Tara Road (edition 1998)

My mom and sister and I refer to this as the "smell the milk" book. Sometimes you open the fridge and wonder what that horrible smell is, and you open the milk bottle and nearly pass out. But it's so bad someone else HAS to experience it to, so you ask whoever's nearby to smell the milk, too.

I picked this book up in a grocery store in Shannon, Ireland. I was hoping for a fun, light read during my vacation. It *was* fun and sort of light, but not in the way I expected.

I've truly enjoyed some of Ms. Binchy's other novels - especially Circle of Friends - but this one? Oh, the badness. Binchy skipped right over "cozy chicklit" and went straight to "soap opera drama". The characters didn't talk or act like real people. Ridiculous characters and events were thrown in like Binchy was cleaning out her fridge and making soup with the contents.

I finished it before the trip ended, so my mom decided to read the book on the flight home. She'd read passages out loud to me and we'd laugh. Later, I told my sister about how awful it was, (she loves Binchy's earlier work, too) and she had to read to see just how bad it was.

Honestly, I'd give it zero stars, but I got a lot of entertainment out of this book, and it remains on my bookshelf as a testimony to fun conversations with my family. Tara Road gets two stars for making me laugh. ( )

In Tara Road, Maeve Binchy introduces us to Ria, a young Irish woman who falls in love with and marries a handsome real estate developer whose business dealings may not be quite as above-board as she believes; and Marilyn, an American woman who is consumed by a grief that is so private that she cannot bring herself to share it with anyone, not even her faithful and devoted husband. When life circumstances change for Ria, she flees to Marilyn's house in small-town Connecticut for a summer, while providing Marilyn with a home in Tara Road in Dublin where she too can deal with her situation. The two women lead very different lives, but the ways in which each is touched and touches the lives of others reveal them to be far more similar than they first seem.... I've fallen in love with Maeve Binchy's work over the past couple of months, and Tara Road is no exception to that love. I think this is the earliest of Binchy's books that I've read so far, but all of her stylistic and thematic tropes are in place here, including a large cast of characters whose interactions, while appearing gentle in the storytelling, reveal a great deal of stark and unhappy human behaviour that reflects, in the end, the real world in all its messiness. I find myself slowing down when I read these books, because long as they are (Tara Road is some 639 pages), I never want them to end! Recommended. ( )

This is my first Maeve Binchy book.Definitely a book for women, it is a good,light read on a day you are drowned in self-sympathy, as I was -works as the perfect chicken soup for your soul.

The character of Ria has been well etched, her complete devotion to family and friends, and goodness does indeed warm your heart. I could well relate her longing for appreciation from her family, her need to be needed as most women would .The story moves forward on predictable lines,as the dashing debonair husband dumps the devoted home-maker wife of 15 years, who is too busy caring for her home,family and friends to realize that the relationship is drifting. As she is reeling under this shattering blow , a chance phone calls brings her an opportunity to swap house with Marilyn,an American lady , who is herself struggling to come in terms with the loss of her son.Placed in alien surroundings, how the two women get a grip on their life is the basic plot of the story. While Ria goes on to brighten the dull American life around her, Marilyn, initially uptight and remote, slowly gets drawn into the eventful and dramatic life of Tara road residents. As they delve deeper into the others life ,they also learn to come to terms with their misfortunes in the process.

The Irish characters are really colorful,lively and charming, drawing you to them easily and staying with you for a long time ,while the american counterparts pale in comparison creating no impact.

The highlight of the Novel is of course the female bonding that you see all through. Men will continue to fail women or atleast disappoint them, as they havent been blessed with our sensitivity .Such novels that champion the qualities unique to women- to empathize with and mourn for fellow human beings, to involve themselves in each others life and teach each other how to heal, how to recognize the power and potential in each of us- are what we need and what is welcomed anyday.

Definitely a wake-up call for all the Rias of the world refusing to acknowledge the emptiness creeping into their lives as the world around them moves ahead. It may stir you and push you to confront some home truths. ( )

This is a somewhat predictable "chick lit" read that mostly appealed to me because it was set in Ireland. However, it just seemed to go on and on interminably for no real reason. Towards the conclusion, I was just looking for it to end already. However, it was written well enough that I mostly enjoyed it and found the characters at least somewhat interesting, if not particularly memorable. ( )

I remember reading this on a trip round the Isle of Wight. I read most of it in a day and can't remember any of the scenery we passed at all. Like a lot of Maeve Binchy's books, it pulled me right in, and though it seems a bit surprising looking back, I really really cared about the characters and wanted to know how things worked out.

The relationship between Ria and Danny was the part the fascinated me the most - I knew what I wanted to happen, and on the other hand I always prefer authors who are prepared to make their endings sad (or at least realistic).

The idea of a house swap was an interesting story idea, but it was still the Irish end of things that I wanted to hear about. ( )