Helpful Score: 5
I keep telling myself, enough of Maeve Binchy. There's something repetitive and regular about her stories. They're long, reflect the class differences in Ireland, discuss small mindedness of small towns. There's often description of the differences between the small town and city mentality, boys vs. girls, good girls vs. âbadâ girls. She always takes a long approach â following the stories of the main characters over years of change â some change is internal, some is forced on them by outside circumstances.
Yet, I continue to read her books. There's a love of the characters, a sense that these are real people and that she's just relating their life stories. You know what to expect, sort of, but the way she writes is sweet and loving. You can get involved in people's lives â sort of watching through a one way glass â and enjoy their blessings and even their sorrows.
This is an early book â written in 1985. It is lovely, standard Maeve Binchy.
Yet, I continue to read her books. There's a love of the characters, a sense that these are real people and that she's just relating their life stories. You know what to expect, sort of, but the way she writes is sweet and loving. You can get involved in people's lives â sort of watching through a one way glass â and enjoy their blessings and even their sorrows.
This is an early book â written in 1985. It is lovely, standard Maeve Binchy.
Helpful Score: 4
Not one of Maeve Binchy's best. A slow read, and not very entertaining.
Helpful Score: 4
A story of desolation,determination,and the hard work required to both rise above one's birth circumstances and fulfill one's destiny. The lives of Clare, Angela, and David are intertwined in the small sea side village, but there were proper ways to behave in the late 1950's and early 1960's in Ireland. The book tells what happens when each character's flaws are revealed. This was a great read!
Helpful Score: 3
One of Binchy's best...love this story.
Helpful Score: 2
From Library Journal-
"This romantic melodrama, set in an Irish seaside town in the Fifties and early Sixties, is as wholesome and engaging as the author's first novel, Light a Penny Candle). Memorable characters include a poor shopkeeper's daughter who wins a university scholarship, only to miss final exams by a cruel twist of fate; a medical student who shocks his family by marrying ``beneath him''; a lonely schoolteacher who guards two scandalous secrets about her local celebrity brother; and a kindly, ubiquitous priest who knows all, tells nothing, and holds everyone together.
It's a little slow to get into, but by the halfway mark the reader is fully involved in all the subplots and is turning pages nonstop."
"This romantic melodrama, set in an Irish seaside town in the Fifties and early Sixties, is as wholesome and engaging as the author's first novel, Light a Penny Candle). Memorable characters include a poor shopkeeper's daughter who wins a university scholarship, only to miss final exams by a cruel twist of fate; a medical student who shocks his family by marrying ``beneath him''; a lonely schoolteacher who guards two scandalous secrets about her local celebrity brother; and a kindly, ubiquitous priest who knows all, tells nothing, and holds everyone together.
It's a little slow to get into, but by the halfway mark the reader is fully involved in all the subplots and is turning pages nonstop."
Helpful Score: 1
I had a very hard time getting into this book. It wasn't until about two-thirds of the way through that it finally clicked for me. By the end, I couldn't put it down. I was disappointed in the ending though - it seems like we were left hanging as to what would happen with Clare. This is definitely not one of my favorite Maeve Binchy books.
Helpful Score: 1
Another great one for Ms.Binchy. Great reading.
Helpful Score: 1
This is a modern day Romeo and Jiliette based in Ireland.
Helpful Score: 1
Binchy is another favorite author of mine. Highest recommendations for a meaty, well-developed novel that you can sink into & become a part of!
Love the visit to the Irish village and the characters. It is so easy to become a part of this story and to get lost in the characters and to care. I love this author.
I tried very hard to get into this book because of all the great reviews, but I read and read and read it and couldn't get into it.
I gave up on this one really early. The writing was not at all appealing to me, I couldn't get through the first chapter.
Clare and David - divided as children by a rigid social code that branded her as shanty Irish and he as gentry class...brought together as adults by a passion that couldn't be denied. It was a desire that knew no class, no barriers, only the urgent hunger of two people destined to love and ready to defy any convention used by a world determined to keep them apart.
Even at fifteen, David Power knew eleven-year-old Clare O'Brien's dearest wish, to win a school prize. But it was years before Dr. Power's cherished only son recognized in the huckster's daughter his own heart's desire. Here in Castlebay, perched precariously on the seaside cliffs, the lines between them were clearly drawn.
Clare's only hope is to leave the town where time stopped, propelled by scholarships to Dublin, fueled by her own drive and brilliance, far from the insular, gossipy world of Castlebay and those held in its thrall...Angela O'Hara - beautiful, insolated, a teacher trapped in the convent school, who risks everything to help Clare escape...Gerry Doyle, the town charmer who finds in Clare the woman he vows to have at any price...Caroline Nolan, the beautiful, rich outsider who comes to plunder.
For Clare, that was before the wild freedom of Dublin, and love. And David. Before fate drove them back to Castlebay, and the past.
