Introduction to Tara Road by Maeve Binchy
Binchy once more (The Glass Lake, 1995, and so on) remembers the lives of ordinary people who fall into the traps set by love and life.
Storyline
When Danny Lynch and Ria Norris, his upcoming bride, purchase No.16 is a large, abandoned Victorian house on Tara Road, a neglected street in Dublin. The house, which has been lovingly restored, soon becomes a place where neighbors come to talk, help out, or eat one of Ria’s delicious meals.
Since she first met him, Ria has fallen in love with handsome Danny, a real estate agent who works for Barney McCarthy, a powerful property tycoon. She enjoys managing her two children, Annie and Brian, and her busy domestic life; her companions, such as Gertie, whose husband abuses her; Colum, who is concerned about his drug-addicted sister and has opened a restaurant nearby; and Rosemary, a pretty businesswoman who is single and owns one of new apartments.
However, in the summer, when Brian is nine and Annie is fourteen, Ria learns that Danny wants to marry a “fancy woman” who is currently pregnant with his child.
Summary of the Plot
Ria and her two children lived on Tara Road in Dublin with her dashing husband Danny. Up until the day Danny told her he was leaving her to be with his young, pregnant girlfriend, she had the complete belief that she was happily married. Ria meets Marilyn through a chance phone call. Marilyn is a woman from New England who is having trouble coping with the death of her only son and is now divorced from her husband. Each woman discovers that the other has a deep secret that can never be revealed when the two women swap summer houses, which has extraordinary consequences.
Review of Tara Road by Maeve Binchy
Positive Aspects
This book taught me a lot about recent Irish history. For instance, I was completely unaware that divorce was only made legal in Ireland in 1995!Not only did the culture as a whole not allow for divorce, but young marriage was also expected. Ria’s life and choices are directly impacted by this.The reader is reminded that these cultural norms and laws have a real impact on real people by learning this recent Irish history through Ria’s eyes.
Descriptions
The environments were beautifully portrayed. I felt completely present everywhere, from Tara Road to my Connecticut home. In Connecticut, I could feel the cool pool water and hear the noises and smell the cooking at Tara Road. I was able to take the sometimes absurd plot with the caution that a story like this requires because of the rich settings.
Themes
Many issues are covered without ever feeling like the book was written just to talk about them. Rather, the issues exist because they just happen to in real life so why wouldn’t they in this book. Among the issues: alcoholism, domestic violence, grief, infertility, and more that I can’t mention .
Negative Aspects
However, despite the compelling setting and intriguing plot, I thought the conclusion was a little too abrupt.I had the impression that I was left hanging, pondering what would transpire with these women in the end.Being left needing more isn’t really something terrible however in the wake of putting such a great amount into these two ladies, I would have delighted in basically an epilogue.
Overview
A solid entry into women’s fiction overall. Because the house swap is not about romance but rather about dealing with personal issues and where you want your life to go, it is a unique story.
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