Circle of Friends: A Novel
(Libby/OverDrive eBook, Kindle)

The charm of Binchy's novels ( Silver Wedding ; Light a Penny Candle ) lies in a seductive readability that draws one through hundreds of pages as surely as a mackerel at the end of a hooked line--contrived plot thickeners and stock characters notwithstanding. In this lengthy story of a friendship and love and loss, there are no lapses or lulls. Benny, plain daughter of a merchant, and Eve, a proud orphan raised by nuns, are close friends growing up in the Irish village of Knockglen in the 1950s. When they go to university in Dublin together, their loyalty is tested by the addition of others to their circle, most notably the beautiful, mysterious Nan, an ambitious young woman determined to rise above her working-class origins. While Nan seizes opportunities, friendships and romances are kindled and damped; ugly duckling Benny becomes a swan, and true love almost conquers all. Everybody has a colorful way with words, and if the prose is sometimes careless, this is still Irish storytelling at its contemporary best; small flaws are easily overlooked in a book that is itself so generous. BOMC featured selection. (Jan.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved

YA-- Binchy transports readers to the village of Knockglen in Ireland to meet Benny, the only child of doting parents; Eve Malone, an orphan raised by nuns; and a host of local characters. The girls form a lasting friendship that continues when they go on to college in Dublin. There they meet beautiful Nan, who tries to hide her poor background and drunken father; Jack Foley, a doctor's son; and all their university friends. Provincial Knockglen and fast-paced Dublin become intertwined as the girls try to exist in both worlds. A wonderful, readable story of successes and disappointments, intrigues and loyalty, families and friendships, this novel demonstrates that testing values, maintaining relationships, and coming of age are universal struggles.-- Katherine Fitch, Thomas Jefferson Sci-Tech, Fairfax County, VA (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Best friends since childhood in a small Irish village, first-year college students Benny and Eve are thrilled by the excitement of university life in Dublin. Befriended by Nan, a beautiful classmate with secret ambitions, the three form the nucleus of an ever-widening circle of friends that provides them with a happy sense of belonging and introduces them to a world of carefree activity. However, this light-hearted existence is brought to an abrupt halt when Nan's selfish, callous plans backfire, victimizing Benny and creating within Eve an obsessive desire to avenge Benny. Binchy is a wonderful storyteller, drawing the reader into the hearts of her characters. This engrossing examination of friendship's vicissitudes moves forward effortlessly at a marvelous pace, carrying the reader along on tense, mounting waves of loyalty and deceit. Highly recommended for all popular fiction collections. BOMC alternate.-- Sis ter M. Anna Falbo, Villa Maria Coll. Lib., Buffalo, N.Y. (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Another Blarney charmer from the irrepressible Binchy set, as many of her recent efforts (like Firefly Summer, 1988) have been, in an Irish village--called Knockglen--circa 1960. As usual, Binchy brings her habitat to life warmly, fully, and from the viewpoints of myriad cottagers, including a funny Irish-Italian restauranteur who aims to become Knockglen's Mr. Big; the stiff hotel proprietress whose passion is corsets; the looney butcher; and, above all, Eve Malone and Benny Hogan, the village's Mutt and Jeff. In Binchy's hands, their adolescence is a tender thing, full of hushed discussions about babies, bellybuttons, and nuns. Eve is an orphan, abandoned by the classy, Protestant Westward family and raised with a great deal of love by Mother Francis at St. Mary's Convent. Benny's the adored daughter of a Knockglen merchant, though ""no one on earth"" feels as ""cooped up and smothered"" as she does. At 18, it's off to University College in Dublin for the two young women, where they team up with ambitious vixen Nan Mahon, and where Benny falls hopelessly in love with campus heartbreaker Jack Foley. Amazingly, though, Jack returns her affection--or seems to, until Nan gets her hooks into him, since she's got herself pregnant by Knockglen squire Simon Westward and needs a stand-in daddy. Benny's sheltered childhood comes to a close not only because she loses Jack, but because her father dies suddenly of a heart attack during teatime, leaving Benny to sort things out at the shop. Meanwhile, Eve befriends Simon Westward's lonely little sister, which forces her to come to terms with her familial past. . .and life in Knockglen goes on. Binchy's at her impish best playing telephone amongst the villagers, reporting the wildly disparate ways they process events. Only eejits wouldn't find this companionable. Copyright ©Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Best friends since childhood in a small Irish village, first-year college students Benny and Eve are thrilled by the excitement of university life in Dublin. Befriended by Nan, a beautiful classmate with secret ambitions, the three form the nucleus of an ever-widening circle of friends that provides them with a happy sense of belonging and introduces them to a world of carefree activity. However, this light-hearted existence is brought to an abrupt halt when Nan's selfish, callous plans backfire, victimizing Benny and creating within Eve an obsessive desire to avenge Benny. Binchy is a wonderful storyteller, drawing the reader into the hearts of her characters. This engrossing examination of friendship's vicissitudes moves forward effortlessly at a marvelous pace, carrying the reader along on tense, mounting waves of loyalty and deceit. Highly recommended for all popular fiction collections. BOMC alternate.-- Sis ter M. Anna Falbo, Villa Maria Coll. Lib., Buffalo, N.Y. Copyright 1990 Cahners Business Information.

