This is my first book by Maeve Binchy and the only reason I read it is because I watched the movie and I liked the story. Once I started reading, I enjoyed meeting all the characters and finding out more about them and their stories that was in the movie. I especially liked that the ending tied everything together.

Ne vem, kaj naj si točno mislim.

http://bukla-na-buklo.blogspot.si/201...

Clueless doormat of an Irish woman gets left by her husband of 15 years for a much younger woman, happens to get a random call from an American woman and they decide to house swap for the summer, then finally the story ends.

This wasn’t as bad as the above synopsis makes it seem but honestly the name of this book should be Ria, Ria, Ria. Most of the characters are extremely unlikable and I felt like Ria never got a clue. But, it was entertaining just don’t expect much character growth outside of Marilyn.

4.5 stars. This book is big but I enjoyed every moment of it!
There's nothing new here - Maeve's style is very distinctive and always follows the same pattern - but I love that pattern!
It's an epic family drama with laughter, tears and ordinary life stuff...kids grow up and make choices and become adults. There are consequences and that's that.
No twists and no subterfuge so get your jammies on, light a fire and curl up with this book...it will warm your heart.
(A small shout out to all the little references to fortune tellers in Maeve's books - makes me think she had the gift! Love those bits.)

The growth of the housing sector was one of the main reasons for the rapid economic growth that Ireland experienced in the 1980s and 1990s and was one of the main reasons for the collapse at the beginning of the economic crisis. Of course for the protagonists of our story in a street that is at the centre of this development they are very far away and can live the dream of the middle class unhindered. This does not mean, however, that there are no problems, secrets, family issues, infidelities and professional challenges, but these do not bother them much. The author bends over their lives with humour and tenderness, giving space to many exceptional characters to develop, without making unnecessary judgments and one-dimensional analyzes. At some point, of course, the time of crisis comes in many areas, but instead of painting them black, an American woman comes as a Deus ex machina who offers different ways of perceiving things, giving a different dimension to the story, preventing her from getting stuck. So we end with many humorous and moving moments that fit harmoniously into an excellent book, beautifully written, which ultimately offers much more than a good story, taking a penetrating look at this area of ​​modern Irish history.

Η ανάπτυξη του οικιστικού τομέα ήταν ένας από τους κύριους λόγους της ραγδαίας οικονομικής ανάπτυξης που γνώρισε η Ιρλανδία τις δεκαετίες του '80 και του '90 και ήταν ένας από τους κύριους λόγους της κατάρρευσης στην αρχή της οικονομικής κρίσης. Βέβαια για τους πρωταγωνιστές της ιστορίας μας σε έναν δρόμο που είναι στο επίκεντρο αυτής της ανάπτυξης αυτά είναι πολύ μακριά και μπορούν ανεμπόδιστοι να ζούνε το όνειρο της μεσαίας τάξης. Αυτό δεν σημαίνει, όμως, ότι δεν υπάρχουν προβλήματα, μυστικά, οικογενειακά θέματα, απιστίες και επαγγελματικές προκλήσεις αλλά αυτά δεν τους πτοούν ιδιαίτερα. Η συγγραφέας σκύβει πάνω από τις ζωές τους με χιούμορ και τρυφερότητα, δίνοντας χώρο σε πολλούς εξαιρετικούς χαρακτήρες να αναπτυχθούν, χωρίς να κάνει περιττές κρίσεις και μονοδιάστατες αναλύσεις. Κάποια στιγμή, βέβαια, έρχεται η ώρα της κρίσης σε πολλούς τομείς αλλά αντί να τα βάψουμε μαύρα έρχεται ως από μηχανής θεός μία αμερικανίδα που προσφέρει διαφορετικούς τρόπους αντίληψης των πραγμάτων, δίδοντας μία διαφορετική διάσταση στην ιστορία, εμποδίζοντας την από το να κολλήσει. Έτσι πηγαίνουμε στο τέλος με πολλές χιουμοριστικές αλλά και συγκινητικές στιγμές που εντάσσονται αρμονικά σε ένα εξαιρετικό βιβλίο, πολύ όμορφα γραμμένο, που τελικά προσφέρει πολλά περισσότερα από μία καλή ιστορία, ρίχνοντας μία διεισδυτική ματιά σε αυτόν τον τομέα της σύγχρονης ιρλανδικής ιστορίας.

