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A review by kba76
Circle Of Friends by Maeve Binchy
emotional
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
I vaguely recall the movie of this coming out, but had no idea what it was about. I picked this up not knowing what to expect, and while some of the story details are quite apparent I did find it an engaging read.
The main characters our attention is focused on are those of Benny Hogan and Eve Malone. Very different girls, physically, but alike in terms of their sense of fun and outlook on life. Living in their sheltered village they both dream of escaping rural life and heading to Dublin to form a new life. As the only daughter of a struggling shop owner Benny is accustomed to her parents being a little protective of her. She is all too aware that they harbour secret dreams that Benny will fall in love with the odious Sean Walsh, their assistant. However, Benny wants nothing more than to head to Dublin to study. Her best friend, Eve Malone, was brought up by nuns and has always felt keenly the loss of her family - wealthy woman scandalises family by running off with a local handyman. Eve wants nothing to do with her family, but is prepared to swallow her pride if it means she will have the opportunity to follow her dreams.
Upon their arrival in Dublin the girls have very different experiences. We follow them as they form new friendships, develop as characters and come up against some of the prejudices that I suppose were common at the time.
There was a grim sense of inevitability to the story. You could see how some of the strands might play out, and yet there was a fondness and warmth to these two that was hard not to love.
The main characters our attention is focused on are those of Benny Hogan and Eve Malone. Very different girls, physically, but alike in terms of their sense of fun and outlook on life. Living in their sheltered village they both dream of escaping rural life and heading to Dublin to form a new life. As the only daughter of a struggling shop owner Benny is accustomed to her parents being a little protective of her. She is all too aware that they harbour secret dreams that Benny will fall in love with the odious Sean Walsh, their assistant. However, Benny wants nothing more than to head to Dublin to study. Her best friend, Eve Malone, was brought up by nuns and has always felt keenly the loss of her family - wealthy woman scandalises family by running off with a local handyman. Eve wants nothing to do with her family, but is prepared to swallow her pride if it means she will have the opportunity to follow her dreams.
Upon their arrival in Dublin the girls have very different experiences. We follow them as they form new friendships, develop as characters and come up against some of the prejudices that I suppose were common at the time.
There was a grim sense of inevitability to the story. You could see how some of the strands might play out, and yet there was a fondness and warmth to these two that was hard not to love.