TBR Challenge: Maeve Binchy - Circle of Friends

It began with Benny Hogan and Eve Malone, growing up, inseparable, in the village of Knockglen. Benny—the only child, yearning to break free from her adoring parents...Eve—the orphaned offspring of a convent handyman and a rebellious blueblood, abandoned by her mother's wealthy family to be raised by nuns. Eve and Benny—they knew the sins and secrets behind every villager's lace curtains...except their own.
It widened at Dublin, at the university where Benny and Eve met beautiful Nan Mahlon and Jack Foley, a doctor's handsome son. But heartbreak and betrayal would bring the worlds of Knockglen and Dublin into explosive collision. Long-hidden lies would emerge to test the meaning of love and the strength of ties held within the fragile gold bands of a...Circle Of Friends.

Comment: Here is the TBR Challenge post for May! This time the theme is "with a little help from my friends", which I interpreted at its more obvious meaning and chose a story where we would see the interactions of a group of friends. It also helped that the title of this book by Maeve Binchy was so suitable from the start as well!

In this story, set in 1957 if I saw correctly, we follow the lives of Eve Malone and Benny Hogan, two friends since childhood, as they embark on their college lives in Dublin. One tragic event brings them closer to Nan Mahon, Jack Foley and other young people who will form their circle of friends. However, as all go on with their more cosmopolitan lives, the roots and the links to each of their childhood homes remain, and sometimes dreams and needs can't match what they still carry with them... or can they? Some choices will be made, and some decisions will have to happen, for will these friends remain the same?

I know, I know, that my little summary is vague, but as it happened to other books I've read by the author, her stories are pretty much a study in character's interactions and dynamics, not as much about a complex plot. I feel that explaining better might spoiler a few things too much, and that is not my main goal with my comments. I think the real wonder of this book is in how small things can create big problems and how trusting the right person or not can influence a lot. Isn't this the bread and butter of everyone's lives?

Benny and Eve are the main characters for they are the ones we see developing/evolving the most, even though there are more characters besides them from which we have a POV. Benny is trustworthy, a little naive but friendly and self conscience of her size and how others see her. Eve, on the other hand, feels she might not be recognized enough because of her parent's relationship and the fact she was not legitimated by her rich mother's family. Their personalities should not make for a lasting friendship, but somehow they do and I liked seeing their development for the most part.

This was, in my opinion, a longer book than it needed. We have a full chapter dedicated only to the girls' childhood and how they became friends, which I didn't mind, but from the moment the setting is 1957, when they are about to go to college and all the difficulties that entailed, I felt the author left the setting up of things for too long. I get it that this is her style and in a way I can accept the technique as  valid one, for it does explain very well why some characters behave the way they do, but I think a few less scenes, few pages would not have changed much. There was a point where I did struggle a little to feel focused on what was going on, and I persisted because I kind of expected it to improve, but not every little detail was necessary.

Since the story is set in Ireland and in the late 50s, there is obviously a lot of content related to this era or to the expectations of society in this time. I think that, in part, this does help to create an atmosphere which justifies a few decisions the characters make regarding several things, and one can more easily accept why those and why not something else, after all the pressure of others and of families and society in general influenced a lot of people's choices.

Benny and Eve each have a path to go and of course, a good element was to see their growth into adult women who thought about what they could and should do. I liked that their personalities weren't compromised by the experiences they went through. This aspect was better achieved, i'd say, with the character of Nan, whose alcoholic father colored a lot of her life at home, and while I can understand her actions and thoughts throughout the novel, she is clearly made to look worse by comparison... in fact, the whole group of friends only seem to be more or less something when near someone else. Apart from Eve, Benny and Nan, everyone else had less depth and was more obviously secondary.

Did I like this story? I liked reading it for the most part, but it wasn't exciting all the time, no. I'm aware this is meant to be cozy drama, if I can use this expression, but in terms of writing, there were moments where things simply dragged too long. I also think that someone hoping to be amazed or thrilled by any kind of conclusion or climax will be disappointed, for I don't think the author aimed the plot towards any kind of big reveal. Despite my less favorite aspects, I'll probably read more by this author.

