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Tara Road
 
 

Tara Road (Paperback)

by Maeve Binchy (Author)
4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (45 customer reviews)

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Product details

  • Paperback: 639 pages
  • Publisher: Orion; New edition edition (30 April 1999)
  • Language English
  • ISBN-10: 0752826026
  • ISBN-13: 978-0752826028
  • Product Dimensions: 18.5 x 11.3 x 5 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (45 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 609,277 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

    Popular in this category:

    #92 in  Books > Romance > Classic & Contemporary Authors > Binchy, Maeve

Product Description

Amazon.co.uk Review
Amazon.com Oprah Book Club(r) Selection, September 1999: Against all odds, two newlyweds manage to buy the house of their dreams. In 1982, property speculation is beginning to be a big, big thing in Dublin--and their street is very much in an up-and-coming part of town. "They laughed and hugged each other. Danny Lynch from the broken-down cottage in the back of beyond and Ria Johnson from the corner house in the big, shabby estate were not only living like gentry in a big Tara Road mansion, they were actually debating what style of dining table to buy." But for its various inhabitants, the street is to become a boulevard of dreams--some broken, others created anew. Maeve Binchy has long proved herself a secure hand at multiple story lines, and over the course of 500 satisfying pages she focuses on Ria; her best friend, Rosemary Ryan, a beautiful, endlessly selfish career woman; Gertie, the battered wife of a drunkard; and several other intriguing women, each of whom has secrets not to be shared. There is even an all-knowing fortune teller who early on hints that Ria will travel and start a successful business--two things she knows are definitely not in the offing. Yet after our supposedly happy housewife and mother of two is confronted by some inexorable home truths, a chance phone call from America will change her life, forcing her to discard her illusions about men, women and marriage and start all over again. At the same time, the Connecticut caller, Marilyn Vine, has her own lessons to learn when she and Ria swap houses for the summer. Yet there's nothing remotely preachy about this novel--even the bad guys (and yes, they're usually guys) and beautiful mistresses get to maintain some appeal. Instead, Tara Road is a stirring look at the reality behind our consuming fantasies, and a page-turner to boot. --Siobhan Carson

Product Description
Ria and Marilyn have never met - they live thousands of miles apart, separated by the Atlantic Ocean: one in a big, warm, Victorian house in Tara Road, Dublin, the other in a modern, open-plan house in New England. Two more unlikely friends would be hard to find: Ria's life revolves around her family and friends, while Marilyn's reserve is born of grief. But when each needs a place to escape to, a house exchange seems the ideal solution. Along with the borrowed houses come neighbours and friends, gossip and speculation as Ria and Marilyn swap lives for the summer . . .

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Customer Reviews

45 Reviews
5 star:
 (21)
4 star:
 (12)
3 star:
 (7)
2 star:
 (3)
1 star:
 (2)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
4.0 out of 5 stars (45 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars A PLEASURE TO READ, 10 Nov 2006
By A. Rose (Wet & Windy Yorkshire) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)      
This review is from: Tara Road (Paperback)
If I want to read a lovely warm, affectionate family book I usually pick up a Maeve Binchy. Tara Road, I think, is one of her best books. It's got love, friendship and passion and on the flipside has cheating husbands, devious best friends and mistresses galore. There is more than one story going on here, the main one is Ria and Danny Lynch and these two are followed throughout their lives in each chapter. But there are so many sub-stories which add to the depth of the main story and keeps the interest up. Ria's mother, sister, best friend, Danny's business partner, not to mention the local restaurateur all have their own stories intertwining. The book then introduces Marilyn in America who has her own problems and on the spur of the moment both Marilyn and Ria decide to do a house swap. This part of the book is very interesting in that it shows up the warm friendly qualities of Ria and the lack of them in Marilyn. Overall this is a very enjoyable read.
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4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars SIMPLY OUTSTANDING!, 9 Nov 2000
By A Customer
Reading "Tara Road" has been a gratifying experiance. This was a fast moving story, which intensified as the plot advaanced. Every character throbbed with life. This book is certainly a class apart. Maeve Binchy has written yet another flawless masterpiece. I could easily associate every character in this novel, to somebody in the real world. The book potrayed every class of society. Many major issues were dramatically yet effectively conveyed in the plot. The book showed the degree of deceit, disrespect and disloyalty that can take place in a family. Maeve Binchy put up a clever facade and let the reader believe that nothing could go wrong. One would get the impression of a perfect family and faithful friends. Everything was shown to be logical and unpretentious. The real truth was diametrically different. As the plot advanced, shock was replaced by suspence. Several important lessons can be learnt about the real world and the people in it. A must read for feminists. This book portrays women to be strong pillars of strength, benevolence, support, love and power. The simple narrative style engaged me. Maeve Binchy dealt in both explication as well as implication. Maeve binchy cleverly manipulated emotions to create sympathy for several characters in the play. Subtle and simple, yet deeply engrossing.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars Sadly, it's just a narrative, about characters with no depth to them, 18 Mar 2009
By The man from Marazion (Cornwall, England) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Tara Road (Hardcover)
OK, it's an interesting story - though to me it was rather predictable. But honestly, it's no more than a narrative! This happened, that happened. Yawn. And so I have to add Maeve Binchy, popular though she is, to the list of authors of this kind of book - and sadly there are plenty in print - who just relate one event after another.

