Reviews

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

elsymary's review against another edition

emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted reflective relaxing medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.0

abbywebb's review against another edition

4.0

I always love a good Maeve Binchy book. She has eloquent prose, and somehow manages to intertwine her characters together in unexpected ways.

Circle of Friends was simple, taking place in Ireland in the late 1950s. The characters were sweet and innocent, humourously talking about Going All The Way and other such preposterous things (and yet, it really was capitalized like that in the book). I was fascinated to be reintroduced to a younger version of Rosemary Ryan, who I first met when I read Tara Road a few years ago.

Overall, another charming book by Binchy. Now I feel like piling my nightstand with the rest of her books that I have yet to read!

sophiewelsh's review against another edition

emotional funny lighthearted reflective relaxing medium-paced

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

4.75

sunflowerpanda's review against another edition

emotional hopeful reflective medium-paced

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

5.0

_athousandstars's review against another edition

emotional funny hopeful lighthearted reflective relaxing medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.5

xeyra1's review against another edition

3.0

Although the story started slowly and took its time to grab me, once it did, a few chapters down the way, I couldn't stop reading. As far as the story goes, it's a fairly simple and straightforward one: it's about a group of friends and their friendship, loves and all the happenings in their lives. It's a heart-warming novel with believable characters with whom we can easily identify, despite the story happening in the '50s, if I'm not mistaken.

I think that's how Maeve Binchy grabs us: she creates characters that are so well developed and seem so real, we cannot help but wanting to know all about them and to keep on reading so as to learn what happens to them, to go through their happy and sad moments as if they were our own. A story with a fabulous plot does not survive without good characterization, and Ms. Binchy knows how to make the reader love the characters she fleshes out.

kalynlarva's review against another edition

adventurous challenging emotional reflective slow-paced

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

3.0

sueinguelph's review against another edition

lighthearted medium-paced

3.25

mamabears_fabulous_book_finds's review against another edition

3.0

Well, I have mixed feelings about this book. I enjoyed reading about all the friends. Eve and Benny were lovely friends. Nan, on the other hand, is a selfish, manipulative girl. I didn't care for her at all. She ruined Benny and Jack's relationship, and she deserved what she got. I might have wished for a different ending, but it was a good way to end the story, a little bittersweet.

sjruskin's review against another edition

4.0

This is a great author if you want a light read without much to think about later.