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dunnadam's review against another edition
5.0
Classic Binchy and a great slice of Irish small town life.
Reading a Maeve Binchy book is like sitting down with an old friend over a cup of tea and I was saddened to hear of her recent passing. Although I had read this book previously, it was long enough ago that I forgot most of it.
Like the best of her books, this one is thick and yet goes down as easily as pie, the length is what makes it good, and you never want it to end. The UK version is over 900 pages and I've seen reviews saying it needs a sequel.
I don't think it does, the book ends at an appropriate point. Binchy is possibly the best storyteller of all time, she can weave a complex story like she's knitting a scarf and I was so caught up in the story I was racing at the end, not wanting the book to be over but not able to wait any longer to find out what happens, I wouldn't have stopped for the world ending.
This is what good fiction does, gives you a story, draws you in, and won't let go and Binchy is at the height of her powers with this novel.
Reading a Maeve Binchy book is like sitting down with an old friend over a cup of tea and I was saddened to hear of her recent passing. Although I had read this book previously, it was long enough ago that I forgot most of it.
Like the best of her books, this one is thick and yet goes down as easily as pie, the length is what makes it good, and you never want it to end. The UK version is over 900 pages and I've seen reviews saying it needs a sequel.
I don't think it does, the book ends at an appropriate point. Binchy is possibly the best storyteller of all time, she can weave a complex story like she's knitting a scarf and I was so caught up in the story I was racing at the end, not wanting the book to be over but not able to wait any longer to find out what happens, I wouldn't have stopped for the world ending.
This is what good fiction does, gives you a story, draws you in, and won't let go and Binchy is at the height of her powers with this novel.
shananananah's review against another edition
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I quite enjoyed this book. The only problem I had with it is that it takes sooo long for anything exciting to happen. I was struggling to get through the first half of the book. It picks up in the second half though and I quite enjoyed getting into the actual story.
3 / 5 stars ⭐️
3 / 5 stars ⭐️
meme_too2's review against another edition
1.0
I didn't think it was possible, but Maeve wrote a book that actually stunk. It's a huge book that accomplishes nothing. I liked the characters until I realized they weren't going to change. They cause damage, then leave the scene of the crime, so to speak, having done nothing to better anyone. Ugh!
clairekanereads's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
hopeful
reflective
slow-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? It's complicated
2.0
ashdae's review against another edition
I'm on page 138 of around 700 and I feel like I'm still waiting for the story to pick up. I do find it interesting. If it were a movie I would play on the internet while watching it. I get distracted while reading it. I still have hopes for it though.
jeet_the_maiden's review against another edition
5.0
An emotional wringer, taking you through just one summer but you live a lot, you cry a lot and love her characters like you really know them. Binchy is the master of emotional growth, she can show you people at their rawest and take you through their lives like you were RIGHT there, showing us life in Ireland in the 60s, hooking you and keeping your interest throughout. Highly recommended.
pillywiggin's review against another edition
4.0
I started reading this book by mistake. I thought it was a different Maeve Binchy book that I wanted to re-read. I nearly put it aside because it was dragging, but then all of a sudden...I did find it slow in parts, but am glad I finished it.
toellethebooks's review against another edition
3.0
I really have become a fan of Maeve so I cannot help but read all of her novels even though they are undeniably long. But I have to admit that although I enjoyed reading this, it cannot be compared to her other works.
thisandthatwithkaren's review against another edition
5.0
I first read this book in 1989 when it was first published and my copy was read so often that it was very tattered and worn. I think this was my favourite of all the books I owned by Binchy. I found myself transported to the mid-century Irish village of Mountfern, with all its uncertainties, family, coming of age, and love.
It was a summer of warmth.... Kate Ryan and her husband, John, have a rollicking pub in the Irish village of Mountfern... lovely twelve-year-old twins... and such wonderful dreams.... It was a summer of innocence...
But all that is about to change this fateful summer of 1962 when American millionaire Patrick O'Neill comes to town with his irresistible charm and a pocketful of money... when love and hate vie for a town's quiet heart and old traditions begin to crumble away.... It was a summer of love that would never come again.... A time that has been captured forever in Maeve Binchy's compelling family drama... a novel you will never forget.
I loved the characters, the story drew me in and I wanted to know what they were feeling and what would happen to them. Highly recommend
It was a summer of warmth.... Kate Ryan and her husband, John, have a rollicking pub in the Irish village of Mountfern... lovely twelve-year-old twins... and such wonderful dreams.... It was a summer of innocence...
But all that is about to change this fateful summer of 1962 when American millionaire Patrick O'Neill comes to town with his irresistible charm and a pocketful of money... when love and hate vie for a town's quiet heart and old traditions begin to crumble away.... It was a summer of love that would never come again.... A time that has been captured forever in Maeve Binchy's compelling family drama... a novel you will never forget.
I loved the characters, the story drew me in and I wanted to know what they were feeling and what would happen to them. Highly recommend