Tara Road (Oprah's Book Club)
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER - "A tender novel of the pleasures and pitfalls of friendship Tara Road is an ultramodern love story for women, about women, between women that is sure to delight."--Newsday New York Times bestselling author Maeve Binchy has captured the hearts of millions with her unforgettable novels. Binchy's graceful storytelling and wise compassion have earned her the devotion of fans worldwide--and made her one of the most beloved authors of our time. Now she dazzles us once again with a new novel filled with her signature warmth, humor, and tender insight. A provocative tale of family heartbreak, friendship, and revelation, Tara Road explores every woman's fantasy: escape, into another place, another life. "What if . . ." Binchy asks, and answers in her most astonishing novel to date. Praise for Tara Road "Her best work yet . . . Tara Road is like a total immersion in a colorful new world, where the last page comes too soon."--Seattle Times "An irresistible tale."--Elle "Engrossing."--Wall Street Journal "Difficult to put down!"--Denver Post "One of Binchy's best."--Kirkus Reviews
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Community Reviews
I found this book almost compulsively readable, even though the further along I got into the story, the more flaws started jumping out at me. If you want an easy read with a fast-moving storyline and are willing to overlook the not-quite-fitting pieces, you'll enjoy the book.
Tara Road revolves around the friendships of three women, Ria, Gertie and Rosemary, who live in Dublin, and whose lives continue to intersect despite the growing disparity in their personal circumstances. Plain-Jane Ria gets to marry the handsome, ambitious Danny, leaving more glamorous Rosemary behind. Ria and Danny buy a huge fixer-upper on Tara Road, and settle into domestic life, as Danny builds his real estate development career with the high-flying Barney McCarthy. Binchy keeps the reader guessing not if Danny will get in over his head, but when and how deep.
Gertie struggles to keep herself and her children above water and out of the ER because she is married to a drunken abuser, and refuses to leave him. Rosemary, forever single, becomes a hard-headed businesswoman whose love life remains a source of mystery to Ria. The wildly different lives and values of these three women make their ongoing friendship increasingly unrealistic. The introduction of another character from the U.S., Marilyn, made me impatient, because it took quite a while to even like her, let alone to understand what she was doing in the story. Well into the story, when Marilyn and Ria agree to swap houses for a summer, each to help forget particular personal painful circumstances, the healing that takes place for both of them is also absurdly quick and complete.
For all its flaws, I enjoyed this read and will check out Binchy's other books.
Tara Road revolves around the friendships of three women, Ria, Gertie and Rosemary, who live in Dublin, and whose lives continue to intersect despite the growing disparity in their personal circumstances. Plain-Jane Ria gets to marry the handsome, ambitious Danny, leaving more glamorous Rosemary behind. Ria and Danny buy a huge fixer-upper on Tara Road, and settle into domestic life, as Danny builds his real estate development career with the high-flying Barney McCarthy. Binchy keeps the reader guessing not if Danny will get in over his head, but when and how deep.
Gertie struggles to keep herself and her children above water and out of the ER because she is married to a drunken abuser, and refuses to leave him. Rosemary, forever single, becomes a hard-headed businesswoman whose love life remains a source of mystery to Ria. The wildly different lives and values of these three women make their ongoing friendship increasingly unrealistic. The introduction of another character from the U.S., Marilyn, made me impatient, because it took quite a while to even like her, let alone to understand what she was doing in the story. Well into the story, when Marilyn and Ria agree to swap houses for a summer, each to help forget particular personal painful circumstances, the healing that takes place for both of them is also absurdly quick and complete.
For all its flaws, I enjoyed this read and will check out Binchy's other books.
Binchy delivers a tome with nearly no plot in which the lives of a dozen people are transformed. It’s almost magical. On Tara Road in Dublin, we find Ria and her heartthrob Danny setting up housekeeping. There was a long slow set up as we got to know all the characters but life started happening about halfway through. By the end, I honestly enjoyed the characters and appreciated their transformations, but 654 pp with only 9 chapters made for some slow reading. A lot of this book made me think of the movie 'The Holiday' where an international house swap changes peoples lives. Very different story, but that premise worked here too.
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