Grade: 7/10

Maeve Binchy - Firefly Summer

It was a summer of warmth.... Kate Ryan and her husband, John, have a rollicking pub in the Irish village of Mountfern... lovely twelve-year-old twins... and such wonderful dreams.... It was a summer of innocence... but all that is about to change this fateful summer of 1962 when American millionaire Patrick O'Neill comes to town with his irresistible charm and a pocketful of money... when love and hate vie for a town's quiet heart and old traditions begin to crumble away.... It was a summer of love that would never come again.... A time that has been captured forever in Maeve Binchy's compelling family drama... a novel you will never forget.

Comment: I've decided to read this book now because it was suitable for one of the topics part of a challenge I'm doing in one of my GR groups, featuring a book whose action would take place during the summer. Besides, I had read something by the author before, so I kind of knew what to expect...

In this book we follow a group of characters in the village of Mountfern in Ireland, during the 60s onward. Things seem rather simple and just like any other village in rural Ireland but one day the rich American man Patrick O'Neill decides to come to Ireland to build a hotel on the propriety where decades earlier his grandfather was let go, forcing him to emigrate to America. Now, Patrick wants to show everyone how well his grandfather succeeded and how he can use money to make it impossible to ignore that fact. However, even the quietest of places has no choice but to be different when new people and new ideas come...will it be that what makes Mountfern so special will remain so after such a change?

This story read more like a sort of community saga than any other kind of label one would give to it. For those who like the author, her writing style (with a huge cast of characters and multiple POVs and apparently pointless scenes having more or less interest in the big scheme of things) is recognizable, but I would say that the element I couldn't ignore the most and which affected my overall enjoyment of this book was the fact just one or two characters, out of it felt like 50!, were likable to me...

To be fair, I don't mind following so many characters and having their lives interwoven so much and sometimes in such simple ways or sometimes because of complex reasons. However some have louder voices than others and if the ones who appear the most aren't always likable, that can certainly impact one'a appreciation... I also should say that, while English isn't my mother language, I can obviously read a novel in the language but what effort it is to keep track of so many names and, so often, similar ones! It was quite a challenge, let me tell you... although I suppose with a book set in Ireland in the 60s, some names would not be very realistic...

The plot is very simple: Patrick returns and wants to build the hotel and everyone who lives in the area will gain or loose something over it. Since such a construction takes time, the story starts in 1962 and keeps on going through several years ahead. In the meantime, we get to see how the characters are affected and how their lives are shaped by this, namely the key ones like the Ryan family and their neighbors, Patrick and his two children, the woman Patrick has an affair with in America but won't marry and Fergus, a close friend to the Ryans. There are plenty more but I really couldn't write about them all.

This story is about growth, especially how the kids and teenagers in the families deal with this new experience, it's about how to deal with the unexpected and the traditional in a society which hasn't changed much, still relying on many of the cultural aspects and beliefs the country is known for. From this perspective and that of what the little things the author wanted to convey regarding change and family values, I think this was an interesting book. However, it's quite a drama and sometimes a little too much (it's a big book too, so probably lots of stuff had to be used to fill in) to the point I did think "when will it end".

Well, the story did end but as many readers have said, it was a little inconclusive because some things were just too open ended, others very ambiguous, others took a long time to feel they would be ended and I guess in a way the saddest part is that whatever "meaning" this must have had was lost among so many details and characters and some avoidable scenes/situations. I really think if the author was alive today and writing this now, she would edit the story more.

I think the story dragged too much, I think too much attention was on and about characters I didn't care about, I wish some had been smarter over some things but overall, this was an interesting book to read and I say this in the good sense. I think I understand what the author's intention was but I also think many readers would probably give up in the middle.... Oh and I loved the title when it became clear what it could mean.

Grade: 5/10

Mini - Comments

And now a small comment on two books I've read recently and of which I don't have much to talk about...

This is a small book (under 150 pages) written by a Portuguese author, focused on the story of an actress who feels eh won't have a real break since she is in her 30s already and one day she goes to an audition, just to prove to herself she is still trying and, incredibly, she seems to be chosen by the play writer to be the protagonist. She then develops a close relationship with the other actor who will be in the play and, later on, with the play writer too. 

The story, whose title we could translate for "the lake", was filled with references to the world of arts and plays and what it must be like to live and breathe that world. I found some passages interesting and motivating but the writing style is definitely one focused on introspection which made the characters feel unreal and hard to empathize or connect with. By the end of the story, whose setting was most of the time the house at the lake one of the characters owned, I wasn't any closer to feel their struggles nor their emotional deficiencies. It was a good enough book to have an idea of the author's style but I didn't find it enjoyable to read..

