Helpful Score: 9
Outstanding! I would give it more stars if I could. Maeve Binchy has a way of making you feel as though youare part of the stories. I highly recommend this one!
Helpful Score: 8
A provocative tale of family, heartbreak, friendship, and revelation. Tara Road explores every woman's fantasy: escape, into another place, another life.
Helpful Score: 5
An OK read but not as good as I expected it to be. Would not read again.
Helpful Score: 4
Wonderful story! I couldn't put it down.
Helpful Score: 4
I've read this one twice! It's a real "tear-jerker" with characters you will love.
Helpful Score: 4
This was such a great book and I'm so glad that I found it. It was assigned for a book club I was in and typically I only read mystery and so I was skeptical. I would recommend that you not read the inside cover. I read it when I first started but by the time I got into it I had forgot what it said. The story of Ria's life is very attention grabbing and reading the inside cover only lets you know ahead of time what will happen. i believe it could ruin the suspense/surprise for you.
I hope this is helpful and that the size of the book does not deter you.
Erin
I hope this is helpful and that the size of the book does not deter you.
Erin
Helpful Score: 3
Another Binchy that was on Oprah's reading list. Couldn't put it down so it was lucky I had New Year's day to enjoy it. The lives of the residents of Tara Road intertwine for a wonderful set of stories.
Helpful Score: 3
I love Binchy's writing... and this is the one book that has disappointed me with a predictable and unsatisfying ending. It's my fault though... every time I have read a book from Oprah's Book Club - I regret the decision. I was hoping that having enjoyed Binchy's other novels that this one might be different and I was wrong. My bad.
Helpful Score: 3
This is a book that you will not want to put down. It's a testament to how much women can grow through their experiences and strength.
Helpful Score: 2
It wasn't quite what I thought it would be ... thinking it was more about a young couple starting out in their dream house together. I didn't really care for the first part of the book ... thinking it was full of society gossip. But once Marilyn and the house on Tudor Drive (in the US) entered the story, I enjoyed it much more. The ending was good with everyone receiving what they deserved and the good characters being happy.
Helpful Score: 2
A touching story of family through the years, or relationships old and new. Not my favorite of Binchy's work, but very enjoyable.
Helpful Score: 2
One of my favorite Binchy's!
Helpful Score: 2
This was an easy and compelling read!
Helpful Score: 2
Was easy reading. Selected this book to read because it was an Oprah Book, but it was not near "intense" as most of Oprah books are. Good read for the summer
Helpful Score: 2
A really enjoyable book. A graceful storytelling filled with warmth, humor, and a tender insight.
Helpful Score: 2
Great read, Great Author. I enjoyed reading how all the characters connected and each had their own story to tell.
Helpful Score: 2
Good book. It was a very nice read. It is a little drawn out though.
Helpful Score: 2
I loved this book.
Helpful Score: 2
This book was a good read. It's not a classic, but I found it very entertaining. At first, I thought it would be more of a "girly" story, but my husband enjoyed it too. It's a nice insight into Irish life as well.
Helpful Score: 2
Ms. Binchy is not my favorite author, but I couldn't put this book down. I became involved with the characters. It tells the story of an Irish family in Dublin and all their friends, joys and sorrows. Don't miss this book!
Helpful Score: 2
Great author. Develops characters really well.
Helpful Score: 2
A family torn apart by divorce. Tara Road is reference to the exquisite house and neighborhood this family lives in. The mother of this family decides she needs a change in life so she decides to do a house swap with a woman in the states. Not only do these 2 women learn a lot about themselves during their experience, but they learn about each other as well. Great story teller
Helpful Score: 1
A moving story rendered with the deft touch of a master artisian. TARA ROAD is Maeuve Binchy at her very best- utterly beautiful, hauntingly unforgettable, entirely original, and wholly enjoyable.
Helpful Score: 1
Great summer read. Gossipy, meaty, somewhat predictable, but enjoyable. Not the usual Oprah Book Club quality, but I devoured it anyway. Read it just for fun!