I truly enjoyed this book, as I usually do with any book by Maeve Binchy that I read. Reading Maeve Binchy's books, even rereading some of them, as this particular book Echoes was for me, is almost like returning to familiar places and visiting old but very familiar friends. I read Echoes for the first time maybe a decade to fifteen years ago and enjoyed this book then as well. I give this book an A+! and have placed it on my keeper bookshelf to enjoy again at some point in the very near future!
Even at fifteen, David Power knew eleven-year-old Clare O'Brien's dearest wish, to win a school prize. But it was years before Dr. Power's cherished only son recognized in the huckster's daughter his own heart's desire. Here in Castlebay, perched precariously on the seaside cliffs, the lines between them were clearly drawn.
Clare's only hope is to leave the town where time stopped, propelled by scholarships to Dublin, fueled by her own drive and brilliance, far from the insular, gossipy world of Castlebay and those held in its thrall...Angela O'Hara - beautiful, insolated, a teacher trapped in the convent school, who risks everything to help Clare escape...Gerry Doyle, the town charmer who finds in Clare the woman he vows to have at any price...Caroline Nolan, the beautiful, rich outsider who comes to plunder.
For Clare, that was before the wild freedom of Dublin, and love. And David. Before fate drove them back to Castlebay, and the past.
I truly enjoyed this book, as I usually do with any book by Maeve Binchy that I read. Reading Maeve Binchy's books, even rereading some of them, as this particular book Echoes was for me, is almost like returning to familiar places and visiting old but very familiar friends. I read Echoes for the first time maybe a decade to fifteen years ago and enjoyed this book then as well. I give this book an A+! and have placed it on my keeper bookshelf to enjoy again at some point in the very near future!
Story of people in Ireland in the Fifties. Girl from a poor family works hard for years for an education. Rich neighborhood boy becomes a doctor. I live in a beach area, and enjoyed this story set in a vacation location where life in the summer is entirely different from off season months.
love story between classes in a rigid social code
Binchy creates characters one cares about. Good story that held my interest.
IT WAS SOMETIMES CALLED THE ECHO CAVE, AND IF YOU SHOUTED YOUR QUESTION LOUD ENOUGH IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION YOU GOT AN ANSWER INSTEAD OF AN ECHO
As with all Binchy's novels it takes a while to get into the story, her characters are so well developed that sometimes that development seems to make the story drag, but she always gets you hooked. This one is no exception.
lovely story about a small town, a poor girl loving a wealthy boy...great Binchy book!
One of my favorite authors. Wonderfully defined characters.
Another excellent book by Bincy! Great characters, great story.
Binchy is one of my favorite authors. She is a genius at story telling. This one takes place in Ireland. Her characters are engaging and complex.
Also very interesting. I love Binchy.
Maeve Binchy write wonderful stories of Ireland - her characters are people you'd love to have living next door
Maeve Binchy = terrific author. Enough said
Even at Fifteen David Power knew the echo would answer eleven year-old Clare O'Brien's dearest wish, to win a coveted school prize. But it was years before Dr Power's cherished only son saw in the huckster's daughter the answer to his own heart's desire. The lines were clearly drawn Clare's only hope is to leave the town where time stopped propelled by scholarships to Dublin fueled by her own drive and brilliance far from the insular gossipy world of Castlebay and those in it thrall. What bring David and Clare back from the freedom in Dublin...
A romance by the story-teller Maeve Binchy
Another great Irish novel by Maeve Binchy with suspense, romance, interesting characters. A good read.
Typical wonderful Binchy
This book takes place in the Irish village of Castlebay in the 1950's. The main characters are Clare O'Brien, David Power, Gerry Doyle, Angela O'Hara and Caroline Nolan. Clare and David--divided as children by a rigid social code that branded her as shanty Irish and him as gentry are brought together as adults by a desire that knew no class. Angela O'Hara, Clare's teacher, helps Clare win a scholarship to attend school in Dublin where David is attending med school. David and Clare's relationship begins to crumble when Gerry Doyle, the town charmer and Caroline Nolan, the beautiful, rich girl prey on the couple. Maeve Binchey's storytelling experience make this book a delightful read. I recommend this book to those who love to read about Ireland in the 50's.
Clare and David divided as children by a rigid social code which branded her as shanty Irish and him as gentry.....you get the message.
Wonderful read! I would recommend this book to anyone.
This is vintage Binchy. Yet another fabulous cast of characters all trying to find their way in 60's Ireland. And to her great credit, Binchy manages to make even the most unsympathetic of these characters sympathetic - some barely so! I recommend Echoes to anyone who is a fan of Maeve Binchy and to those who've never heard of her. You will not be disappointed.
494 Pages of small type IRISH LOVE.
It was sometimes called the Echo cave, and if you shouted your question loud enough in the right direction you got an answer instead of an echo.
As always, an extremely good story from Maeve Binchy. This was I consider a classic from this author.
Not read. print was too small for these old eyes.:-)
