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Reviews of Tara Road by Maeve Binchy
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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
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From Kirkus Reviews , December 1, 1998
Once again, Binchy (The Glass Lake, 1995, etc.) memorably limns the
lives of ordinary people caught in the traps sprung by life and loving
hearts. When Danny Lynch and his young bride-to-be Ria Norris buy
No. 16, a large, derelict Victorian house, Tara Road is a rundown Dublin
street. Lovingly restored, the house soon becomes a gathering place as
neighbors stop by to chat, help out, or eat one of Ria's delicious meals.
Ria has loved handsome Danny, a realtor who works for high-flying
property tycoon Barney McCarthy, since first meeting him. She enjoys
managing her busy domestic life and two children, Annie and Brian; her
friends, like Gertie, whose husband beats her; Colm, who's opened a
restaurant nearby and worries about his drug-addicted sister; and
Rosemary, a beautiful, unmarried businesswoman who owns one of No.
32's new apartments. But the summer when Annie is fourteen and Brian
nine, Ria learns that Danny has been dallying with a ``fancy woman,'' now
pregnant with his child, and that he wants to marry her. Stunned, Ria
impulsively accepts an American womans surprise telephone request to
trade houses for the summer. Marilyn, living in New England, is married
but still mourning the death of her teenaged son, Dale, and covets time
alone. Once ensconced in her Connecticut home, Ria soon makes new
friends, finds work as a caterer, and even begins datingwhile also learning
the truth about Dale's death. Meanwhile, in Dublin, Ria's pals continue
to
drop in, at first overwhelming Marilyn, who gradually involves herself
in
their lives, grows a garden, and discovers one friend's unsuspected
betrayal of Ria. The two women, each strengthened by her season
abroad, meet briefly before Marilyn flies home. Grateful for one another's
support, each feels less heart-sore and more hopeful of happiness ahead.
One of Binchy's best. (Book-of-the-month main selection; author tour) --
Copyright ©1998, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved. --This
text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Book Description of Tara Road by Maeve Binchy
With each new book, Maeve Binchy continues a remarkable progression
of sales and audience growth, reaching fans of all ages and backgrounds
with her matchless wit, warmth, and sheer storytelling magic. Tara
Road, her first full-length novel since The Glass Lake, again shows her
incomparable understanding of the human heart in the tale of two women,
one from Ireland, one from America, who switch lives, and in doing so
learn much about each other, as well as much about themselves.
Ria lived on Tara Road in Dublin with her dashing husband, Danny, and
their two children. She fully believed she was happily married, right up
until the day Danny told her he was leaving her to be with his young,
pregnant girlfriend. By a chance phone call, Ria meets Marilyn, a woman
from New England unable to come to terms with her only son's death and
now separated from her husband. The two women exchange houses for
the summer with extraordinary consequences, each learning that the other
has a deep secret that can never be revealed.
Drawn into lifestyles vastly differing from their own, at first each resents
the news of how well the other is getting on. Ria seems to have become
quite a hostess, entertaining half the neighborhood, which at first irritates
the reserved and withdrawn Marilyn, a woman who has always guarded
her privacy. Marilyn seems to have become bosom friends with Ria's
children, as well as with Colm, a handsome restaurateur, whom Ria has
begun to miss terribly. At the end of the summer, the women at last meet
face-to-face. Having learned a great deal, about themselves and about
each other, they find that they have become, firmly and forever, good
friends.
A moving story rendered with the deft touch of a master artisan, Tara
Road is Maeve Binchy at her very best--utterly beautiful, hauntingly
unforgettable, entirely original, and wholly enjoyable.
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Synopsis of Tara Road by Maeve Binchy
Ria, who lives on Tara Road in Dublin, thinks her marriage is fine right
up
until her husband leaves with his young, pregnant girlfriend. By a chance
phone call, Ria meets Marilyn, a woman from New England unable to
come to terms with her only son's death and now estranged from her
husband. The two women exchange houses for the summer with
extraordinary consequences, each learning that the other has a deep
secret that can never be revealed.
Synopsis of Tara Road by Maeve Binchy
Best of the Best. Set in Ireland and New England, "Tara Road" tells the
story of two women who switch lives, and by so doing, learn much about
each other--and themselves. --This text refers to the audio cassette
edition of this title
About the Author of Tara Road, Maeve Binchy
Maeve Binchy was born in a small village outside Dublin. She spent her
childhood in Dalkey, an experience she draws on today when creating
the rural villages usually at the heart of her novels. After receiving
her
B.A. from University College in Dublin, she began working as a teacher.
The experiences she had while teaching at a Jewish school and on
vacation in Israel compelled her to find work on a kibbutz. While abroad
in Israel, she wrote weekly letters to her father describing life in a
country
constantly on the brink of war. When Binchy's father sent one of her
letters to The Irish Times where it was published and earned her £18,
Binchy, who had been making £16 working at the school, thought that
she had truly "arrived."
Since these humble beginnings, Binchy's success has been astounding.
She has written four volumes of short stories titled This Year It Will
Be
Different, The Return Journey, The Lilac Bus, and London
Transports, two plays and a teleplay that won three awards at the
Prague Film Festival, but she is perhaps most famous for her bestselling
novels Evening Class, The Glass Lake, The Copper Beech, Circle
of Friends, Silver Wedding, Firefly Summer, Echoes, and Light a
Penny Candle, which have been celebrated on many continents. Movie
audiences everywhere adored the film version of Circle of Friends,
produced by Savoy Pictures and which starred Minnie Driver and Chris
O'Donnell.
Maeve Binchy lives with her husband, Gordon Snell, in Dublin.
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