Reviews

Circle Of Friends by Maeve Binchy

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fivetilnoon's review against another edition

fast-paced

4.0

Good story. I liked the setting -- the contrast between Protestant and Catholic, Dublin and small towns, working class and well to-do. Knockglen comes alive with the various personalities, shop-keepers. I liked the tension of the shops trying to stay modern and relevant (Hogan's, Fonzie's, Pine's). Fun characters, especially Eve.

jenna_brooke's review against another edition

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1.0

I would give this 0 stars if I could. I absolutely hated the plot (or lack thereof). Only in the last 10% of the book did I actually care what happened to the long list of characters. Speaking of the characters, the only one I didn’t hate was Eve. Almost everyone else was pathetic, rude, despicable, or just not mentioned enough for me to care about them. There’s a lot that I could rant about for this book, but in a nutshell I’m mad that I started reading this book in the first place.

thestoryowl's review against another edition

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4.0

One of my "I need a good cry" books. Also one of my "Hurrah for fat girls" books.

karebear0099's review against another edition

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medium-paced

4.75

onceandfuturereads's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful lighthearted medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Men are so disappointing :(

darlamarie's review against another edition

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4.0

The book of course was better than the movie because it was a lot more well rounded. A lot of the characters that weren't in the movie turned out to be my favorite so I naturally enjoyed the book a bit more. The book gave a bit more background into Nan and why she did the terrible things she did. In the movie I was a little confused. While I enjoyed the "bless me father for I have sinned" in the movie and understand why they put Benny and Jack back together the ending of the book was truly liberating. I love that she looked up at the sky and for once it wasn't filled with Jack Foley. She found someone that truly liked her for her and although he was some big catch she is the one who found the confidence to leave him. That message is far more important than the Hollywood love story.

My one criticism is sometimes I felt that were a few too many characters and the love story between jack and Benny wasn't as developed in the book. In the movie I felt more like they were in a serious relationship when jack cheated on her. The book made it more like casual dating here and there so is didn't feel as bad for her when they broke up