There was a time in my life I would have turned away from a book because of it's size. This one would have gotten passed because of this size. I'm glad I didn't pass it up.

Maria (Ria) is a very unselfish woman living in Ireland on Tera Road. Her life fell into her hands by the luck of her husband, Danny, and his real estate working with Barney McCarthey. This is a tale of many lies revolving around these men, with wives who turn a cheek to their indiscretions.

Ria is very social and her friends and neighbors play an important role in this well written story. Some of the friends turn to be anything but that by the end though.

Through a chance phone call Ria's life takes a turn for the better. After receiving some very upsetting news from her husband, Ria has the opportunity to leave her troubles behind and spend the summer in America by swapping homes with Marilyn. Marilyn has her own share of heartaches that need to be handled and gladly accepts the house swap for 2 months to escape to a new land as well.

This book was very well written, and caught my interest from the beginning. I can not wait to pick up another book by Maeve Binchy. She is a wonderful author.

Was there a likable character in the entire book? If there was, I surely didn't find it. Almost found it unbearable to read. Cannot stand to read books about such weak, naive women.

My favorite Maeve Binchy story.

I have always dismissed Binchy as someone my Grandma loved (ie not my style) but somehow found this one in my hands...and it was utterly delightful. Captivating from page one, twists I didn't expect, I may have shed a tear at the end. Well worth my time.

Excellent Irish soap opera of friends and families. This is Binchy's best.

I agreed to read Tara Road simply because the binding of the novel looked worn. I thought to myself, "how terrible of a book could it be if others had loved it with marked creases." As soon as I picked it up, part of me began regretting the decision. I could not find any redeeming qualities.
The novel begins with Ria, a young Irish girl talking to her sister about love and relationships. This, I imagine is used as a backdrop to illustrate the naivete of Ria (short for Maria) in the land of love. Within a couple of pages we are joining Ria as a young adult, befriending another young Irish woman (Rosemary) and meeting the love of her life, Danny. Ria and Danny quickly marry, find a grande home, and begin having children. Their lives are intermingled with family members, co-workers, and neighbors all living on or closely to Tara Road (hence the title). This continues on for nearly (or more?) 250 pages. The conversations are painful; in fact, it was unbelievable for me to believe that they were taking place in the 1980's-1990's. Historically, I understood that Ireland's culture is vastly different than America's (i.e. divorce being introduced and accepted at the turn of the century), but the dialogue amongst the Irish characters seemed outdated.

The novel only becomes slightly more interesting after Danny leaves Ria for a pregnant younger woman which results in Ria embarking on a journey across seas as she swaps houses with an American, Marilyn. Marilyn's story joins the Ria drama as she begins to acquaint herself with the members of Tara Road and we discover why she ran away from her life in the States. Unfortunately, right when my interest is slightly captivated, it dwindles again. For another hundred pages I silently shudder at Ria's petulant behavior over her life's outcome. The feminist in me seriously wants to slap her and ask, "Are you serious?".

So why did I give it a 3 star rating? Because in spite of the characters appearing rather flat, the character tree branching so far out that I had to stop many times to recount who the person was in the story, the unrealistic dialogue (from the American even!), and the frustration at how many parts of the story meandered, I found myself carry about their lives. Caring enough that I lost a few hours of sleep on a work night to finish.

Would I recommend this book to someone? I don't think so. (Although I am sure that it has been heavily read as I realize it's part of the Oprah Book Club). Somewhere between a legacy and a soap opera lies the wasteland...*shrug* or Tara Road.

I have read this book many times before, but it’s such a long time since I opened it last it was almost like reading it for the first time.

Ria and Marilyn have never met, but circumstances lead them both to needing to be on the opposite sides of the Atlantic at the same time. Luckily the connection is made between them and Ria flies off to a modern open-plan apartment in New England while Marilyn heads to a beautiful old home in Tara Road, Dublin. These women are very different creatures – will this be a summer which brings them what they seek?

There is no one else who writes like Maeve Binchy and I had forgotten that! She understands and writes about human nature better than anyone else I’ve ever come across and I wallowed in Tara Road. This isn’t so much a novel about two women but more a story about people in two very different neighbourhoods and it is bursting with warmth and humour. I can’t begin to explain why I loved this so much, but I did and it is, once again, easily worth ten stars, but I can only give it five – please know that they are all sparkling brighter than any others!