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 . . .

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #23327 in Books
• Published on: 1999-04-30
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 656 pages

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

About the Author
Maeve Binchy was born in County Dublin and came to fame first as London Correspondent for the IRISH TIMES. Her first novel, LIGHT A PENNY CANDLE, made her famous in the UK and USA. She lives in County Dublin with her husband, Gordon Snell.

Customer Reviews

A PLEASURE TO READ
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.

SIMPLY OUTSTANDING!
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.

Sadly, it's just a narrative, about characters with no depth to them
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.