Customer Reviews

Nights of Rain and Stars

5 star:		(28)
4 star:		(30)
3 star:		(20)
2 star:		(17)
1 star:		(14)

 

 

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 ...

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.

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.

I've been a fan of Maeve Binchy's from early on but this latest is awful and boring. The characters are weak and unbelievable which is a shame because the setting sounds beautiful. I agree with another reviewer that this book doesn't even sound like Binchy!!

Maeve Binchy is a master storyteller. She has a knack for creating entire worlds that her readers are loath to leave. Her characters are real people, whose lives we are involved with; we know each of her creations intimately. We struggle alongside each of them, and rejoice in their successes.

Binchy's latest novel, "Nights of Rain and Stars", takes place on the small Greek island of Aghia Anna. Four travelers are thrown together with the local people, when tragedy strikes the island. Each one finds comfort in the others, and all of them are running away from something. Thomas, the American literature professor, is fearful of his son's relationship with his new stepdad. Elsa, the beautiful German, has run away from the man she loves after learning something dreadful about his past. David, the quiet English boy, has run away from having to take over his father's business. And Fiona, an Irish nurse, has run off to be with her no-good boyfriend, blinded by love and unwilling to listen to anyone's advice. All of them converge on the island of Aghia Anna, and are inseparable friends within days. They tear each other apart, and build one another up at the same time.

Yet "Night of Rain and Stars" is not Binchy's best. The characters seem a little too familiar, as if we've read about them in past books. Gone are the meandering chapters and vivid minor characters who populate Binchy's other novels. The entire book has the feel of a collection of short stories sewn together with some fragile thread. I have read every novel Maeve Binchy has written and buy them as soon as they come out, even in hardcover. Although an enjoyable read for any fan, I feel that I could've waited for this book to come out as a paperback.

After reading the other reviews, it seems I fall under the "never read Maeve Binchy before and just loved this book" category rather than "devoted fan and hated it". Maybe I'm biased because I've always wanted to visit Greece, but the imagery and the characters were very absorbing. The initial meeting of the main characters led me to believe they were all unflawed, other than the villainous Shane. However, as the book progresses, more revealing information is divulged including insights into their home lives, and a plausible friendship arises between all of the characters, both native and tourists. All of their flaws and problems are revealed and eventually addressed in a very tidy fashion.

It's a romantic, fanciful, short story (a day's read) of friendship and family. I really enjoyed the book and was reluctant to put it down. In fact, if she writes about any of these characters again, I will not hesitate to read it.

This was a light, enjoyable read; it would have been perfect for a long plane ride. I did think that it was missing the depth of character development, intrigue, plot twists, and Maeve Binchy's unique gift of making you feel really involved with the characters. In her earlier books, I have always been thoroughly intrigued by the characters and when the book was over, missed them and wondered what would become of them. I didn't feel this way after this book; it seemed like everything was tied up nice and neatly at the end and as if she rushed to finish. I also found the relationship between Elsa and Thomas didn't ring true for me; aside from the lightning speed of it, it was as if Ms. Binchy was trying to force some kind of love relationship to happen in this book and those were the two most convenient. Overall, superficial and enjoyable but not engaging. I have found this to be true with every book since "Tara Road", which I consider to be her last really good one, albeit not in the same league as "Circle of Friends", "Light a Penny Candle" or "The Glass Lake".

I regrettably finished Nights... a few days ago and thoroughly enjoyed the book. I only came to read reviews to see if others agreed with me and am surprised to see bad reviews. I have read other MB books and liked the majority. No, it's not War & Peace or In Cold Blood, but I thought it was enchanting. Perhaps I am not a literary expert, but I know what I like and I liked this book. The characters were human with problems and flaws like everyone in the "real" world. The descriptions of the town of Aghia Anna makes me want to visit Greece and I hope she writes again of these characters, for the way the book ended certainly left open many possibilities.

Nights of Rain & Stars isn't Circle of Friends but - here's where I differ with many reviewers - it's much better than the more recent novels like the forgettable Quentins and so-so Scarlet Feather. It gave Maeve Binchy a chance to explore those normally sketchy and undistinguishable characters she puts in her short stories. It has what's come to be a standard Maeve Binchy plot, in which a wise and mysterious figure with a past solves all the surrounding young people's personal problems, yet it was nicely written and flows well, under Terry Donnoly's narration at any rate. I especially liked the revelation of Vonni's story, a character, as others have pointed out, similar to the Signora in Evening Class but, in my opinion, much more nuanced and interesting.

I have never read a Maeve Binchy book before and I had not read any reviews of this one before I read it. I was unimpressed with this novel. It was mildly entertaining and written well-enough to pass a few hours. But I found nothing outstanding about it. I thought the premise of four international tourists meeting on a Greek Isle intriguing. However, they lose their nationalities quickly. For awhile I had to search back in the book to remember what nationality each was supposed to represent. They all spoke with an Irish/English flavor. Also, culturally they seemed to meld into a sameness...there was no evidence of cultural differences that are evident in real life when one interacts with others from other countries. Also, I did not find the relationship interactions to be believable. There is a contrived and Pollyanna flavor to the group's dynamic together. For instance, I foresaw Thomas and Elsa getting together only because of literary devices that made it obvious Ms. Binchy was forcing them in that direction, not because it was an obvious outflow of the relationship as described by Ms. Binchy.

Frankly, I would normally not choose to read another Maeve Binchy book after this experience. However, other reviewer's comments suggest to me that she does have other books that are worthwhile reads.