Helpful Score: 1
I rarely read a book a second time, but I had read this years ago, then loaned it to my Mom. It took her several years to get to it, and she just returned it recently. I remembered liking the story, so I read it again. Bits and pieces of the story was familiar but I didn't remember it enough to ruin it the second time around.
I would not call it "heartwarming" as stated on the cover (New York Times), but the characters are well-developed and I felt like I knew them personally and I cared about what happened in their "lives."
Highly recommend if you like this kind of story!
I would not call it "heartwarming" as stated on the cover (New York Times), but the characters are well-developed and I felt like I knew them personally and I cared about what happened in their "lives."
Highly recommend if you like this kind of story!
Helpful Score: 1
Genre: Romance
This was my first Maeve Binchy book and I moderately enjoyed it. The setting was Dublin, Ireland, which was beautifully described. Ria and her husband fall in love with the house of their dreams. Miraculously they are able to find the way to afford it, move in, and start a family. Just as Ria thinks everything is coming together, her husband drops a bomb shell on her; he is leaving her. In response to this, Ria decides to take up the suggestion by a woman in America to trade homes for the summer. What will this trade do for the lives of these two women?
I enjoyed the description of the country of Ireland and the careful details of the house on Tara Road. The audiobook version was narrated by a woman with a convincing accent. Although this is a romance technically, it is really about the breakdown of a romance.
While I initially enjoyed the story, I had several problems with it. I feel that only some of the characters were well developed while others were sort of left as incomplete shadows. I had a deep understanding of Ria and really connected with her although I have had none of her experiences. At the opposite extreme, I could not connect at all with the woman that she trades houses with. I felt that all of a sudden this woman was thrust on the reader without any background story and she was expected to be a large part of the story. Upon the house switching storyline (about halfway through) I lost interest in the book.
I dont seem to be having much luck in the romance genre, Im not sure if I will read another one any time soon. I would recommend the audiobook to anyone wanting to read this as I think I would have lost interest much quicker if it was a printed copy.
3 out of 5 stars
This was my first Maeve Binchy book and I moderately enjoyed it. The setting was Dublin, Ireland, which was beautifully described. Ria and her husband fall in love with the house of their dreams. Miraculously they are able to find the way to afford it, move in, and start a family. Just as Ria thinks everything is coming together, her husband drops a bomb shell on her; he is leaving her. In response to this, Ria decides to take up the suggestion by a woman in America to trade homes for the summer. What will this trade do for the lives of these two women?
I enjoyed the description of the country of Ireland and the careful details of the house on Tara Road. The audiobook version was narrated by a woman with a convincing accent. Although this is a romance technically, it is really about the breakdown of a romance.
While I initially enjoyed the story, I had several problems with it. I feel that only some of the characters were well developed while others were sort of left as incomplete shadows. I had a deep understanding of Ria and really connected with her although I have had none of her experiences. At the opposite extreme, I could not connect at all with the woman that she trades houses with. I felt that all of a sudden this woman was thrust on the reader without any background story and she was expected to be a large part of the story. Upon the house switching storyline (about halfway through) I lost interest in the book.
I dont seem to be having much luck in the romance genre, Im not sure if I will read another one any time soon. I would recommend the audiobook to anyone wanting to read this as I think I would have lost interest much quicker if it was a printed copy.
3 out of 5 stars
Helpful Score: 1
The heartwarming New York Times bestseller.
A tender novel of the pleasures and pitfalls of friendship, TARA ROAD is an ultramodern love story for women, about somen, between women that is sure to delight. Her best work yet...TARA ROAD is like a total immersion in a colorful new world, where the last page comes too soon.
A tender novel of the pleasures and pitfalls of friendship, TARA ROAD is an ultramodern love story for women, about somen, between women that is sure to delight. Her best work yet...TARA ROAD is like a total immersion in a colorful new world, where the last page comes too soon.
Helpful Score: 1
This book talks about several people who live on Tara Road . . . a very typical Maeve Binchy books so if you like the others you'll like this one!