Like de los Santos, Binchy writes stories of friendship and love held together by strong plotting, perfectly realized locations and scenes, and fully developed characters. Tracing the friendship of Benny and Eve, she explores the connections and interconnections among a large cast of characters in the tiny Irish village of Knockglen and Dublin during the 1950s. Benny is the loved daughter of an overprotective family, while Eve is an orphan, yet the two are fast friends and enter college with much excitement, forming new bonds with Nan Malone and Jack Foley. The novel traces the cast's interactions, hopes, disappointments, and futures. Benny always seems out of luck; Nan connives for what she wants, caring little for the fall out; Eve remains fiercely loyal; and Jack must face a crossroads that tests them all. The richness of the relationships should please readers who enjoyed the college connections of Cat, Pen, and Will as well as the ways de los Santos plays out the reverberations of relationships tested through tragedy and error. - Neal Wyatt, "RA Crossroads" Booksmack! 9/1/11 (c) Copyright 2011. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

The charm of Binchy's novels ( Silver Wedding ; Light a Penny Candle ) lies in a seductive readability that draws one through hundreds of pages as surely as a mackerel at the end of a hooked line--contrived plot thickeners and stock characters notwithstanding. In this lengthy story of a friendship and love and loss, there are no lapses or lulls. Benny, plain daughter of a merchant, and Eve, a proud orphan raised by nuns, are close friends growing up in the Irish village of Knockglen in the 1950s. When they go to university in Dublin together, their loyalty is tested by the addition of others to their circle, most notably the beautiful, mysterious Nan, an ambitious young woman determined to rise above her working-class origins. While Nan seizes opportunities, friendships and romances are kindled and damped; ugly duckling Benny becomes a swan, and true love almost conquers all. Everybody has a colorful way with words, and if the prose is sometimes careless, this is still Irish storytelling at its contemporary best; small flaws are easily overlooked in a book that is itself so generous. BOMC featured selection. (Jan.) Copyright 1990 Cahners Business Information.

Loyal friends Benny and Eve, young women who grew up together in an Irish village, find their relationship tested by the new friendships, romances and opportunities that develop at a Dublin university. According to PW , Binchy's characters have ``a colorful way with words, and if the prose is sometimes careless, this is still Irish storytelling at its contemporary best.'' (Nov.) Copyright 1991 Cahners Business Information.

YA-- Binchy transports readers to the village of Knockglen in Ireland to meet Benny, the only child of doting parents; Eve Malone, an orphan raised by nuns; and a host of local characters. The girls form a lasting friendship that continues when they go on to college in Dublin. There they meet beautiful Nan, who tries to hide her poor background and drunken father; Jack Foley, a doctor's son; and all their university friends. Provincial Knockglen and fast-paced Dublin become intertwined as the girls try to exist in both worlds. A wonderful, readable story of successes and disappointments, intrigues and loyalty, families and friendships, this novel demonstrates that testing values, maintaining relationships, and coming of age are universal struggles.-- Katherine Fitch, Thomas Jefferson Sci-Tech, Fairfax County, VA Copyright 1991 Cahners Business Information.