Reviews

Circle of Friends by Frans Thomése, René Huigen, Maeve Binchy

mamieslevin's review against another edition

emotional sad slow-paced

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

2.0

I read this for a book club and finished the whole book. I think if it had been in another circumstance, I would have dnf'ed. I liked the prose just fine, but there were too many different character POVs and the way they jumped around felt almost non-sensical. It was also too long. I was filled with dread for the final third of the book knowing what would happen and feeling sick waiting for it to happen. The book was also published more than 30 years ago but holy hell if I had to listen to one more character describe Benny as 'big' and literally only that I was going to lose my mind.

orlaithh's review against another edition

emotional funny hopeful lighthearted reflective sad

5.0

katiereuter3's review against another edition

emotional lighthearted slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No

4.0

aoifehasnogoodname's review against another edition

emotional funny lighthearted reflective relaxing medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

nicki_j's review against another edition

4.0

What a lovely novel. Completely blew my expectations out of the water. This book was recommended by one of those "books you should read" internet articles and I wasn't thrilled about it - I thought it might be cheesy. I didn't expect for the writing to be so good and to get completely caught up in 1950's Dublin. I love how Binchy writes - her turn of phrase and the way she moves the plot. The only thing lacking was what Jack was thinking in the bulk of the novel - I couldn't always figure out why he did the things he did.

jhahn's review against another edition

5.0

I just loved this book. It is called Circle Of Friends and that is what it was. Lots of characters, some more prominent than others, but it was easy to keep track of them. She did such an awesome job of delving into so many of their lives that I felt like I knew them. There were no dramatic twists and the outcome was pretty much expected but I just really enjoyed it. I would like to know what these characters are doing today.

bcgal80's review against another edition

5.0

Oh my word, you have to read this book. Seriously, one of my all-time favorites. It took me a while to get into it, because there are a lot of characters, but once I did, I was hooked. About halfway through I thought, this book isn't going to end well. Two-thirds in, I thought, it's going to be great. Three-fourths, I was back to thinking it would be bad. And by the last page--*sigh*--perfection!

sophiewilliams's review against another edition

3.0

2 friends from a town outside Dublin start university there and dream of independence. This follows them over their 1st year growing up.

I'm not sure exactly what I expected, but somehow it wasn't what I got. I found this slow going and difficult to read.

carolynlynlyn's review against another edition

5.0

I love Maeve Binchy! This was my favorite, I think. Maybe because I love the movie too. Her gift for narration and story telling is truely fantastic.

claire_michelle18's review against another edition

5.0

I re-read this book for the first time since I was a teenager after hearing a Sentimental Garbage episode about it and I honestly don't know how I could have forgotten how good this book is! Maeve Binchy is such a good writer and her characters feel so real that I was almost shocked that they didn't exist at the end of the book.