Grade: 4/10

-//-

Desmond and Deirdre Doyle's silver wedding anniversary is drawing ever closer, and it falls to the couple's eldest daughter, Anna, to decide how best to commemorate the big day.
No use asking her sister Helen, living in her London convent, or her brother Brendan, who has chosen exile on a bleak farm in the west of Ireland.
But it is unthinkable not to have a party, even though for the Doyles, family occasions are more difficult than for most. And as the day draws nearer, so the tension mounts, until finally the guests gather at the party itself...

Silver Wedding is a book written by Maeve Binchy in 1988 and it does meet the idea I had of her writing before I read other two books by her. Heart and Soul and Minding Frankie surprised me by how uplifting some situations actually were, even among more serious or dramatic subjects, when I thought this author's style was more on the depressing/drama side. Well, this fit that bill in a more obvious way, since all the characters seem to have some sort of issue in their lives and that affects how they go on. 

The story presents us several characters, whose POVs we have in each chapter. They are sharing their thoughts since there's a party to plan and we have the point of view of the couple, of their three children and other characters somehow connected to them. Although each chapter is "narrated" by one individual we can still follow the sequence of events leading to the party, while also learning things about the past of everyone. I liked the novel but it was a bit too sad at times, in the sense the characters had a lot they wish they could change or that affected them more negatively than positively. I'll read more by the author but this won't be a favorite for certain.

Grade: 6/10

Maeve Binchy - Minding Frankie

Baby Frankie is born into an unusual family. Her mother is desperate to find someone to take care of her child and she doesn't have much time. Noel doesn't seem to be the most promising of fathers but despite everything, he could well be Frankie's best hope. As for Lisa, she is prepared to give up everything for the man she loves; surely he's going to love her back? And Moira is having none of it. She knows what's right, and has the power to change the course of Frankie's life...but Moira is hiding secrets of her own.

MINDING FRANKIE is a story about unconventional families, relationships which aren't quite what they seem, and the child at the heart of everyone's lives...

Comment: Back in April I finally read one book by this author I had been given and it was surprisingly appealing to me. After finishing it, I've looked at the author's books and realized there were familiar character's names in the blurb of this one. Of course that meant if I had to try another one to see if I were to like it as I did with the other, this had to be it, for it seemed it would be a sort of sequel...

In this book, some characters from Heart and Soul do show up to be part of the plot, but the focus changes mostly to a new cast whose main goal is to help Noel, a recovering alcoholic to take car of Frankie, his newborn baby, right after her mother died as soon as she gave birth. Throughout the story we follow the lives of several characters as they go on with their lives despite how Frankie's existence has forced them all to change a few things, not just Noel himself but his parents, his neighbors, among others... even Moira, the social worker with prejudices from her past who believes there is something odd going on and Noel might not be Frankie's best choice for a happy future...

I had a good time reading this book. I wouldn't go as far as to say this is the best book ever but it fits my idea of a cozy, comfortable read, as if I'm just chatting with a group of people who always have something to say, something to share and while we idly talk, we eat some cookies and have some tea and times passes by without hassle, without rush. This is the scene I imagine when I think of this author's books (having read only two, though) and I do plan on reading more.

The plot of this book is like this too: a continuous share of situations, decisions, moves, thoughts, etc, which allow us to follow several characters and their daily routines. I can see why this might not work for some, there are many characters, yes, some don't have such an important role as others when it comes to the central issue/plot point, but I feel that by knowing and following each one of them somehow, the bigger picture gets more complete, and the whole story feels richer.

In this book, taking care of Frankie, minding her, is the big issue. The fact her father admits he has a drinking problem and takes the steps to try to work it out, means she has someone to set an example, no matter how flawed some decisions might appear, but she also has a large group of people who, by one reason or another, are there to help and to create a good support system in which a baby can be taken care of but that also will work as a good family to be part of. I really liked this idea, the fact you can start your life being part of something special, even if you are not aware of it so soon in your life.

There are complicated subjects being discussed, and some characters go through more difficult situations than others. The multiple POV doesn't allow the reader to feel too much for one in detriment of the others, though, and even when some moments might seem too hard or focuses on negative situations, there is always something lighter, some cute or funnier scene afterwards to even things out and make the reader realize that's life, a mix of good and bad things...

