Circle of Friends by Maeve Binchy Summary and Reviews
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Book Reviews of Circle of Friends
Book Review: "Circle of Friends": A Surprise Favorite
Summary: 5 Stars
(age 15) My mother recommended this book to me at the beginning of summer after I had just finished an immensely good book, The Bean Trees by Barbara Kingsolver. I wasn't keen on Circle of Friends (we'll call it COF), so I started out the book rather negative. Boy, was I wrong.
I enjoy the book better than I could have imagined. Benny, Eve, Nan...all seem so real. I learned many things from teh book too (I don't mean to sound so school-ish)...but I learned from Nan to not answer questions directly (LOL) and I learned from Benny an Eve how to remain strong. Its a wonderful book that captivates the reader and I was sad to have it end ( I wanted to know what happened next! ) So give it a try. I think you'll like it.
WARNING! The movie is a let down, though I did enjoy watching it. They changed many things about the characters in the beginning right up until the end. I wondered what Maeve Binchy had to say about how it was changed---it changed Benny's morals to the extreme. Watch it anyway, though, M. Driver does a good performance.
Book Review: -->Actually three stars and a half
Summary: 3 Stars
I had been reading all the reviews below and cannot seem to understand why everyone here loves this book so much. If you want a different opinion, here's mine: skip this book if you do not enjoy sentimental stories that weigh you down and leave you longing for fresh air. I bought this book on impulse, and after 200 pages or so, I really got tired of the "heartwarming" plot, the cliché characters, and - above all - the friendship that seemed a tad too perfect to be believable. When I turned over the last page, my first thought was: read it once, not likely to again. If I had borrowed it I wouldn't have bothered to finish it.To give Ms.Binchy credit, I loved her writing style. And her wonderful, flowing dialogues! Her descriptions of the Irish life, too, left me wanting more. Even though the story was relatively slow-paced, I managed to enjoy the reading overall. The ending, especially, received my applaud. (I saw the movie afterwards - didn't bother finishing THAT!)
I sincerely recommend this book if you are 1)looking for a nice, average read, 2)enjoy college stories in an Irish setting, or 3)are a devoted Binchy fan (in which case you wouldn't be liking my review anyway). Otherwise...don't bother.
Book Review: 4 and 3/4 stars
Summary: 4 Stars
Heroines: VariedThey seemed like two unlikely allies: the small, quick, pixie-like convent-raised orphan Eve Malone and the large, ungainly, sheltered Benny Hogan. But they recognized in each other a fierce need for true friendship and became each other's guardian angel.
The two stood as fast friends for eight years in the tiny village of Knockglen, and when the time came for Benny to go off to Dublin to University, Eve made sure to find a way to be there also, even though it meant asking for money from the people she most despised in the world.
There in the big city, Eve and Benny meet others like themselves and expand their numbers til they are truly a large "Circle of Friends". And it is there in Dublin that Benny and Eve discover what true friendship is, and see each other through first love, betrayal, and heartbreak.
What worked for me:
It was very hard not to become involved in the lives of these characters. Even those just passing through managed to bring a tear or two to my eyes. And while I was happy that Benny and Eve eventually found their places in the world, I was sad to leave them at the end of the book and would have loved to have heard more about their lives.
Size-wise the women in the story were all very different. But Benny, the character who was on center stage most of the time, was a girl of good size. She was frequently referred to as "a great horse of a girl", "a little barrel", and "Big Ben" by the more thoughtless people in her life, and it was impossible not to share the pain those comments brought to her.
What didn't work for me:
Usually if there is a problem in the writing craft of a story, I not only pick up on it but it will grate on my nerves and pull me out of the book. However, Maeve Binchy breaks some of the hard and fast rules of writing, and yet my eyes frequently pass over these occasional technical flaws simply because the characters have drawn me so deeply into their story that I read too quickly to catch whatever mistakes there may be.
It was one thing to leave Benny and Eve knowing that they had more or less gotten their lives together, but I couldn't help but feel perturbed that I was left without confirmation that the most fatally-flawed characters in the book had indeed learned their lessons.
Overall:
"Circle of Friends" is an epic saga about coming-of-age in the sheltered world of 1950s Ireland. It may be a bit slow-paced for some readers, but I thought it was well worth it.
If you liked "Circle of Friends" you might also enjoy: "Tara Road", "Last Chance Saloon", "Having It and Eating It", and "Good in Bed".
Note: There is also a film version of "Circle of Friends".
While I thought that the cinematic vision of Benny's story was beautiful to see and certainly very well-cast, the translation lost something when it went from book to screen. It was unfortunate that the producers felt the need to rewrite the plot into a more pat Americanized version in which they glossed over the flaws inherent in some of the characters, taking away their responsibilities for their actions and making them instead victims of their own destinies.
Ultimately, the movie was a feast for the eyes and ears, but the book was food for the soul.
Book Review: A Good Book for a Rainy Day
Summary: 4 Stars
I had heard a lot about this book and finally checked it out of my library for a rainy weekend.I grew up at the same time as this story is set in, the 1950's, so a lot of it brought back memories. However, my small town in the Midwest wasn't quite so provincial as Knockglen. There were no Catholics and we didn't worry about class.
There were too many references to Benny's large frame. Once or twice would have been enough. I felt sorry for her as the over-protected only child of a very boring couple. Thank goodness she escaped to Dublin.
Simon was a real rat, but so I'm not surprised at the way he treated Nan. He obviously intended to marry money and she didn't have any.
I liked all of the different characters, except Sean. All types seemed to be there. Mother Francis was very kind to Eve and everyone.
I don't plan on seeing the movie after other reviewers have said what characters were left out and that the ending was different. I liked the way it ended.
Book Review: A Simple Story, A Great Read
Summary: 5 Stars
Wow! I was pleasantly surprised when I began to read this book. Even though this is a simple story - not action packed, or a thriller - I was hooked from the very beginning! It's the story of Benny and Eve, two girls who become friends when they are ten and become inseperable. The story mainly centers around the girls when they are 18 and head off to college as they meet new people and go through the process of growing up. This is a coming of age story that is so beautifully written, I just couldn't put it down. This is my first Maeve Binchy book, and I plan to read more very soon! I would highly recommend this book!