This books details the lives of several characters who show up in some of her later books that are set in Dublin.
This books details the lives of several characters who show up in some of her later books that are set in Dublin.
Helpful Score: 1
Another Binchy book full of wonderful character's, you won't forget. hard to put down.
A tender novel of the pleasures and pitfalls of friendship, Tara Road is a love story for women, about women, between women that is sure to delight.-Newsday
A tender novel of the pleasures and pitfalls of friendship, Tara Road is a love story for women, about women, between women that is sure to delight.-Newsday
Helpful Score: 1
I loved this book. Wonderful story that I didn't want it to end.
Helpful Score: 1
Exceptionally good book by the reliable Maeve Binchy. I strongly recommend this one.
Helpful Score: 1
This author can reach inside and touch your heart. I loved this book-- you feel like you know these people and want to live where they are. Any book by Maeve Binchy is going to be good and never a mistake to spend time with, but this one is excellent.
Helpful Score: 1
Love the way Binchy tells a story.
Helpful Score: 1
In Tara Road, Maeve Binchy explores every woman's fantasy - escape, into another place, another life. "What if...Binchy asks and then answers in her most astonishing novel to date.
Helpful Score: 1
Wonderful book.... I loved it!
Helpful Score: 1
Oprah Book Club® Selection, September 1999: Against all odds, two newlyweds manage to buy the house of their dreams. In 1982, property speculation is beginning to be a big, big thing in Dublin--and their street is very much in an up-and-coming part of town. "They laughed and hugged each other. Danny Lynch from the broken-down cottage in the back of beyond and Ria Johnson from the corner house in the big, shabby estate were not only living like gentry in a big Tara Road mansion, they were actually debating what style of dining table to buy." But for its various inhabitants, the street is to become a boulevard of dreams--some broken, others created anew. Maeve Binchy has long proved herself a secure hand at multiple story lines, and over the course of 500 satisfying pages she focuses on Ria; her best friend, Rosemary Ryan, a beautiful, endlessly selfish career woman; Gertie, the battered wife of a drunkard; and several other intriguing women, each of whom has secrets not to be shared. There is even an all-knowing fortune teller who early on hints that Ria will travel and start a successful business--two things she knows are definitely not in the offing.
Yet after our supposedly happy housewife and mother of two is confronted by some inexorable home truths, a chance phone call from America will change her life, forcing her to discard her illusions about men, women, and marriage and start all over again. At the same time, the Connecticut caller, Marilyn Vine, has her own lessons to learn when she and Ria swap houses for the summer. Yet there's nothing remotely preachy about this novel--even the bad guys (and yes, they're usually guys) and beautiful mistresses get to maintain some appeal. Instead, Tara Road is a stirring look at the reality behind our consuming fantasies, and a page-turner to boot.
Yet after our supposedly happy housewife and mother of two is confronted by some inexorable home truths, a chance phone call from America will change her life, forcing her to discard her illusions about men, women, and marriage and start all over again. At the same time, the Connecticut caller, Marilyn Vine, has her own lessons to learn when she and Ria swap houses for the summer. Yet there's nothing remotely preachy about this novel--even the bad guys (and yes, they're usually guys) and beautiful mistresses get to maintain some appeal. Instead, Tara Road is a stirring look at the reality behind our consuming fantasies, and a page-turner to boot.
Helpful Score: 1
I like that Maeve included America and the UK in this story. I love Binchy and was not disappointed with this book. I like the characters and the end was very sweet.
Helpful Score: 1
This is a sweet, comfy novel, just like previous books by this author.
Helpful Score: 1
Loved it!!
Helpful Score: 1
two women---one from Ireland , the other from America, exchange houses for the summer. Each trying to find peace from their lives problems.The book started out slow but became a very interesting book.
Helpful Score: 1
Could not get into this book. Finally gave up
Helpful Score: 1
A fantastic story where you feel emotionally attached to these characters. An excellent book.
