The Copper Beech [Mass Market Paperback]

Maeve Binchy (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 2, 1993

In the Irish town of Schancarrig, the young people carve their initials-and those of their loves—into the copper beech tree in front of the schoolhouse. But not even Father Gunn, the parish priest, who knows most of what goes on behind Shancarrig's closed doors, or Dr. Jims, the village doctor, who knows all the rest, realizes that not everything in the placid village is what it seems.

Unexpected passions and fear are bringing together the lives of so many, such as the sensitive new priest and Miss Ross, the slight, beautiful schoolteacher... Leonora, the privileged daughter of the town's richest family and Foxy Dunne, whose father did time in jail...and Nessa Ryan, whose parents run Ryan's Hotel, and two very different young men. For now the secrets in Shancarrig's shadows are starting to be revealed, from innocent vanities and hidden loves to crimes of the heart...and even to murder.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Binchy ( Circle of Friends ; The Lilac Bus ) is a consummate storyteller with a unique ability to draw readers into her tales of Irish life. Here again she mines sources rich in plot and character to produce a captivating narrative. The eponymous copper beech is a huge tree that shades the tiny schoolhouse in the village of Shancarrig. For generations, graduating pupils have carved their initials on the massive trunk, and the book examines what has become of some of them. Though each of the 10 chapters offers the perspective of a single character, Binchy adroitly indicates the ways in which their lives intersect. Thus, the allegedly stolen jewels that are discovered and stolen again in one early chapter become significant in later chapters. Long after two adulterous characters sneak into a Dublin hotel, it emerges that they were spotted by a small soul from Shancarrig, who passes on the information--with unforeseen consequences. A priest's dalliance with the sweet young schoolteacher is shown to have been been suspected by others in the village. The result is a charming and compelling series of interlocking stories about ordinary people who are given dimension through Binchy's empathetic insight. While this book is more fragmentary in structure than some of her previous novels, it should leave Binchy's fans wholly satisfied. BOMC main selection.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Review

"The Copper Beech finds author Maeve Binchy at her Irish storytelling best!"—The Plain Dealer, Cleveland

"The Copper Beech is as soothing as a cup of tea."—People

"Binchy makes you laugh, cry, and care. Her warmth and sympathy render the daily struggles of ordinary people heroic and turn storytelling into art."—San Francisco Chronicle.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 400 pages
• Publisher: Dell (October 2, 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0440213290
• ISBN-13: 978-0440213291
• Product Dimensions: 4.1 x 1.1 x 6.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (41 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #136,428 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Maeve Binchy is the author of numerous best-selling books, including Nights of Rain and Stars, Quentins, Scarlet Feather, Circle of Friends, and Tara Road, which was an Oprah's Book Club selection. She has written for Gourmet; O, The Oprah Magazine; Modern Maturity; and Good Housekeeping, among other publications. She and her husband, Gordon Snell, live in Dalkey, Ireland, and London.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Warm and cozy, just add a cup of tea., July 24, 2001

By 

Denise Bentley "Kelsana" (The California Redwoods) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Copper Beech (Mass Market Paperback)

That is what a Binchy novel is like to me. Hers are books I enjoy for the places she idyllically paints and the characters she puts forth to become a part of her homespun landscapes. Set in Ireland, the copper beech is a formidable an aging tree in front of the Shancarrig schoolhouse. Carved into it's bark are the hopes and dreams, stories and well wishes of many a heart, heavy as well as happy, that has passed beneath it's massive branches.

The book is written in a way so as to introduce each character and his personal view of Shancarrig and the people in it. This technique allows the lives of the characters to mesh unequivocally making this story so enjoyable. You will meet them all. The scoundrels as well as the lovelorn, those searching for passion, and those who have taken a bite from the apple of life only to be dealt a blow that redirects them to an unprecedented ending.

I enjoyed the style of this book as much as the characters and the storylines. Once you read a Binchy novel you can count on craving another, and there is no doubt that each one is it's own singular pleasure. Kelsana 7/24/01

19 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Colorful Read, December 10, 1999

By 

Bunnee - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Copper Beech (Mass Market Paperback)

I'm not a Maeve Binchy fan or anything but this book was good enough to keep me up late at nite reading it. I love all her characters in the book. They're all so colorful. You have to read it.

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Maeve Binchy makes me want to travel to Ireland, September 1, 2001

By 

Britt Arnhild Lindland (Norway) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Copper Beech (Mass Market Paperback)

I discovered Maeve Binchy some years ago :-). Saw Tara Road on the shelves in my favorite book store here in Norway and it called out to me. Bought it, took it home and became an addicted Maeve Binchy fan. Since then I have read most of her books. Not many have been available here in my town in Norway, but I have bought some online and also found a couple at my local library. It was a big surprise though when I some time ago found a used copy of The Copper Bech at a local secondhand book store.
I finished The Copper Beech today, after getting deeply involved in the characters in the book.
The Copper Beech is set in Ireland like most of Binchy's books. Outside a small countryside school stands a copper beech, and once eight children carved their names in this tree. The children come from different backgrouds, what units them is the Shancarrig school where they all have spent an important part of their past. The book tells different stories, all about these kids and their life. It is a book about love and death, about daily life and about extraordinary events. Maeve Binchy is a master to tell a story the way you know it could have happend, her characters could me my neighbours, or yours for that. And at the same time she shows that there are extraordinary stories to be covered everywhere, in everybody's lives.
Though this is not my favorite Maeve Bincy, so far Evening Class holds that possition, I love the book. It has it's place on the shelves in my growing collection of Maeve Binchy books, and passing the shelves glimpsing the books I know I have hours of cozy hours ahead of me if or rather when I want to read them over again. I'm glad I still have some unread Maeve Bincy books to look forward to, Scarlet Feather on top of that list.
Happy reading