I have never read any of Maeve Binchy's books despite having seen them everywhere when I was growing up. I chose this one to fulfill a prompt in the 2021 popsugar challenge and found it a really warm, satisfying read. Almost satisfying - not everyone gets the comeuppance that you wish for them in the end. I know that the main character comes across as naive or dumb to readers but I identified a lot with her and likely would have missed all of the signs of Danny being such a jackass.

I do wish that the book hadn't claimed to center so much on the two women switching houses, because it gave the somewhat false impression that this was the central narrative to the story when it was much more about Ria and Danny than anything else. It would have been great to have been given equal time to Marilyn from the start so that we could get to know her personality, life, and neighbors in the same way before thrusting Ria into them. Marilyn's journey and healing were more interesting and satisfying in many ways than Ria's were, mainly because it felt as though they came full circle by the end even if they weren't as well developed in the beginning. Even though a lot of time was spent on Ria working through her pain on her own, she spent a lot of time just wanting to take Danny back and still being unable to see a lot of what was going on.

And, you know, certain characters just deserved to be punched in the face repeatedly.

Finished this hours ago, just reviewing now. Unlike me & I've been feeling very guilty about my reading habits or lack thereof this summer. I'd like to blame it on travel but can't totally.

If you've ever heard an Irish person tell a story you know how they (me also) exhaust themselves with every detail in an absolute monologue like out of a play and this book had that quality. Not that I didn't enjoy it because I did, it was just like so Irish to me. In contrast to the drama and emotions of Italian domestics, or the trite banter and yearning or English domestics, Irish domestics deal with people and community. Loved that! This is my grandma's (who is full-blooded Irish) favorite book, according to my mom. She has a Goodreads but obviously doesn't use it so I'm excited to text her to talk about this. When I go to my Irish side it's just like this. I see how it marries well with Italian, actually, as my family is. Loved this for those aspects.

Hated Danny. Untrustworthy from the start. Hated  Rosemary, Bernadette, Orla, Rosemary, Hilary, Martin, Nora, Rosemary, Gertie sorry, Rosemary  and honestly more. I already said Danny, despised him though.  Impregnating a 22-year old are you insane and that's before even mentioning Rosemary  No justice in the end!  After all this, they still sell Tara Road!  Just a launch point—another epic backstory in the Irish tradition—for the next story in the Maeve Binchy literary universe.

Slow beginning; lots of backstory. Horror and frustration throughout, definitely. It was cool though.

Easy, light-hearted, Summer read. Kinda reminded me of the TV show Desperate Housewives. It's the story of women and their relationships (good & bad) with each other, the men in their lives, and the facade of the "Cinderella life" or "Keeping up with the Joneses."

This author also wrote Circle of Friends which was also a movie. Her books are consistent and good. They dive deep into the minds of women and what they're really thinking & what they really want or think they should want. :-)

I love how easy Binchy’s writing is to read. Saying that I didn’t love the pacing of this one. Not my favourite of her books but worth the read.

Estou na dúvida se amei ou detestei este livro. . Que raio de final foi aquele? ?

I always love a Maeve Binchy book. In fact, this is the second time I have read this one. She was an excellent writer and you feel as though you really get to know her characters. Her plots are always interesting and keep you focused on the storyline all the way to the end of the book. I was especially concerned about Danny and Ria and if their marriage would survive. The house swapping between Dublin and the United States made for an enjoyable adventure and provided escapes for some of the characters who had problems they were engrossed in. I'm looking forward to reading one of Binchy's books monthly next year. It's always nice to read them with some friends as they provide interesting discussion throughout the book. I would highly recommend Binchy's books to those who would like to visit Ireland.

Berbat. Ama yetişkin bir çomar için mükemmel bir başlangıç.

OK maybe it was just my mood, but I was bored to tears ... I listened to more than half, all the while thinking "I have to stop this" but I continued hoping somehow I would even care ... I must have spent 7 hours or more listening! OMG.
I am so glad I stopped & couldn't care less what happened to thet characters. However, on a positive note, if one were really interested in Ireland, it's people and such, perhaps one could enjoy One Star's Worth here !

A friend left me this book after she finished it while passing through the city I was living in.

About two weeks ago, since I was missing her, I decided to take it on.

Amie, girl, what the hell? XD

This was really fun to read at the end of the day, long Irish family saga, but at almost 650 words it took me a month to finish it. Binchy has a pretty clear eye for human behavior and it was very engaging.

I was going through my bookshelves to decide what to keep and what to get rid of(they were overflowing!) and decided to re-read this book that was on my shelf. I have no idea why I kept it--I must have liked it many years ago and see things differently as I have gotten older. it could have been a good book with the story ideas, but the writing is stilted, and the characters are mostly annoying. I suppose I could say it was "calming" and 'soothing" like the author describes the character Colm way too many times. I read a lot of historical fiction--WW2, slavery times, etc and after reading a few chapters in an intense book I would read a few in this book so I could get to sleep! I am putting it in the giveaway pile.

Such a wonder heartwarming, addictive story. My favorite of all of the Maeve Binchy novels. 10 stars