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Nights Of Rain And Stars
 
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Nights Of Rain And Stars (Paperback)

by Maeve Binchy (Author)
3.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)

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Product Details

Product Description

From Publishers Weekly

Four strangers cross paths in a tiny Greek seaside village in this thin but engaging new novel by bestselling Binchy (Quentins; Circle of Friends). When tragedy strikes the smalltown of Aghia Anna in the form of a devastating fire on a tourist pleasure boat—24 people are killed—elderly barkeeper Andreas and craft-shop owner Vonni find themselves host to a random assortment of travelers who watch the conflagration from Andreas's taverna. There is Elsa, the German beauty who is trying to flee from love; David, the quiet young Englishman whose demanding father wants him to go into the family business; Thomas, the American professor who struggles to share his son with his ex-wife's new husband; and Fiona, the Irish nurse who follows her abusive boyfriend despite the warnings of her friends and family. As these strangers become friends, the mysterious Vonni, an Irish woman whose Greek is fluent and whose respected position in town is unquestioned, explores her own memories of heartache, as does Andreas. Unwilling to see their new friends repeat their mistakes, Andreas and Vonni set out to influence the hearts of this motley bunch of foreigners before they leave the village. The setup is flimsy, and the bonds the characters develop are too slender to provide much emotional texture, but Binchy's fans will enjoy this summery page-turner.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.


From AudioFile

Narrator Terry Donnelly more than earns her keep from the word "go." The novel's opening scenes require her to vocalize characters from England, Germany, Greece, Ireland, and the United States, and she applies authentic accents to each. As these characters--residents and tourists on a Greek island--witness a tragedy, they form unique bonds through which they come to resolve personal issues. Donnelly beautifully emotes the pain, regret, and joy Binchy's characters experience. She characterizes young and old, male and female with fitting, believable, and easily distinguishable voices. The author's pleasant, if protracted, story shines amid Donnelly's charming and spirited reading. J.J.B. © AudioFile 2005, Portland, Maine-- Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine --This text refers to the Audio CD edition.
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Customer Reviews

6 Reviews
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3 star:
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2 star:
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Average Customer Review
3.2 out of 5 stars (6 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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4.0 out of 5 stars Multinational Twists on The Bridge of San Luis Rey, Aug 28 2006
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.
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1.0 out of 5 stars A Bunny Book, Jun 16 2006
By D. Clark (Saskatchewan, Canada) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
This review is from: Nights Of Rain And Stars (Paperback)
What do I mean by a bunny book, full of fluff, cute and adorable. I had to read this for my bookclub, so also was sadly committed to finishing it. I'm an avid reader, but had a hard time getting into this book...the first 200 pages took forever, as I would fall asleep after reading 2 or 3 pages.

On top of being boring, the characters are not developed well(flat) too many "eye rolling" conveniences, and no emotion or feeling.

This is the 3rd Binchy book I've tried, and worst by far. The other two were not much better. My club members almost had me convinced to read Tara Road, as they said it was by far a way better book. I decided to give that one a try, but after reading the 1, 2, and 3 star reviews,I think this Binchy book will be my last...a big thanks to the Tara Road reviewers.
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4.0 out of 5 stars Really Enjoyed It...., Jun 7 2005
By A Customer
This review is from: Nights of Rain & Stars (Mass Market Paperback)
Great novel, great group of characters... most of her stories take place in dublin, so it was a very nice change and refreshing to read about characters who were from different geographical locations(german,british,american,irish).. even the setting was different(greece).
I really enjoyed readingt his one... perhaps not her best, but a close second ;)
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 		 Most recent customer reviews

2.0 out of 5 stars Disappointing
Long time fan of Maeve Binchy books but this was not her best work. Read to see for yourself but if you've enjoyed her other books as much as most people then expect to be... Read more
Published on May 2 2005

3.0 out of 5 stars Not her best
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. Read more
Published on Oct 18 2004

5.0 out of 5 stars luminous page-turner
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... Read more
Published on Aug 18 2004 by Maria Lake

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