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A review by stefhyena
Evening Class by Maeve Binchy
2.0
At it's best it was charming, feel-good escapism with somewhat two-dimensional characters reminiscent in style and content of [a:L M Montgomery|15709131|L M Montgomery|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-632230dc9882b4352d753eedf9396530.png] or the more shallow passages of [a:Tamora Pierce|8596|Tamora Pierce|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1209044273p2/8596.jpg]. In this way I sort of enjoyed bits of it, even while disapproving of myself for enjoying it (like eating an oversweetened chocolate bar). The writing throughout was simple and almost childish, it reminded me of [a:Enid Blyton|10657|Enid Blyton|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1298204474p2/10657.jpg] for example p349 "And they had shaken hands with such vigour that both of their arms were sore for days". It is full of simplistic reconciliations and almost more resolutions than conflicts. So like a children's book but with a lot of sex (thankfully back-grounded because can you imagine reading a sex-scene in that voice?)
My gripes with the book had to do with its hyper-individualist world view where social mobility depends on staying positive and hard-working to overcome whatever fate has dealt you. In this world there is no such thing as politics and any inequity is a matter of random chance and doesn't really set anyone back unless they become bitter. Morality too is administered in a judgemental but somehow contradictory way. Men tend to get away with things and be either redeemed or receive a slap on the wrist and then move on in the book. Women seem to be typed either as saintly and too-good-to-be-true patiently bearing every hardship and through gentleness and self-sacrificing generosity (eg Signora spends almost all her earnings back on the class) find happiness, meaning and Luuuuurve. The other sort of woman is portrayed as shallow, selfish and is punished by unhappiness, ugliness, ageing in the book (the saintly ones might age but then when they become more positive and start buying clothes the ageing process is miraculously reversed).
After about 300 pages of this character being redeemed or that character being redeemed (all through coupledom and love) I lost touch with who was who all the young couples started to look alike to me and it seemed that the main thrust of the book was to pair everyone by the end (except the bad women ho needed to be punished). It seemed ludicrous to me that in a big city like Dublin, such a disparate group of people would be so tightly enmeshed in so many ways without knowing each other before the narrative starts, I kept thinking we were talking about a small town not Dublin! I live in Adelaide in which everyone seems to know everyone and even to me this seemed excessively enmeshed. I also thought there was some naivety about the different social classes so easily getting along and sharing a world view.
All in all I didn't think much of the book but in places (as I mentioned) it had charm. I could say a lot more about gender and (hetero)sexuality in the book (eg Constance's sexual dysfunction is a puzzling addition) but I suspect most people who read this will be just looking for escapism. If you like your world simple, positive, individualistic and your happiness to happen in couples. If you like two-dimensional stereotypes of suffering redeemed or the love-able idiot (Laddy is one, Olive is another) then go for it!
My gripes with the book had to do with its hyper-individualist world view where social mobility depends on staying positive and hard-working to overcome whatever fate has dealt you. In this world there is no such thing as politics and any inequity is a matter of random chance and doesn't really set anyone back unless they become bitter. Morality too is administered in a judgemental but somehow contradictory way. Men tend to get away with things and be either redeemed or receive a slap on the wrist and then move on in the book. Women seem to be typed either as saintly and too-good-to-be-true patiently bearing every hardship and through gentleness and self-sacrificing generosity (eg Signora spends almost all her earnings back on the class) find happiness, meaning and Luuuuurve. The other sort of woman is portrayed as shallow, selfish and is punished by unhappiness, ugliness, ageing in the book (the saintly ones might age but then when they become more positive and start buying clothes the ageing process is miraculously reversed).
After about 300 pages of this character being redeemed or that character being redeemed (all through coupledom and love) I lost touch with who was who all the young couples started to look alike to me and it seemed that the main thrust of the book was to pair everyone by the end (except the bad women ho needed to be punished). It seemed ludicrous to me that in a big city like Dublin, such a disparate group of people would be so tightly enmeshed in so many ways without knowing each other before the narrative starts, I kept thinking we were talking about a small town not Dublin! I live in Adelaide in which everyone seems to know everyone and even to me this seemed excessively enmeshed. I also thought there was some naivety about the different social classes so easily getting along and sharing a world view.
All in all I didn't think much of the book but in places (as I mentioned) it had charm. I could say a lot more about gender and (hetero)sexuality in the book (eg Constance's sexual dysfunction is a puzzling addition) but I suspect most people who read this will be just looking for escapism. If you like your world simple, positive, individualistic and your happiness to happen in couples. If you like two-dimensional stereotypes of suffering redeemed or the love-able idiot (Laddy is one, Olive is another) then go for it!