I'd say the two characters I, nevertheless, struggled more to identify with were Moira and Lisa. Moira is a social worker who seems to be too rigid although very professional, and as the plot advances, we slowly start to understand why. I can understand her personality and why she behaves so harshly in some regards to her work. However, she was a bit too morose and hard to sympathize with. Lisa is a clever woman who makes (in my opinion) a bad choice even if one can, as the book comes to the end and she finally accepts it, see why she had to go through that learning experience. I still think her situation dragged too long and I started to not appreciate her indecision.

In fact, one could say the story's biggest problem is how it might seem to drag in several moments. I can see this but at the same time I wasn't bothered because, like I said, I enjoyed spending time with the characters, seeing a little bit of their lives... things aren't all perfect nor all negative but at some point, it feels a bit repetitive and unlikely. Still, many scenes are touching and sweet and make you think about life in general, and I feel this style suits my preferences, my personal taste.

Grade: 8/10

Maeve Binchy - Heart and Soul

Clara Casey has more than enough on her plate. Her daughters Adi and Linda were no problem during the usually turbulent teens. Now Adi is always fighting for or against something: the environment or the whale or battery farming; while Linda lurches from one unsatisfactory relationship to the next. As if this wasn't enough, Clara, a senior cardiac specialist, has a new job to cope with - and now her ex-husband wants something from her...
For Ania, meeting Clara Casey is a miracle. She never intended to leave Poland - but perhaps a new job in a new country will mend her broken heart? Declan is looking forward to joining the clinic - but what should have been a straightforward six-month posting brings him far more than he expected.
Then there's Father Brian Flynn, whose life is turned upside down when his reputation is threatened; and the beautiful, cheerful nurse, Fiona, who can't leave her troubled past behind... 

Comment: Years ago, a friend gave me this book fr my birthday and I'm ashamed to say I only now picked it because I always had this idea the books by this author were dramatic and tragic.

I was proven wrong and although I don't consider this an author to follow religiously from now on, I had a good time reading this book.

In this book we follow the lives of a set of characters, all connected in some way although most of them work in a new clinic for heart diseases.

The main focus is on Clara, the responsible for the clinic for at least an year but who knows what will happen after that. While we follow what happens at work and in her home, we see how every character is important in the big scheme and how simple or complicated relationships can be, depending on one's behavior or choices.

I've written, in my small comment on this book in my goodreads page, that this book makes me think I could be sitting in a cozy cafe drinking tea and listening to gossip on all these characters. The writing style and the way this story develops is very segmented, the plot doesn't follow a linear flow, it's like we gave glimpses and moments in these people's lives and from chapter to chapter we see them getting one step further in their existence.

I feel the negative side of this is that, now that I've finished the novel, I never really connected with the characters. I'm not indifferent to them, but we just read about what they do and what they go through, we don't have time to bond with them, nor to feel they have evolved as characters.

The author's style clearly is telling a story, as if this is still a set of those tales of Irish tradition where the story teller just says it like it is, for the listener to make their own mind without the narrator putting their own ideas on anything.

The Portuguese cover

The problem of now being shown some things, then, is that the characters remain strangers and distant and very flat.

I shouldn't have liked reading this, then, since it doesn't go anywhere, all the actions the characters do are already premeditated, we just read about it. However, I was interested in reading, I wanted to see what they would do next - even if often predictable - and I wanted to see if the small things we couldn't foresee would happen one way or another.

The end was basic, nothing to gush about but after turning the last page, I felt like I just had known those characters for a little bit and that made me feel settled.

Despite the fact the chapters tend to focus on a character at a time and those closest, this is actually a web of connections related to the clinic where most of them work. I particularly liked the segments related to Ania, a polish emigrant who struggled at first with the language but turned out to be my favorite character in the story.

We do have a lot on the background of each character as the story moves along.

Some characters did show up, apparently from nowhere, who had been in other books by the author but I never felt like I had to read other things to follow this one.

While checking the author's book list (quite big, in fact) I saw there's another book that mentions two characters from this story. I'll definitely read that one to see how the connection is done. 

As for this book, no it's not the best thing ever nor is it as intricate as it could but I had a good time reading, as if just laying back and knowing what was going on with these people...

Grade: 7/10