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dunnadam's review against another edition
4.0
Maeve Binchy books are always to be like sitting down for a gossip and a cup of tea with an old friend. Her words are so charming and funny, her characters so endearing, I just love them. As she got older, she was less able to cope with her trademark huge stories and multiple characters and so the books got smaller and more separated. She once said of a book that she organized it by month so she could keep track of it.
This is one of her later books, her second last I believe, and while it could not be said she was at the height of her power in terms of form, in content the book is classic Binchy and I really enjoyed it, as I enjoyed them all.
The book starts off with a Catholic priest:
“Not long ago he had been in the junior school at St Ita’s and asked if any of the pupils wanted to become nuns when they grew up. Not an unreasonable question to ask little girls in a Catholic school. They had been mystified. No one seemed to know what he meant. Then one of them got it. ‘You mean like the movie Sister Act?’”
The world has changed, and change is afoot still as plans are being drafted to build a road through town that would also wipe out the local wishing well, which is rumoured to have magical powers.
Binchy weaves the stories of her characters with ease, dragging you in from word one. She maintains her traditional ugly ducking attitude; she once said she believes an ugly duckling doesn’t have to turn in to the swan, and can grow up and be happy and have a nice life, thank you very much, as evidenced by the classic paragraph:
“For a while I thought that if I tried harder, dressed better, got thinner, developed more sparkle, he would grow to love me. But oddly it was my friend Malka who convinced me that this was not really the way it worked. Otherwise all thin, groomed, sparkly people would be very happy and we all knew – because we saw them all round us – that most of them were totally miserable.”
One thing that struck me reading this was why are none of her characters gay? Someone comes close here, but I don’t remember ever reading of one that was. I know she was okay with it, I met her.
Petty quibbles aside, this book, like her others, reads itself, and you’ll be finished before you know it. Enjoy.
This is one of her later books, her second last I believe, and while it could not be said she was at the height of her power in terms of form, in content the book is classic Binchy and I really enjoyed it, as I enjoyed them all.
The book starts off with a Catholic priest:
“Not long ago he had been in the junior school at St Ita’s and asked if any of the pupils wanted to become nuns when they grew up. Not an unreasonable question to ask little girls in a Catholic school. They had been mystified. No one seemed to know what he meant. Then one of them got it. ‘You mean like the movie Sister Act?’”
The world has changed, and change is afoot still as plans are being drafted to build a road through town that would also wipe out the local wishing well, which is rumoured to have magical powers.
Binchy weaves the stories of her characters with ease, dragging you in from word one. She maintains her traditional ugly ducking attitude; she once said she believes an ugly duckling doesn’t have to turn in to the swan, and can grow up and be happy and have a nice life, thank you very much, as evidenced by the classic paragraph:
“For a while I thought that if I tried harder, dressed better, got thinner, developed more sparkle, he would grow to love me. But oddly it was my friend Malka who convinced me that this was not really the way it worked. Otherwise all thin, groomed, sparkly people would be very happy and we all knew – because we saw them all round us – that most of them were totally miserable.”
One thing that struck me reading this was why are none of her characters gay? Someone comes close here, but I don’t remember ever reading of one that was. I know she was okay with it, I met her.
Petty quibbles aside, this book, like her others, reads itself, and you’ll be finished before you know it. Enjoy.
annashiv's review against another edition
4.0
I really enjoyed this book. It was fun to meet these characters and get to know them. I loved how Maeve skillfully weaved all the stories together and I could arrange them all in my head. I found it so cool how she did that. I really did love all the characters, especially Neddy and Vera. I think I would have enjoyed it more if I hadn't been so pressed to finished it in a couple of days. I don't think I had proper time to really savor in it and let it seep in like I do with most books. Otherwise I might have given it more stars. As is I would recommend this to anyone looking for a book with good characters and an easy read.
mg_in_md_'s review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.75
abbywebb's review against another edition
4.0
Another great book by Binchy. This one started slow with Father Flynn, but it picked up after the first chapter. Every subsequent chapter, except for one in the middle and the final one, were narrated by two different characters that were related in one capacity or another. The switching of characters within and across chapters gave the feeling of reading a series of short stories; however, in true Binchy style, the characters are all interrelated in some way. The chapters about Father Flynn introduce the story's characters and provide endings for them as well.
This was a sweet and light novel, again cleverly written as always. Binchy has a great way with words and a great mind for developing characters by providing them with intriguing plots and backgrounds. I really have no idea where she finds influence for some of the characters she has created in this book and all the others she has written. She has a marvelous talent for writing and I hope she keeps creating such interesting works for us to read!
This was a sweet and light novel, again cleverly written as always. Binchy has a great way with words and a great mind for developing characters by providing them with intriguing plots and backgrounds. I really have no idea where she finds influence for some of the characters she has created in this book and all the others she has written. She has a marvelous talent for writing and I hope she keeps creating such interesting works for us to read!
trisha_clay's review against another edition
funny
inspiring
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
toellethebooks's review against another edition
funny
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
As always, Maeve did a fine job of beautifully narrating a story of a small town in Ireland (this time, Rossmore) from the perspective of diverse, interesting, and loosely connected (but still interwoven) characters.
I know some people do not appreciate this kind of writing but I just love her genius. The way it excites me to guess how this new character is connected to the previous one and the way it thrills me when that connection is later on revealed! Ugh, *chef's kiss* It's like I am putting a puzzle piece by piece while reading!
And her beautiful lively narration, I just can't get enough! Some of my bookworm friends ask me how I am able to read through her books when most of them are crazy-ass long. I always tell them that I don't really read her books for the plot (because I admit sometimes the endings of her books can be a bit dissappointing) but for her beautiful narration so it's okay if I take time! I do my best to savor every bit of it because her storytelling is just so entertaining.
The only reason I am giving it only 4 stars is because there are a few characters I don't like that the story could have went on without. But still, forever part of Maeve's club 💜
I know some people do not appreciate this kind of writing but I just love her genius. The way it excites me to guess how this new character is connected to the previous one and the way it thrills me when that connection is later on revealed! Ugh, *chef's kiss* It's like I am putting a puzzle piece by piece while reading!
And her beautiful lively narration, I just can't get enough! Some of my bookworm friends ask me how I am able to read through her books when most of them are crazy-ass long. I always tell them that I don't really read her books for the plot (because I admit sometimes the endings of her books can be a bit dissappointing) but for her beautiful narration so it's okay if I take time! I do my best to savor every bit of it because her storytelling is just so entertaining.
The only reason I am giving it only 4 stars is because there are a few characters I don't like that the story could have went on without. But still, forever part of Maeve's club 💜
soniapage's review against another edition
3.0
Audio version of book read by Jenny Sterlin who does a delightful job voicing the characters. Each chapter is told from a different person's point of view - all about their own personal lives and opinions of whether or not a road should be built through the woods which would destroy St. Ann's Well, a local shrine. This format works well and the author's wit and contemporary setting makes for an entertaining story.
shoesmcdaid's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
3.75
cathyatratedreads's review against another edition
3.0
Binchy's books tend to fall into two categories: novels and collections of stories. This one is the latter. She writes stories about a bunch of loosely connected individuals. If you're not into that, this would be frustrating. But her writing is entertaining and generally pleasant. Some books are more upbeat and "happy endings" than others. But mostly, she makes for fun, relaxing reading that's fairly easy. Fun character studies.
cwsreads's review against another edition
2.0
This was probably my least favorite Maeve Binchy book (my favorite being Evening Class, which I highly recommend). I was left feeling disappointed.