Tell me how the characters are feeling!
Give me some depth!
Where's the emotion!?

I'm currently reading Rosamunde Pilcher's 'The Shell Seekers' and on the front cover of this edition is a quote from Maeve Binchy: "A deeply satisfying story written with love and affection." And so she has very neatly summed up just about everything that's missing from her own work. There's nothing satisfying in it and I have to say that it doesn't seem to be written with either love or affection.

So if you would like a book of this genre that has some depth to the characterisations, that is a satisfying read, that really is written with love and affection, then pick up something by Rosamunde Pilcher. Or better still, Marcia Willett, who in my opinion is even better. Both of these are streets ahead of Ms Binchy.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

1.0 out of 5 stars If you have high blood pressure and you`re not supposed to get worked up -
- you`ll be safe with this. I suppose this would be classed as `light reading.` Anybody got a match...?
Published 15 months ago by Leeds lass

4.0 out of 5 stars How Do You Play the Hand You're Dealt?
Tara Road's strength is that you get an unusual degree of character development, both in quantity and quality. Read more
Published on 17 Jul 2004 by Professor Donald Mitchell

4.0 out of 5 stars How Do You Play the Hand You're Dealt?
Tara Road's strength is that you get an unusual degree of character development, both in quantity and quality. Read more
Published on 10 Jul 2004 by Professor Donald Mitchell

4.0 out of 5 stars How Do You Play the Hand You're Dealt?
Tara Road's strength is that you get an unusual degree of character development, both in quantity and quality. Read more
Published on 8 May 2004 by Professor Donald Mitchell

4.0 out of 5 stars How Do You Play the Hand You're Dealt?
Tara Road's strength is that you get an unusual degree of character development, both in quantity and quality. Read more
Published on 8 May 2004 by Professor Donald Mitchell

4.0 out of 5 stars TARA ROAD REVIEW
TARA ROAD IS AS MUCH A CURIOUSITY TO ME AS IT'S AUTHOR. IVE READ SOME OF BINCHY'S WORKS AND I NOTICED HER NOVELS ALWAYS HAS SOMETHING 'BOUT CHEATING HUSBANDS AND THE STUFF. Read more
Published on 17 Jan 2004 by lorraine

5.0 out of 5 stars CHARACTERS GALORE! PERFECT BINCHLY!!!
When i borrow this book from a friend, i did not expect it to be this good! THe characters and lifestyle of ireland are so well written you imagine you are there. Read more
Published on 14 Jan 2004 by Ms. Amy Cockburn

5.0 out of 5 stars An insightful, well told story of love, loss & friendship!
This was the first book I have ever read by Maeve Binchy. I wish I had known sooner what a great story teller she is! Read more
Published on 15 April 2002 by Mary C

5.0 out of 5 stars This Year Will Be Different made this year different.
This Year Will Be Different made this year different! I loved it, not only for the excellent recording by Kate Binchy... Read more
Published on 26 Dec 2001

5.0 out of 5 stars A book to curl up with
A book full of problems and dilemas which unwind and tangle and Binchys storytelling adds a magic to a plot with many twist and turns it's never predictable... Read more
Published on 21 Feb 2001

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