplot of Angela and her brother was wholly uninteresting to me, but it did illustrate the narrow mindedness of a small town and how religion infiltrates daily life. It served to make Angela deeply unlikeable at times, but it’s realistic and fair to depict that people’s principles can be wildly inconsistent. Initially I thought that a woman who cheerfully flaunted convention wouldn’t care that her brother had renounced the priesthood and fallen in love. But I eventually realized that it is refreshingly brutal to let one of the book’s protagonists be so unlikeable with this aspect of her life yet remain a fundamentally decent individual.
It’s interesting to think that not so long ago popular fiction of the type you’d pick up in the airport, or in my case a drugstore on a family trip, would address such weighty topics such as education, class, gender roles, parochial mindset, depression, and infidelity and yet still be considered light. Yet despite the heavy topics, it’s a somehow breezy book with crisp dialogue and brisk pacing. Binchy is an underrated master of prose and student of the human condition.
mrsdexter's review
3.0
The first 300 pages or so were promising. The next 200 were fairly depressing. However, I find it depressing for the same reason I find Mad Men depressing, so I might be alone in my thinking.
grainne_g12's review
emotional
funny
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
orlaithh's review
Didn't like audiobook :( will hopefully return to it another time
nferre's review against another edition
3.0
I love Maeve Binchy. Having never been to Ireland, I feel like I know the country and the people just from reading her books. This is a great read. well worn mass media paperback.
bbqrplanting's review against another edition
5.0
Once again Mauve Binchy delivers a good read. Her storylines/content are fairly similar in her books, but sometimes a girl just needs a book she can sit down with and enjoy.