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starfish422's review
4.0
As often appears in Maeve Binchy’s books, a cast of thousands. Most of them weren’t crucial to the story but if not for them it wouldn’t be a MB story. I enjoyed the story, if the ending was a bit abrupt.
cynicalnovas's review against another edition
5.0
That last line.
Team Slattery!
Kate has a Ned Stark level of self-righteous hubris.
Team Slattery!
Kate has a Ned Stark level of self-righteous hubris.
pennyriley's review against another edition
4.0
An easy and enjoyable read. Very long at 900 pages +, but it goes quickly. Maeve Binchy for me comes in the category of easy reading, pretty predictable but well written, and this particular novel was very evocative of my childhood, as the main characters must have been born at the same time I was.
pamelas's review against another edition
3.0
As always, I enjoyed Ms. Binchy's characters, the Irish setting, the lovely voices. In this novel, an American of Irish descent comes back to a small town to build a hotel . . . and the story follows the impact his hotel and his family have on the town. While I enjoyed the reading of the book as a whole, I felt let down by the ending. Nothing major . . . just wasn't satisfying. Still, I enjoy Maeve Binchy's writing so much, I do not regret the reading.
audraelizabeth's review
1.0
I think i need to be in a different headspace or try a different format.
dcdaria's review against another edition
4.0
As always, Maeve Binchy's writing is impeccable and keeps you hooked. I love the style with which she writes dramatic moments as simply happening - there is no big sweeping score or foreshadowing music in real life, and there is no literary equivalent of it here. In fact, the "big event" in the middle of the book caught me SO off guard that I slammed the book down in a fit of shock and rage, and couldn't come back to it for a few minutes. In contrast, though, I could see the ending coming a mile away, which was disappointing, even though the ending was itself dealt with in the same simple style. A fitting result for the O'Neill children, though I would've liked a bit more tied up for Michael and Dara. The little bump toward the end of the Rachel story was also not a great plot device, but overall, she was my favorite character and ended her story well.
pennyriley's review
4.0
An easy and enjoyable read. Very long at 900 pages +, but it goes quickly. Maeve Binchy for me comes in the category of easy reading, pretty predictable but well written, and this particular novel was very evocative of my childhood, as the main characters must have been born at the same time I was.
jenwestpfahl's review
4.5
I’ve ready about 10 of Binchy’s 15 novels and this is among my favorites (along with “Scarlet Feather,” “Light a Penny Candle” and “Circle of Friends”). Most of her novels, including this one, are set in Ireland in the mid-20th century and have a slew of well developed characters.
“Firefly Summer” spans four years in the 1960s and focuses on what happens to a small town when an American millionaire (with his two teen children and former mistress in tow) comes in to build a huge hotel. It culminates with the hotel’s grand opening, which ends in a very unexpected way.
Along the way there is teen romance, blackmail, two tragic accidents that change the residents’ lives dramatically, an unexpected but touching friendship, loyalty challenges and much more. There is a whole town full of characters, yet you get to know each one and have no trouble keeping them straight, which I often find challenging in novels with so many people.
I will admit I lost several hours of much-needed sleep toward the end of this book. The ending was not at all what I expected yet after reading it, I could imagine no other ending.
“Firefly Summer” spans four years in the 1960s and focuses on what happens to a small town when an American millionaire (with his two teen children and former mistress in tow) comes in to build a huge hotel. It culminates with the hotel’s grand opening, which ends in a very unexpected way.
Along the way there is teen romance, blackmail, two tragic accidents that change the residents’ lives dramatically, an unexpected but touching friendship, loyalty challenges and much more. There is a whole town full of characters, yet you get to know each one and have no trouble keeping them straight, which I often find challenging in novels with so many people.
I will admit I lost several hours of much-needed sleep toward the end of this book. The ending was not at all what I expected yet after reading it, I could imagine no other ending.