Circle of Friends by Maeve Binchy Summary and Reviews
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Book Reviews of Circle of Friends
Book Review: Book for All
Summary: 5 Stars
Circle of Friends keeps you in the story and keeps your attention. It's suspenseful, romantic, exciting and interesting. I read it when I was 13 and I read it again. I'd highly recommend it to men and women.Writer for BellaOnline.com
Book Review: Charming, Heartbreaking, Wonderful
Summary: 5 Stars
This was the first Binchy novel I picked up. I didn't know anything about a movie being made out of it, and it sat in my car for about six months. DON'T LET THAT HAPPEN TO YOU! While I read, I became instant friends with Benny and Eve, fell in love with Jack, was suspicious of Nan, hated Mother Clare, and overall felt like I was part of this circle. I felt like I wanted to gossip about it to my real friends, and my world was transformed as I peeled each page.Book Review: Circle of Friends
Summary: 5 Stars
In Knockglen, Ireland during the 1950's, Benny Hogan and Eve Malone encounter several hardships as best friends and as young women. Benny is attending courses at the University of Dublin, while Eve works and studies. Benny is 'large,' shy, and kind, while Eve is dark, thin, and 'bird-like'.The two meet the beautiful and flawless Nan Mahon (who's father is a drunk) and the handsome rugby player Jack Foley (who comes from a family of prestige) during their university years, and many situations arise. Though the intentions are not made, both Nan and Jack place Eve and Benny's friendship into catastrophic areas. Through love, hate, betrayal, and jealousy, Eve and Benny work as pair, with Eve stoutly defending Benny, and Benny teaching Eve forgiveness.Book Review: Circle of Friends
Summary: 4 Stars
As I was reading this book, the relationships between all of the characters, and how their lives all intertwine, was what kept me reading. The ways the characters interact and communicate is the central part of the book. The author devotes pages and pages to develop these characters with essential details about their background, their character and how they act with the other characters within this book. At times it concentrates on Benny and Eve's friendship and how they get distracted away, momentarily, but always come back to help the other in times of need. Other times the focus shifts, it goes to the relationships between the parents of all of these friends. On situation is how Benny's parents love her too much to let her go. Another is how Mother Francis is Eve's only real family and how her home is the Convent among the nuns. Nan, a girl who takes proper care of herself and Eve and Benny meet in college, feels that her parents inhibit her from having the kind of lifestyle she wants. Nan doesn't want to have a low social status, in fact she plans to find and marry a rich man that can take care of her. Through these diverse characters, we can see the different relationships between friends and between children and their guardians. This novel also focuses on the internal thoughts and feelings of Benny, and her search to find independence, and eventually herself. I can relate to her growth and maturation; her struggle to find a balance between her friends and her parents. All throughout her life she has had parents that care too much, and she couldn't tell anyone because the only person she could tell and that would tell her what to do was orphaned since she was a baby. Benny also struggles with love and life in the real world. She experiences love, a sense of need, incomprehension, confusion as well as hope. Benny learns, at the end, that she can be free; without anyone to worry about staying with her, or cheating on her.
This was a very good and thought-provoking novel. It is a good choice for the Rosewater Book award. This is because it captured my attention right from the beginning with Benny's birthday and her disappointment not getting the pretty gift she wanted, but instead a sensible outfit. It was amazing to think that a ten year old girl thought she could and never would be pretty or delicate as the other girls were. However, she grew up into a beautiful person, both in and out, and the most handsome boy loved her. But, through many human mistakes, she realizes he will never be entirely hers. It was an astounding ending that gave true proof of Benny's maturity. She proclaimed that it was not the end of the long journey of finding herself, it didn't have to be, and she was all right with that.
Book Review: Circle of Friends was the Best!
Summary: 5 Stars
Maeve Binchey's book, Circle of Friends, was one of the best books I have ever read. I had seen the movie first (and after reading the book, I realised the movie didn't do it justice), and fell in love with Benny, Jack, Eve, and the other multitude of characters. I was so excited when I found out that it was a book, I went bought it the next day. I sat down on the couch with the book and didn't get up until that afternoon when I finished the book. It was a wonderful page-turner (although it was 600 pages), and is a great book for everyone(especially for adolescences dealing with boyfriends and abstinence). I loved this book, and it has made me want to read more of Maeve Binchy's books.For those who have read the book, I have two questions: 1. What is the status with Benny and Jack at the end of the book?
2. Is there a sequal to Circle of Friends? If not, is there anyway I could contact Maeve Binchy with the idea?
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