'Irresistible' Elle

AN OPRAH BOOK CLUB PICK

'This is Binchy at her best' Mail on Sunday

A house swap leads to an unlikely and touching friendship, as secrets are unveiled and lives changed.

Ria and Marilyn have never met - they live thousands of miles apart, separated by the Atlantic Ocean: one in a big, warm, Victorian house in Tara Road, Dublin, the other in a modern, open-plan house in New England.

Two more unlikely friends would be hard to find: Ria's life revolves around her family and friends, while Marilyn's reserve is born of grief. But when each needs a place to escape to, a house exchange seems the ideal solution.

Along with the borrowed houses come neighbours and friends, gossip and speculation as Ria and Marilyn swap lives for the summer...

Two women - one Irish, one American - exchange homes for the summer; their unlikely and touching friendship unveils secrets and changes lives.

About the Author
Maeve Binchy was born in County Dublin and educated at the Holy Child convent in Killiney and at University College, Dublin. After a spell as a teacher she joined the Irish Times. Her first novel, LIGHT A PENNY CANDLE, was published in 1982 and she went on to write over twenty books, all of them bestsellers. Several have been adapted for cinema and television, including TARA ROAD. Maeve Binchy received a LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD at the BRITISH BOOK AWARDS in 1999 and the Irish PEN/A. T. CROSS AWARD in 2007. In 2010 she was presented with the BOB HUGHES LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD at the BORD GAIS IRISH BOOK AWARDS by the President of Ireland. She was married to the writer and broadcaster Gordon Snell for 35 years, and died in 2012. Visit her website at www.maevebinchy.com

Reviews
An irresistible tale * ELLE *
What is Maeve Binchy's magic? Every time she publishes a novel the race is on to the armchair or the poolside seat, telephones fall eerily silent . . . Her great gift is to suck her reader into the drama of everyday lives without fuss . . . She relies on dialogue and on keeping up a cracking pace * DAILY MAIL *

A tender novel of the pleasures and pitfalls of friendship, TARA ROAD is an ultra-modern
love story for women, about women, between women that is sure to delight

* NEWSDAY *
Engrossing * WALL STREET JOURNAL *
You can see why, for a legion of female readers, Maeve Binchy is a one-woman opiate of the people * EVENING STANDARD *
She is one of the few writers who can pull at your heartstrings . . . The author's great skill is to draw you into the world she creates, so that reading her books is like gossiping with old friends * DAILY EXPRESS *
Binchy is a consummate storyteller who involves the reader in the world she creates ... Binchy is a Dickens: she writes about the dilemmas of human beings with a backdrop which describes the manners and morals of a society * IRISH TIMES *
Maeve Binchy's novels are just the kind of comforting companions so many women can't wait to take to bed ... Binchy's prose flows as naturally as conversation with a good friend * THE LADY *
Two women, one from Dublin one from New England, end up on a house swap for the summer and find their lives changed for ever. Another tale with strong female characters and the importance of friendship. As always there are a host of characters to keep the interest going and plenty to make the reader question the nature of relationships * LOVE READING *
She is the Queen of Fiction and one of the funniest and best-loved storytellers in the world...once you read Maeve you are hooked for life * IRISH TIMES *
Maeve Binchy's work continues to inspire ... thought-provoking, warm and funny in equal measure * WOMAN *
In TARA ROAD the extraordinary Maeve Binchy spins an irresistible tale of modern life, creating a world so packed with telling details and emotional perspicacity that you feel instantly connected to the heartbroken Ria Lynch and Marilyn Vine * ELLE *
Absorbing and delightful * SUNDAY TIMES *
Full of characteristic humour and warmth, a lovely read * SUNDAY MIRROR *
Moving, original, funny and entertaining... It's the same skill shown in their craft by Irish writers such as Marian Keyes and Sally Rooney. A rare gift. -- Roisin Ingle * Irish Times *
There is always a moment of mild astonishment when you turn the final page of a Maeve Binchy novel and look up, only to discover that the characters don't actually live in your house * Irish Times *
TARA ROAD, even years later, is still everything you want in a Maeve Binchy book. It's moving, original, funny and entertaining...It's the same skill shown in their craft by Irish writers such as Marian Keyes and Sally Rooney. A rare gift -- Roisin Ingle * IRISH TIMES *



Book Information
ISBN 9780752876863
Author Maeve Binchy
Format Paperback
Page Count 656
Imprint Orion (an Imprint of The Orion Publishing Group Ltd )
Publisher Orion Publishing Co
Weight(grams) 460g
Dimensions(mm) 196mm * 130mm * 50mm