Circle of Friends by Maeve Binchy Summary and Reviews
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Book Reviews of Circle of Friends
Book Review: Buy 10 Copies!
Summary: 5 Stars
Maeve Binchy never appears on the "100 Best Writers of our Time" type lists and I wonder why that is. Perhaps because she is ghettoized as a "women's writer" or pigeon-holed as a local-color-type Irish author. Her millions of readers know better. Circle of Friends is rightly seen as her best (though every book she has is worthy of multiple reads). The emotional density, rich complexity of plot and the depth of the characterization will stay with you for the rest of your reading life.Book Review: Draws you in,
Summary: 5 Stars
and you don't want to leave. That's, I guess, why I read this book over and over again. One of my favorite books ever, hands down. Also, in my opinion, Binchy's very best one.Book Review: Early Binchy at the top of her form
Summary: 4 Stars
Making friends doesn't come easy to everyone, and Maeve Binchy, knowing in the ways of the human heart, shows how it can be done from ages ten to sixty. Binchy's strength is her detailed portraits of everyday Ireland, particularly well done in Circle of Friends, set in the 1950s. First we get to know the small town of Knockglen, a one-hour's bus ride from Dublin, where we peer into the lives of the doctor, the nun, and the various shopkeepers. Then the action shifts to University Dublin, both the lives of the students and their parents from various socioeconomic strata. Binchy conveys the Irish dialect deftly and without a lot of fuss, including in the narration.
Eve and Benny (Bernadette) became friends as ten year olds. Neither have other friends at school. Though very different, they complement and support one another. At University (the Catholic University, since it's a sin to attend the Protestant Trinity College), they witness a fatal traffic accident on the first day of classes. They form an instant bond with the other first-year students who witnessed the tragedy. The normal drama of student life is a counterpoint to the changes that are taking place in Benny and Eve's hometown as the twentieth century catches up with Knockglen. Contrary to Benny and Eve's expectations, their Knockglen and Dublin lives become intertwined. Their bond crystallizes other friendships, with them and because of them.
If you haven't read any Maeve Binchy, I envy you because you have some great reads ahead of you. Circle of Friends is as good a place to start as any. You don't have to be a fan of things Irish to appreciate her writing and her insights.
Book Review: Good with a sometimes-slow plot
Summary: 4 Stars
Like many others, I read this book because I've seen the 1995 film and it's one of my favorite movies. When I first started the book, I was immediately drawn in by Binchy's detailed writing style and the way she paints a portrait of the town of Knockglen. But as the story moved forward, it felt like a lot of the most interesting plot points and characters (namely Benny and Jack) were overshadowed by other, less interesting things.
On top of that, Binchy has a tendency to remove the reader from the most emotional parts of the story--when Benny's father dies, we hear about it in a sort of glossed-over, past-tense way; when Jack tells Benny that he loves her, it's also past-tense in Benny's memory (and only one sentence, at that); and, most important, when Jack confesses everything about his infidelity with Nan--we don't even see that! All we get are bits and pieces of Benny thinking back on it.
All in all, I feel as if the plot point with the most pull--Benny and Jack's relationship--fell a little flat; and, quite honestly, Jack was such a jerk for 70 percent of the book that I just simply didn't like him. Also, we barely get any perspective on his actions; he just comes across as this selfish little playboy which, at the onset of the novel, didn't seem like the case at all. And with Nan, too, by the end when she showed no remorse for her actions, I was very disappointed; I know some people really ARE just selfish that way, but it doesn't say much for Benny's judgement of character if her boyfriend and close friend were such awful people.
Given, by the end, I could see where Binchy was going with the story--Benny, the small-town girl who spent her life being over-protected by her parents, had to go out into the world and experience the fact that sometimes life simply sucks. Okay, great--but all of the other filler that went in between her story (Clodagh/Fonsie, Mother Francis/Kit Hegarty, etc) just started to get irritating by the end of the book.
I love stories like this, though--the coming of age type deal, but I, as I've said, the Benny/Jack thing just felt very under-developed and I was more interested in the relationship between Eve and Aidan. Sure, sure, maybe that was Binchy's way of making it clear that Jack wasn't the guy for Benny, while Eve and Aidan really are meant to be, but still...I think she could've done a better job of making Jack a bit more of a likeable character earlier on so that, when everything comes out later, we feel Benny's heartbreak as much as she does. Really, though, all I could think at that point was, "Good riddance to him!"
Anyway, still an entertaining book despite its meandering plot; well worth the read--even if it means skipping the fill-story near the end.
Book Review: Heart warming
Summary: 5 Stars
I have read several of Maeve Binchy's books Tara Road, Scarlet Feather, The copper Beach, and Quentins but, my absolute favorite was Circle of Friends.....I couldn't put it down and when I was finished I wanted more. Maeve really brought the characters to life and made you feel like you were a part of the circle of friends. I saw the movie and was very disappointed the only good thing was that Minnie Driver played Binnie and she was super. I have got my sister reading Maeve Binchy's books now, and she says that her favorite was Circle of Friends too.
More Circle of Friends reviews:
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