Are you looking for the best Maeve Binchy books to read?
Irish author Maeve Binchy wrote many popular novels and short stories about small-town life in Ireland. She was known for her kind and funny characters, surprising endings, and her talent for capturing the essence of Ireland and its people.
Binchy received numerous awards, including the Jacob’s Award in 1978, the British Book Award for Lifetime Achievement in 1999, People of the Year Award in 2000, and the Irish Book Award for Lifetime Achievement in 2010. Her books sold over 40 million copies worldwide, translated into 37 languages.
Here are some of the best books by Maeve Binchy you should read now.
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10 Best Books By Maeve Binchy
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1. Circle of Friends
Circle of Friends by Maeve Binchy is a novel about a group of friends who meet at University College Dublin in the 1950s.
The main characters are Benny, a kind girl from a small town, and Eve, a smart orphan raised by nuns. They befriend Nan, a beautiful socialite, and Jack, a charming rugby player, experiencing love, friendship, betrayal, and tragedy in changing Ireland.
The drama explores themes of happiness, loyalty, commerce, and small-town Irish life, drawing from Binchy’s own UCD experiences.
Published in 1990, it became a bestseller and a 1995 film starring Minnie Driver and Chris O’Donnell.
BUY IT ON AMAZON HERE.
2. Scarlet Feather
Scarlet Feather is a 2000 novel that tells the story of friends Cathy Scarlet and Tom Feather, who start a catering business in Dublin, facing personal and professional challenges. Spanning a year, the book explores their ups and downs, including Cathy’s disapproving in-laws and Tom’s relationship struggles.
The story also involves neglected twins, Simon and Maud, and Cathy’s parents’ loving care for them. It is written in a warm, witty, and engaging style, with a large cast of colorful characters and realistic dialogue.
Scarlet Feather explores the themes of friendship, family, love, ambition, class, and social issues in modern Ireland. It won the 2001 WH Smith Literary Award for Fiction and has been adapted into a TV miniseries in 2002, starring Annette Crosbie, David Kelly, and Dervla Kirwan.
BUY IT ON AMAZON HERE.
3. Quentins
Maeve Binchy’s 2002 novel, Quentins, centers around the fictional Dublin restaurant Quentins and the interconnected lives of its characters.
The story is narrated through various perspectives and delves into the personal and professional challenges faced by those associated with the restaurant.
Ella Brady, the main character, is engaged in creating a documentary about Quentins, revealing tales of love, heartbreak, and triumph linked to the place. The book explores themes of relationships, family dynamics, and how societal changes impact individuals.
Known for her skill in character development and capturing the essence of Irish life, Binchy’s Quentins offers a window into the evolving city of Dublin and the intertwined stories of its characters.
BUY IT ON AMAZON HERE.
4. Evening Class
Published in 1996, Evening Class is a captivating exploration of a diverse group of people brought together in an Italian language class in Dublin. The novel artfully intertwines personal stories, uncovering individual challenges, victories, and connections.
The authenticity of characters from different backgrounds paints a diverse picture of human experiences, highlighting the importance of unexpected connections.
Binchy integrates the city of Dublin’s charm, making it an integral part of the story. Themes of resilience, hope, and the human spirit resonate throughout, as the novel delves into universal themes of love, loss, and second chances.
Evening Class was adapted for film as the award-winning Italian for Beginners (2000) by Lone Scherfig.
BUY IT ON AMAZON HERE.
5. Heart and Soul
Heart and Soul, published in 2008, revolves around a heart clinic in Dublin and follows Dr. Clara Casey, who runs the clinic for a year.
The story delves into themes of love, family, friendship, and community in modern Ireland. Dr. Casey faces personal challenges with her daughters and ex-husband while managing a diverse staff with their own stories.
The novel is heartwarming, emphasizing the power of compassion and kindness in healing both physical and emotional wounds. Binchy’s simple yet vivid writing style brings the characters and changing Irish society to life, making it an engaging and relatable read.
BUY IT ON AMAZON HERE.
6. Light a Penny Candle
Light a Penny Candle is Maeve Binchy’s debut novel, published in 1982. It’s a story spanning three decades, from 1940 to 1970, about the enduring friendship between English girl Elizabeth White and Irish girl Aisling O’Connor.
The story begins with Elizabeth seeking refuge from London’s World War II bombings at Aisling’s home in Kilgarret, Ireland. Throughout the years, they remain inseparable, sharing joys, sorrows, dreams, and challenges across different countries and cultures.
The novel delves into childhood, friendship, love, marriage, family, and social change, against the backdrop of historical events like the Blitz, the Irish War of Independence, the Troubles, and the sexual revolution.
Written with warmth, wit, and compassion, it beautifully captures the essence of Irish life and culture.
BUY IT ON AMAZON HERE.
7. The Copper Beech
The Copper Beech by Maeve Binchy is a novel that tells the stories of 12 different young people who live in a small Irish town called Shancarrig. The novel, published in 1992, is set in the 1950s and 1960s, and each chapter focuses on one of the characters and their experiences, dreams, and secrets.
The Copper Beech is written in a warm, engaging, and realistic style, using multiple perspectives, flashbacks, and dialogue to paint a vivid picture of small-town life, with a tone that is sympathetic, humorous, and insightful.
The book explores themes such as love, friendship, family, betrayal, and identity. The copper beech tree in front of the schoolhouse is a symbol of the town’s history and the connection between the characters, who have carved their initials on it.
BUY IT ON AMAZON HERE.
8. The Glass Lake
The Glass Lake by Maeve Binchy, published in 1994, follows the story of Kit McMahon in the small Irish village of Lough Glass. Kit’s life takes a turn when her mother, Helen, disappears, leaving behind a letter that Kit burns without reading.
The Glass Lake is a novel that explores the themes of love, betrayal, family, identity, and the consequences of choices. It is set in the 1950s and spans several years and locations.
It is one of Binchy’s most popular and acclaimed novels, and has been praised for its realistic and engaging characters, its complex and operatic plot, and its vivid depiction of Irish society and culture.
BUY IT ON AMAZON HERE.
9. Nights of Rain and Stars
Published in 2004, Maeve Binchy’s Nights of Rain and Stars is set in a Greek seaside village, where four strangers of different nationalities meet and become friends after witnessing a tragic accident in the harbor.
The novel explores the lives, loves, and secrets of these four characters, who are all trying to escape from their pasts and find new directions for their futures. It is an enchanting tale of friendship, romance, and self-discovery, with a vivid description of the Greek culture and scenery.
BUY IT ON AMAZON HERE.
10. Tara Road
Tara Road explores themes of love, loss, friendship, and identity. It tells the story of two women, one from Ireland and one from America, who trade houses for the summer and learn a lot about themselves and each other.
The book revolves around Ria Lynch, a betrayed Dublin housewife, and Marilyn Vine, a grieving New England professor. They meet over the phone and decide to swap houses without ever meeting. Ria moves to Marilyn’s house in Connecticut, while Marilyn stays at Ria’s house on Tara Road in Dublin.
Tara Road is a touching novel about friendship and change, published in 1998. It became a bestseller and was selected for Oprah’s Book Club. In 2005, it was made into a movie starring Andie MacDowell and Olivia Williams.
BUY IT ON AMAZON HERE.
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