A review by darlamarie
Circle of Friends by Maeve Binchy

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