- Hardcover
- Publisher: Dutton Adult (2004)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 052594754X
- ISBN-13: 978-0525947547
- Product Dimensions: 22.9 x 15.7 x 3.3 cm
- Shipping Weight: 612 g
- Average Customer Review: 3.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #839,013 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
|
||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Product Details |
Suggested Tags from Similar Products(What's this?)Be the first one to add a relevant tag (keyword that's strongly related to this product)
|
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Customer Reviews
|
Share your thoughts with other customers:
|
||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Most helpful customer reviews
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
luminous page-turner,
By Maria Lake (Canada) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Nights Of Rain And Stars (Paperback)
Binchy has done it again! I love a tightly written novel, and she can write them. NIGHTS OF RAIN AND STARS is about four people as disparate as the seasons and from all points on the compass, yet what is wondrous about this book is how Binchy exposes, in subtle ways, with pitch-perfect detail, their overwhelmingly similar humanity. This is a glorious yet easy yet very intelligent read. Highly recommended!I also recommend, for the same reasons, the great book club novel A SECRET WORD, by Jennifer Paddock.
3 of 4 people found the following review helpful
3.0 out of 5 stars
Not her best,
By A Customer
This review is from: Nights Of Rain And Stars (Paperback)
I really like Maeve Binchy and this is not her best work, so it was dissapointing. I would probaly have liked this book more if I had not been expecting so much.In her other books she really draws us into the characters so we care about them and want to know how their story unfolds. In this book the characters all seemed paper dolls - one dimensional and unreal - so it was hard to get involved. Dissapointing, but a must-read for any Binchy fan. Hope the next book takes us back to Ireland and more familiar ground/characters. After reading this I have pulled my old Binchy books off the shelf and am re-reading them! Love Evening Class, Tara Road, Quentins, Scarlet Feather especially!
4.0 out of 5 stars
Multinational Twists on The Bridge of San Luis Rey,
By Donald Mitchell "Jesus Loves You!" (Thanks for Providing My Reviews over 112,000 Helpful Votes Globally) - See all my reviews (TOP 10 REVIEWER) (#1 HALL OF FAME)
This review is from: Nights of Rain and Stars (Audio Cassette)
If you are looking for a classic Maeve Binchy novel about modern times and problems in Dublin, Nights of Rain and Stars will be a disappointment. The Irish connection is there, but it's weaker than the Greek connection. I listened to the Audio CD version and found that the dramatic reading by Ms. Terry Donnelly took an average (at best) novel and made it reasonably entertaining. This is not a book you want to read. Listen to the recording instead. Trust me on that.As the book opens a small group of travelers find themselves at a hilltop taverna in Aghia Anna, Greece run by an older man, Andreas who pines for his missing son, Adonas. As they overlook the sea, all are aghast as a tourist boat burns with grisly results. All of the tourists think, what if? They had earlier been out on that boat. The shared reaction to the tragedy causes them to cling to one another and to re-examine their lives. A powerful chain of circumstances is set off when Andreas insists that they each call their loved ones to let them know that they are safe so the news reports won't be frightening. The diners are the beautiful, famous Elsa from Germany who is fleeing from a lover who has disappointed her; Fiona, an Irish nurse who has cast off her job to be with the man of her dreams, Shane; Shane, an Irish caricature of the unfeeling brute of a young man who is only interested in himself and wants no responsibilities; David, a gentle young Englishman who wants to escape from running the family business; and Thomas, a divorced American professor who wants to give his young son, Bill, space to get used to his new step-father, Andy. The characters are all quite shallow and follow trite formulas in the plot that keep them from being objective about themselves. Ms. Binchy introduces one interesting character though, the Irishwoman Vonnie, who has lived in Aghia Anna for over 30 years and has a secret past full of despair and disappointment. Vonnie gives the other characters frequent pieces of her mind that help set them onto the right paths for each of them. The message seems to be that without a guide in our life, we will make quite a mess of our loving relations. If you don't mind superficial characters and a mostly trite story, you'll certainly feel happy with how the characters go about improving their lives. If you also use the book to inspire yourself to think about what you need to change about your life, you will gain more benefit. I found that Ms. Donnelly's reading made the thin characters come to life through their varying, well-produced accents and different speaking cadences. The only weakness in her reading is that occasionally she uses her lovely Irish accent for someone who isn't Irish, such as David. If you are like me, you'll be yearning for another Tara Road after reading this book. The trend of disappointing stories since that one continues.
Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
Want to see more reviews on this item?
|
Most recent customer reviews |
Listmania!
Look for similar items by category
Feedback
Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