Helpful Score: 1
This was my first Binchy book. I loved it! Small town gossip and drama written in a way that makes you love the characters (and sometimes hate them) the first time you meet them. If you like a good story teller book, Maeve Binchy is the way to go. I love all her books!
Maeve Binchy writes about people and their everyday lives in Ireland in a way that makes you feel connected to them. If you enjoy her writing (her most famous is Circle of Friends) you will enjoy this book very much.
Lovely story! Easy read..
the book was very realistic. The characters were those you could identify with.
A good escape novel. The storytelling is sometimes funny and sometimes touching.
Love the descriptions of live in Ireland and now Connecticut. This was a wonderful book of women, friendship and life. Loved it!
Slow starting but great book once it gets going.
This is about a woman who marries a man and then he becomes rich while she stays home and takes care of the family. Eventually she ends up finding herself along the road to self discovery. Its a heartfelt story and a good read for a friend who has just recently divorced or who is going through a rough patch (or any woman really) :)
Excellent - Don't want to put it down, but don't want it to end.
Was a long read and very involved. Starting out not wanting to read it and really didn't warm up to it because it was so well written that this story could happen in real life...my life. It really hit to close for comfort. The main character's life is shattered by infidelity on many levels but she works through it and changes the lives of everyone she encounters as a result. Great examples of worth and redemption in the end.
Very character driven - fun to follow these complex and interesting characters.
This book 1 o 4 in a box set. Never read.
Two women exchange homes for the summer0one in Ireland and one in America.Each learn the other has a deep secret that can not be revealed.
Maeve comes thru again!
Once you have read one of Maeve Binchy's novels you will want to read them all. Tara Road is a great place to start. You won't be able to put it down.
I always love a Maeve Binchy book. In fact, this is the second time I have read this one. She was an excellent writer and you feel as though you really get to know her characters. Her plots are always interesting and keep you focused on the storyline all the way to the end of the book. I was especially concerned about Danny and Ria and if their marriage would survive. The house swapping between Dublin and the United States made for an enjoyable adventure and provided escapes for some of the characters who had problems they were engrossed in. I'm looking forward to reading one of Binchy's books monthly next year. It's always nice to read them with some friends as they provide interesting discussion throughout the book. I would highly recommend Binchy's books to those who would like to visit Ireland.
I love Maeve Binchy's books and this is no exception. Her characters become like people you've known all your life and you really care about what happens to them.
Ria marries the man of her dreams, only to find out things aren't as they seem. She becomes a stronger woman as she deals with the turmoils in her life. A really good book.
Ria marries the man of her dreams, only to find out things aren't as they seem. She becomes a stronger woman as she deals with the turmoils in her life. A really good book.
Not my cup of tea..
I love Maeve Binchy I have 5 other books and I want someone to truly enjoy her books like I.
One of my favorite books! It was my first book by this author and enjoyed it enough to purchase/swap all her books!
Enjoyable book. The beginning (first half) was slow - I felt like I was reading for quite some time before we got to the houseswap between Marilyn and Ria. Not a quick read, but a very good read.
Great book couldn't put it down.
One of the best books I have ever read. It led me to Ms Binchy's entire series!
If you like the movie "The Holiday" then you will love this book.
Well written & a fun read
A wonderful book. I have read it twice!
Another Maeve Binchey book with her wonderful Irish characters. She can't be beat for holding your interest.
Love Maeve Binchy? Read this! Her characters certainly have problems, dreams, ambition and pluck. Told with a lot of heart. This is not demanding reading.
This is my favorite Maeve Binchy book. The characters are wonderful!
Every womans fantasy....escape... to another place, another life....
i LOVED this book. i really feel like i know the characters. so many good stories in the background of the main story. you will like this book!
Wonderful!!!!
A provocative tale of family heartbreak, friendship, and revelation. Tata Road explores every woman's fantasy: escape into another place, another life. What if....
Another great read by Maeve Binchy!!!
Tara Road is an untramodern love story for women, about women, between women that is sure to delight
this is one of my all time favorite books! I just love Maeve Binchy's work!
