Customer Reviews

Builders (Open Door S.)

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(11)

 

 

I am also an avid Maeve Binchy fan but am returning this pamphlet unread in protest. I have learned that this "novella" is part of the Open Door Adult Literacy series. These original stories are limited to 10,000 words, with simple language and short sentences. While this is a valuable series, purchasers of The Builders need to understand what they are purchasing.

I am an avid reader of Maeve Binchy and have always loved her novels but must admit that I was really disappointed with this book. The reasons for my disappointment are many.....
(1) At 87 pages, this hardly qualifies as a novel.

(2) At the Amazon price of $9.00+ for the book....the reader is paying over ten cents a page.......and not getting much for the money either in quality OR quantity.

(3) The story was mediocre at best and might have fared a little
better if it had been published with 2 or 3 other tales held together with a common thread (like London Transports or The Lilac Bus).

I would say that this book is a waste of your time as well as your money, but the book is so short it only takes about a half an hour to read from cover to cover.....so I guess the time element has to be dismissed.
(1-1/2 stars)

Delightful story of a older woman living alone with three grown adult children that basically ignore her, or use her, they don't see her as a person separate from their mother, and neither does she until she meets the builders that come to fix her neighbors house, than things change for the better.

We could all learn from this story as a mother and a daughter.

This book is for English learners. Amazon advertising DID NOT make that clear. As an educated native English speaker I found the story "cute" but BORING! It took me less than 1 hour to read. I like Maeve Binchy's "REAL" novels and own many of them. HAD I KNOWN WHAT THIS BOOK REALLY WAS, I WOULD NOT HAVE WASTED MY MONEY ON IT!!!

Not worth the money it cost. I read it in 45 minutes or less. If you want a real short read then this is your book. I was disapointed.

I kept this tidy little book in my purse for just those occasions when I'd have to wait somewhere. During a visit to the doctor, after becoming bored with the golfing and sports magazines, I remembered that I had this little treasure with me.

Nan has worked hard, raising her 3 children alone with a husband who "loved lots of other ladies" until he left her. Now, with adult children who stop by, it seems, only when they need her and want to run her life, her daily world has dwindled to a humdrum existence. That is, until the house next door, empty for 2 years, starts to undergo renovation. Something new to look forward to each day, especially watching the handsome builder, who eventually comes to daily tea. I won't reveal all that ensues, but in the end, Nan becomes a "builder", too, and finds her voice.

This is not a book. It is a short story. And it is way overpriced for so few words.
I'm a loyal fan, but this was a big disappointment. I've never checked the number of pages prior to purchasing a book from Amazon. From now on, I will.

I thought I was buying a novel when I purchased this item, not a short story. I am a real fan of this author, but I wouldn't pay that much for a short story. From now on I will read the reviews. I think Amazon should indicate the difference when presenting (fiction) books for sale.

I love Maeve Binchey and have enjoyed all of her books. This was one of the first books I read on Kindle and thought there must be some mistake when I got through it in about a half hour- way too short and too little book for the money.

If you love Maeve Binchy, you will love this book. The bad thing is that it is very short (an evening or less). The good thing is that it's quintessential Binchy. Everything you've loved about any of her other books you will love about this one. Highly recommended!!!