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The Glass Lake [Paperback]

Maeve Binchy
4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (187 customer reviews)

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Book Description

May 29, 2007
Night after night the beautiful woman walked beside the serene waters of Lough Glass. Until the day she disappeared, leaving only a boat drifting upside down on the unfathomable lake that gave the town its name. Ravishing Helen McMahon, the Dubliner with film-star looks and unfulfilled dreams, never belonged in Lough Glass, not the way her genial pharmacist-husband Martin belonged, or their spirited daughter Kit. Suddenly, she is gone and Kit is haunted by the memory of her mother, seen through a window, alone at the kitchen table, tears streaming down her face. Now Kit, too, has secrets: of the night she discovered a letter on Martin’s pillow and burned it, unopened. The night her mother was lost. The night everything changed forever…


From the Paperback edition.

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Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

In the tradition of her beloved novel Circle of Friends, Irish novelist Maeve Binchey offers a wonderful old-fashioned melodrama with a contemporary cast of compelling characters. A sly, seductive, and compulsively readable book, perfect for rainy afternoons and late nights in bed. --This text refers to the Mass Market Paperback edition.

From Publishers Weekly

Irish novelist Binchy's latest saga of family loyalties and secrets spent 12 weeks on PW's bestseller list.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Mass Market Paperback edition.

Product Details

  • Paperback: 768 pages
  • Publisher: Dell (May 29, 2007)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0385341768
  • ISBN-13: 978-0385341769
  • Product Dimensions: 5.2 x 1.6 x 8.2 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (187 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #186,362 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

I have been reading Maeve Binchy's books forever. Mare  |  24 reviewers made a similar statement
The first book I read of hers, Tara Road, I had a hard time with. Theresa W  |  14 reviewers made a similar statement
It is an intricate story with interesting characters. Alta Loma Labyrinth Lover  |  17 reviewers made a similar statement
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
39 of 40 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Very Good Story May 16, 2006
Format:Mass Market Paperback
The reason I thoroughly enjoyed this book was plain and simple: it was a very good story. Along with very good characters and background. May not sound eloquent, but it's the truth.

With Binchy I have had a bit of a love/hate with her. The first book I read of hers, Tara Road, I had a hard time with. The reading was a bit tedius to me, and Binchy's voice was not what I was used to. However, since then I've read several other of her books- Light a Penny Candle, Silver Wedding- and while beginning them I need to give myself a push because honestly, they are quite long- keeping at it I am always pleased in the end. The Glass Lake is no different, at approx. 750 pages, you have to dedicate yourself to the reading. However, this story flowed well, was full of anticipation for the reader...the pages started to fly by.

I think out of the several books I've read of hers this is my favorite so far. Mainly because the characters and story is one that will stay with me- how could it not? I won't give anything away, but it was certainly very unique and it was interesting to see how it was handled and ended.
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55 of 63 people found the following review helpful
3.0 out of 5 stars Great story - shame about the rushed end May 27, 2000
Format:Mass Market Paperback
As with other older Maeve Binchy novels, this is mostly a rites-of-passage novel set in a small Irish country town, Lough Glass. One day the young Kit's unhappy mother disappears, leaving a note which Kit destroys, not wanting to upset her father. Everyone assumes that she drowned in the lake, and life for Kit and the others goes on, but not without heartache as she grows up.

I was really engrossed in this book as it developed, looking forward to finding out the solutions to the various mysteries Binchy had set up. But as I got closer and closer to the end, with seemingly no real resolution to some of the issues, I found myself wondering how Binchy was going to tie up the book.

Then, in the last thirty pages, she rushed through several very major plot developments, reintroduced some characters and dealt with some serious emotional issues... in a very rushed and unsatisfactory manner. The pace had been leisurely throughout the rest of the book, and as such this really looked to me as if Binchy had suddenly realised that she was over her word limit and needed to tie up all the loose ends as briefly as possible. It didn't work, and really spoilt for me what could have been a wonderful book.

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18 of 18 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars tender, home-spun mysticism... January 20, 1999
By A Customer
Format:Mass Market Paperback
Other English majors might scoff at my giving a Maeve Binchy novel five stars. True, she is no Toni Morrison or Thomas Hardy, but she is a tremendous storyteller. That's what I always tell people. She's more of a storyteller than a writer. We can't all always be sitting down to Melville and Hawthorne (though we should be reading them as well) - the human mind and heart needs a little break every now and again. Some English majors read Stephen King or John Grisham or Michael Crichton for that break. I read Maeve Binchy. Because of how much myself and those I love are like her characters. And because of how much more we want to be like them. This is a marvelous story. Real people in here. A sort of mythic surrealism surrounds the lake, like something out of Yeats. I've read of people complaining that her novels never break too much new ground. That she should venture into something new. This is what she's good at. And there is no one better. I always look forward to the lulls in my studies, to the next time I'm able to pick up a novel of hers.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars Love her!
I have always loved reading her books, and have missed some through the years. Again she did not disappoint me. Read more
Published 8 days ago by Marcie M. Johnson
5.0 out of 5 stars good book
good story and easy reading. I love Maeve Binchy's books and will look forward to more of her good books.
Published 9 days ago by S Gavula
4.0 out of 5 stars Thoughtful Book
I enjoyed this book for its analysis of its characters and a very interesting plot. I would recommend it to those who like a good story.
Published 9 days ago by MARY J DINGLEDY
4.0 out of 5 stars not her best but very good
certainly meets the need to read!!!! she is such a good author. I don't want to get too much into the plot, just get it read it and you will be happy. Read more
Published 13 days ago by craig e leonard
5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful read
I have read every one of her books over the years (I think) and I have loved every one of them. I love the setting in the small village, I loved the characters. Read more
Published 14 days ago by nanad
5.0 out of 5 stars Maeve never disappoints
Maeve Binchy wrote the most beautiful real to life stories that ordinary people can relate to. Without being unrealistic, there is charm. I Love her work.
Published 15 days ago by Betsy S. Webber
4.0 out of 5 stars Like a smooth sleigh ride
Ms Binchy's writing and story lines pull one along steadily, smoothly to the last
page. No loose ends or ambiguities are left unresolved. Read more
Published 19 days ago by Charles J. Green
5.0 out of 5 stars What a lovely story
I found this book somewhat slow in the beginning, however,I quickly fell in love with the characters. I did not want it to end.
Published 20 days ago by Carol S. Briers
5.0 out of 5 stars Couldn't put it down...
This is classic Maeve Binchy in the way she develops her characters--what I like to call a softer version of flawed humanity. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Kathy Blackburn
5.0 out of 5 stars Love her books
All her books are a great read!! She is a great storyteller and she makes you feel like you are right there in the story!!
Published 1 month ago by judi
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