67 of 74 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
Wait for a used copy ..., September 24, 2004
I seemed to remember that Maeve Binchy said she was giving up writing novels after 'Scarlet Feather' - so far two novels have appeared under her name but to be fair, both appear to have been written by a computer. I can imagine a lot of her fans will gush over NOR&S as it does keep MB's trademark feelgood factor but what it dispenses with is strong well-written characters you can identify with and an intricate and compelling plot. Please don't be hooked into buying this in hardback as I did just because of the Binchy name - this is her worst effort yet (if indeed she DID write it). The plot is completely unoriginal and predictable (in fact there's barely enough material for a short story) and the characters two-dimensional and impossible to identify with. For example it was easy to see why Ria in "Tara Road" fell for loveable rogue Danny, yet impossible to see why Fiona is attracted to her violent boyfried Sean who is simply a charmless oaf. The way the four main characters get together and the attachment they feel for each other I found simply unbelievable - the 'tragedy' which brings them together doesn't affect any of them directly and has only a minor role in the book. Sorry to sound hard-hearted but in reality they would probably have forgotten about it pretty quickly and gotten on with their lives. The only possibly interesting character has her life story told only in flashback (which actually would have made a better story line) while the book focuses on the boring lives and predictable romances of four dreary people who for the most part are totally responsible for their own problems. To make matters worse some of the Non-Irish characters have Irish speech patterns (did no-one edit the book?), at one point a Greek character describes someone as a 'pup'. I found this book deeply frustrating as it DID have the trademark Binchy warmth and I kept waiting for the plot to kick in only to be disappointed. All in all her weakest yet. Buy a used copy or better still borrow from the library ...
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26 of 28 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars
I'm confused, September 23, 2004
Maybe I read a different book from the other 5-star reviewers. I've been a die-hard Maeve Binchy fan for at least 15 years. I order her books from amazonUK so that I can get them the minute they're published instead of having to wait for them to be released in the U.S. I think her books set in the 50s and 60s are the best. She seems to be drawing much more on personal experiences in those, and they ring more true. Her newer ones, particularly Evening Class and Scarlet Feather, are also good. I thought her last one, Quentins, was kind of weak, but it was still Maeve. But this one? Didn't even sound like her to me. The characters were one-dimensional and seemed cobbled together from other characters she's written previously, and better. The plot, what there was of it, was unbelievably predictable. Where was the trademark Binchy humour? Where was the Irish poignancy? The characters in Nights of Rain and Stars were unlikeable. The only one I was remotely interested in was David. It pains me to write something negative about my favorite author. But I had to rererereread Light a Penny Candle to get rid of the bad taste of this book.
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67 of 80 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Will The Real Maeve Binchy Please Stand Up?, October 5, 2004
No, not the person who wrote this book. You couldn't possibly be my beloved Maeve Binchy. Maeve has always given us original Irish tales told with classic twists, memorable characters, and heart-stopping moments. Maeve always left us with something to reflect on and a deep yearning for her next release.
Maeve has obviously been the victim of identity theft and that person has written a contrived situation with paper-thin characters who are not very likeable and whose problems are strictly of their own making. Maeve's characters were always more deeply developed, were good people with a tragic flaw perhaps, but after much soul-searching and a lot of Irish pluck managed to land butter-side up and delight the reader. Not so with this book.
Not only are we given one-dimensional characters, but they are bonded by a situation so far-fetched that I am questioning myself for continuing with this drivel. Only because the cover claims Maeve Binchy wrote this do I proceed. It's entertaining enough for a beach read or an otherwise boring flight. There are moments when I think, "Oh, Maeve did write that part." And there is one character, Vonni, who has a striking resemblance to the unforgettable Signora from EVENING CLASS. But, for the most part, this highly predictable novel falls far short of what Maeve Binchy is capable of.
Four tourists representing the US, England, Ireland, and Germany being thrown together in the Greek isles and mixing with the locals seems a wonderful idea. But perhaps Maeve's greatest strength lies deep in the Dublin she has written about with such love and insight. I hope she takes us back there soon.
If you are new to Maeve Binchy's work, please don't judge her by this one. Read Circle of Friends, Light A Penny Candle, anything else she has written. I love all her other novels and short stories and consider this just a minor blip on the radar screen of a wonderful writing career.
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