One of Binchy's best!
"A novel filled with warmth, humor, and tender insight. A provocative tale of family heartbreak, friendship, and revelation"
A magical story with memorable characters
New York Times bestselling author Maeve Binchey has captured the eharts of millions with her unforgettable novels. Binchey's graceful storytelling and wise compassion have earned her the devotion of havs world-wide--and made her one of the most beloved authors of our time. Now she dazzles us once again with a new novel filled with her signature warmth, humor, and tender insight. A provocative tale of family heartbreak, friendship, and revelation, Tara Road explores every woman's fantasy: escape, into another place, another life. "What if..." Binchey asks, and answers in her most astonishing novel to date.
A good family, friendship book. Another Maeve Binchy great.
Nice book to read if you just want entertainment.
This was a great book, I couldn't put it down!
FROM THE PUBLISHER
Ria lived on Tara Road in Dublin with her dashing husband, Danny, and their two children. She fully believed she was happily married, right up until the day Danny told her he was leaving her to be with his young, pregnant girlfriend. By a chance phone call, Ria meets Marilyn, a woman from New England unable to come to terms with her only son's death and now separated from her husband. The two women exchange houses for the summer with extraordinary consequences, each learning that the other has a deep secret that can never be revealed. Drawn into lifestyles vastly differing from their own, at first each resents the news of how well the other is getting on. Ria seems to have become quite a hostess, entertaining half the neighborhood, which at first irritates the reserved and withdrawn Marilyn, a woman who has always guarded her privacy. Marilyn seems to have become bosom friends with Ria's children, as well as with Colm, a handsome restaurateur, whom Ria has begun to miss terribly. At the end of the summer, the women at last meet face-to-face. Having learned a great deal, about themselves and about each other, they find that they have become, firmly and forever, good friends.
Ria lived on Tara Road in Dublin with her dashing husband, Danny, and their two children. She fully believed she was happily married, right up until the day Danny told her he was leaving her to be with his young, pregnant girlfriend. By a chance phone call, Ria meets Marilyn, a woman from New England unable to come to terms with her only son's death and now separated from her husband. The two women exchange houses for the summer with extraordinary consequences, each learning that the other has a deep secret that can never be revealed. Drawn into lifestyles vastly differing from their own, at first each resents the news of how well the other is getting on. Ria seems to have become quite a hostess, entertaining half the neighborhood, which at first irritates the reserved and withdrawn Marilyn, a woman who has always guarded her privacy. Marilyn seems to have become bosom friends with Ria's children, as well as with Colm, a handsome restaurateur, whom Ria has begun to miss terribly. At the end of the summer, the women at last meet face-to-face. Having learned a great deal, about themselves and about each other, they find that they have become, firmly and forever, good friends.
Oprah's Book Club Selection!!
a Tender novel of the pleasures & pitfalls of friendship, Tara Road is an ultramodern love story for women, about women, between women that is sure to delight.
Engrossing!!!
An irresistible tale!!
a Tender novel of the pleasures & pitfalls of friendship, Tara Road is an ultramodern love story for women, about women, between women that is sure to delight.
Engrossing!!!
An irresistible tale!!
An extraordinary story of long friendships, betrayals, lifestyles, endings and beginnings. A story of changes.
This book is one of those "can't put down" books-- you will love all the characters, and feel the feelings they feel. A great book!
I enjoyed this book! It is a story about two women who know nothing about each other, live on different continents, and form a lovely bond and friendship through unexpected and heart-wrenching circumstances. These women trade homes with one another and when they finally meet in person, their lives have been changed forever.
i loved this book, as all her others!
good read. :)
Excellent!
This book was very enjoyable, it is a story about two different women who make temporary changes in their lives by exchanging homes for the summer...they are unable to handle their immediate problems in their lives and temporarily leave their familiar surroundings to seek solutions. It is something that we all see ourselves doing sometimes when our lives get too difficult, but mostly we just shuffle on and hope for change. I would recommend this book for a summer read.
