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Heart and Soul
Heart and Soul
Author: Maeve Binchy
With the insight, humor, and compassion we have come to expect from her, Maeve Binchy tells a story of family, friends, patients, and staff who are part of a heart clinic in a community caught between the old and the new Ireland. — Dr. Clara Casey has been offered the thankless job of establishing the underfunded clinic and agrees to take it on f...  more »
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PBS Market Price: $8.09 or $4.19+1 credit
ISBN-13: 9780307278425
ISBN-10: 0307278425
Publication Date: 2/23/2010
Pages: 576
Rating:
  • Currently 3.6/5 Stars.
 108

3.6 stars, based on 108 ratings
Publisher: Anchor
Book Type: Mass Market Paperback
Other Versions: Hardcover, Audio CD
Reviews: Member | Amazon | Write a Review

Top Member Book Reviews

bellasgranny avatar reviewed Heart and Soul on + 468 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 5
I normally love to read Maeve Binchy's work, but this one disappointed me. While it started off well, there were just too many characters. She was still introducing new characters by the time I got to the middle of the book, and there were crossover characters from several of her recent novels. It never got off the ground and I felt like I was reading several different books at once. Not a cohesive effort. Recommended for diehard Binchy fans only.
thameslink avatar reviewed Heart and Soul on + 723 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 4
I absolutely galloped through this wise, wonderful and witty novel. An outstanding Binchy book. A cast of thousands, including characters from her last three or four books, are woven into this tale with many storylines, but all radiating from Dublin's St. Brigid's Heart Care Center. The action ranges from Dublin, to Poland and Greece, and back to Dublin and it's surrounding suburbs and countryside and comes to a wonderfully satisfying conclusion that leaves you wanting the book to go on and on. If you have ever enjoyed a Maeve Binchy tale, latch on to this one, it's a thumping good read!
reviewed Heart and Soul on + 44 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 3
Different from most of her books, we're hit with all the characters at the beginning. If you're a regular reader of this author, you'll recognize many of the characters and settings. As usual, this book is set in Ireland, more in Dublin than usual.
As a person who enjoys this author's books, this one does not disappoint. A fellow reader read this as a first by this author and she found it very confusing.
reviewed Heart and Soul on + 19 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1
Maeve Binchy is hands down my favorite author!!
reviewed Heart and Soul on + 5 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1
Good read.
Read All 28 Book Reviews of "Heart and Soul"

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MKSbooklady avatar reviewed Heart and Soul on + 983 more book reviews
I used to love Maeve Binchy's books. It's been a while since I read one. Not sure what happened, but this was terrible. So many people keep getting 'introduced' during the book, I'm not sure who was who. I was disappointed, as I enjoyed previous books. This could have been turned into 5 for 6 different Harlequin Romances and no-one would be the wiser.
reviewed Heart and Soul on + 12 more book reviews
A heartwarming book, as most Maeve Binchy's are. Easy read, but I found the several storylines incorporated in the book easily figured out as to their conclusions. No surprises here.
emeraldfire avatar reviewed Heart and Soul on
Dr.Clara Casey has been offered the thankless job of establishing an underfunded heart clinic in Ireland. She has quite enough on her plate already with two difficult adult daughters and the unwanted attentions of her ex-husband, but she assembles a wonderfully diverse staff devoted to helping their often difficult patients. There is the infectiously cheerful nurse, the indispensable office manager who can't quite manage her own life, the young Polish girl who came to Ireland to escape a bad love affair, the young doctor who has a special touch with his patients and the physical therapist who takes on a different sort of therapy to deal with a stalker and the local priest. Together they make the clinic an essential part of the community, and Clara must eventually decide whether or not to leave the heart clinic where lives are saved, courage is rewarded and humor and optimism triumph over greed and self-pity. I truly enjoyed this story and give it an A!
reviewed Heart and Soul on + 4 more book reviews
I find Binchy's books easy to read.
23dollars avatar reviewed Heart and Soul on + 432 more book reviews
I read this for the February "Heart" theme in my online book club The Reading Cove. Overall I enjoyed it, but it felt about 5 fully developed characters too much, and 100 pages too long.

That aside, I enjoyed the rich Irish setting I've grown to love about Maeve Binchy's books, and we even had a jaunt to Greece, which was nice.

I also enjoyed the heart clinic as the heart of the story, the hub that connects them all.

Recommended for die-hard Binchy fans, and readers who love a nice, easy stroll with characters you come to know and love...with a few curve balls thrown in to keep it interesting. :- ) Solid B.
reviewed Heart and Soul on + 15 more book reviews
Really enjoyed this book. I liked how the author pulled characters from several of her books to gather together as she added new people to meet. I thought it was so interesting to see what has happened and who's changed from previous books.
reviewed Heart and Soul on + 3 more book reviews
Light reading as a diversion.
reviewed Heart and Soul on + 168 more book reviews
This is the first Maeve Binchy audiobook that I have listened to.... and I really liked it. The narrator did a great job and the story kept my interest.
The women in the story had their problems, but many of the women also had a lot of self confidence and so they didn't let people push them around. Another one of those books that are "a slice of life". I know I will listen to more of Maeve's stories in the future.


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