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3.46 AVERAGE
3.46 AVERAGE
It has been a long time since I've read Maeve Binchy's work. I always want to refer to her writing as cozy or comforting but I fear that may be misleading. She doesn't tell 'happy' stories, but her writing is.. loving. Like her characters are all people dear to her. Even the people who make mistakes or are unpleasant, she finds a way into their hearts and their own personhood and makes you sympathize or at least understand them. And her characters are always varied and captivating with their own self-conceptions and motivations. Anyway, I really do need to read her more often.
Towards the end of the book I started to get into the characters, but there still seems to be to many characters.
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
A warm and enjoyable collection of short stories, connected by the mini bus that takes all the characters from Dublin to a rural West of Ireland village every weekend.
It's the mid 1980s, and it's a slice of life of that time.
I enjoyed getting to know each character and each story contains some progression or resolution for the character.
There's no over arching forward plot movement though.
It's the mid 1980s, and it's a slice of life of that time.
I enjoyed getting to know each character and each story contains some progression or resolution for the character.
There's no over arching forward plot movement though.
emotional
reflective
sad
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
lighthearted
relaxing
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Minor: Eating disorder
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Content Warnings
Minor: Alcoholism, Eating disorder
This book is beautiful. It's so strange to think about but isn't this how we all live? We know people, we're friends with people but how well do we really know anyone? It's so refreshing seeing something come together like this. It's wonderfully written and inspiring in so many ways.
The perfect author for when I don't want to read about things that will upset me.
Good characterization study of 7 people and their driver who ride the Lilac Bus every weekend from Dublin to Rathdoon, Ireland (a 3 hour drive).
This review features spoilers!!
˚₊· ͟͟͞͞➳❥ R E V I E W
< P O S I T I V E S > :
○ I was so surprised to find an achillean couple (although, I don't like how feminine terms was used to refer to them) and a character with an eating disorder represented in this book, considering it was written in the late 20th century. I think these people were well represented!
○ I also enjoyed the drugs and fake removal company plots.
○ I thought Tom's lack of understanding of his misinterpretable-named (Phil!) sister's eating disorder was very realistic though!
< N E G A T I V E S > :
○ I detested this insane misconception that different types of Christians believe in different religions (no, they are BOTH Christian!), and apparently have specific personality traits because of what 'type' of Christian they are!!
○ I also found there to be too many characters, and found myself bored reading, in the first half, especially.
○ The ending only referred to two main characters' resolutions.
< N E U T R A L > :
○ Some of the reviews I've read include details from this book that I don't recognise. This made me think I read a different edition of the book. As well as this, I could not find an edition here on Goodreads that LOOKS like the one I read. I could, however, find one that looks like what I read on Google Images ~ https://d3525k1ryd2155.cloudfront.net/h/164/255/1523255164.0.m.jpg
˚₊· ͟͟͞͞➳❥ D E T A I L S
○ WRITTEN ON: G050323
TRANSCRIBED ON: G110623
○ HOURS TAKEN TO READ: 7 hours, 40 minutes
RATING: ☆ ☆ ☆
˚₊· ͟͟͞͞➳❥ R E V I E W
< P O S I T I V E S > :
○ I was so surprised to find an achillean couple (although, I don't like how feminine terms was used to refer to them) and a character with an eating disorder represented in this book, considering it was written in the late 20th century. I think these people were well represented!
○ I also enjoyed the drugs and fake removal company plots.
○ I thought Tom's lack of understanding of his misinterpretable-named (Phil!) sister's eating disorder was very realistic though!
< N E G A T I V E S > :
○ I detested this insane misconception that different types of Christians believe in different religions (no, they are BOTH Christian!), and apparently have specific personality traits because of what 'type' of Christian they are!!
○ I also found there to be too many characters, and found myself bored reading, in the first half, especially.
○ The ending only referred to two main characters' resolutions.
< N E U T R A L > :
○ Some of the reviews I've read include details from this book that I don't recognise. This made me think I read a different edition of the book. As well as this, I could not find an edition here on Goodreads that LOOKS like the one I read. I could, however, find one that looks like what I read on Google Images ~ https://d3525k1ryd2155.cloudfront.net/h/164/255/1523255164.0.m.jpg
˚₊· ͟͟͞͞➳❥ D E T A I L S
○ WRITTEN ON: G050323
TRANSCRIBED ON: G110623
○ HOURS TAKEN TO READ: 7 hours, 40 minutes
RATING: ☆ ☆ ☆