I loved this book! It was very good!
This is not actually a hard cover, but the softcover ISBN is the only number the system would take. It is a large, oversize paperback.
Shy Ria marries the man of her dreams and finds the home of her dreams on Tara Road. A wonderful story of the trials and tribulations of Ria's marriage and friendships. She ends up trading her house for the summer with a lady in Connecticut, who has her own share of sorrows.
A wonderful book about the hidden strengths of women and what they would do to take care of each other.
Shy Ria marries the man of her dreams and finds the home of her dreams on Tara Road. A wonderful story of the trials and tribulations of Ria's marriage and friendships. She ends up trading her house for the summer with a lady in Connecticut, who has her own share of sorrows.
A wonderful book about the hidden strengths of women and what they would do to take care of each other.
I read everything she writes!
Also registered on bookcrossing.
Book description:
"Against all odds, two newlyweds manage to buy the house of their dreams. In 1982, property speculation is beginning to be a big, big thing in Dublin--and their street is very much in an up-and-coming part of town. "They laughed and hugged each other. Danny Lynch from the broken-down cottage in the back of beyond and Ria Johnson from the corner house in the big, shabby estate were not only living like gentry in a big Tara Road mansion, they were actually debating what style of dining table to buy." But for its various inhabitants, the street is to become a boulevard of dreams--some broken, others created anew. Maeve Binchy has long proved herself a secure hand at multiple story lines, and over the course of 500 satisfying pages she focuses on Ria; her best friend, Rosemary Ryan, a beautiful, endlessly selfish career woman; Gertie, the battered wife of a drunkard; and several other intriguing women, each of whom has secrets not to be shared. There is even an all-knowing fortune teller who early on hints that Ria will travel and start a successful business--two things she knows are definitely not in the offing.
Yet after our supposedly happy housewife and mother of two is confronted by some inexorable home truths, a chance phone call from America will change her life, forcing her to discard her illusions about men, women, and marriage and start all over again. At the same time, the Connecticut caller, Marilyn Vine, has her own lessons to learn when she and Ria swap houses for the summer. Yet there's nothing remotely preachy about this novel--even the bad guys (and yes, they're usually guys) and beautiful mistresses get to maintain some appeal. Instead, Tara Road is a stirring look at the reality behind our consuming fantasies, and a page-turner to boot."
Book description:
"Against all odds, two newlyweds manage to buy the house of their dreams. In 1982, property speculation is beginning to be a big, big thing in Dublin--and their street is very much in an up-and-coming part of town. "They laughed and hugged each other. Danny Lynch from the broken-down cottage in the back of beyond and Ria Johnson from the corner house in the big, shabby estate were not only living like gentry in a big Tara Road mansion, they were actually debating what style of dining table to buy." But for its various inhabitants, the street is to become a boulevard of dreams--some broken, others created anew. Maeve Binchy has long proved herself a secure hand at multiple story lines, and over the course of 500 satisfying pages she focuses on Ria; her best friend, Rosemary Ryan, a beautiful, endlessly selfish career woman; Gertie, the battered wife of a drunkard; and several other intriguing women, each of whom has secrets not to be shared. There is even an all-knowing fortune teller who early on hints that Ria will travel and start a successful business--two things she knows are definitely not in the offing.
Yet after our supposedly happy housewife and mother of two is confronted by some inexorable home truths, a chance phone call from America will change her life, forcing her to discard her illusions about men, women, and marriage and start all over again. At the same time, the Connecticut caller, Marilyn Vine, has her own lessons to learn when she and Ria swap houses for the summer. Yet there's nothing remotely preachy about this novel--even the bad guys (and yes, they're usually guys) and beautiful mistresses get to maintain some appeal. Instead, Tara Road is a stirring look at the reality behind our consuming fantasies, and a page-turner to boot."
I read this book many years ago and remember enjoying it very much but can't remember much else about the plot ;) This is a big, fat & very heavy hardcover.
Oprah's Book Club
NY Times Bestseller
NY Times Bestseller
