Tara Road by Maeve Binchy (1999, Hardcover)

I was given this book in 2001 from a friend's father who was 95 years old and since the first day I read the book, it became instantly one of my favorites.

It's so close to reality and so well written, you find yourself emotionally attached to everything that's happening in this book! It's an absolute roller coaster ride of emotions, both good and bad.

This was the first Maeve Binchy book I read and now I own all of her books. A completely top-notch writer!

Tara Road is a book you'll read, and then read again. You'll put it away for a year or two and then bring it back out. 5 Stars for Tara Road!

I had actually read Binchy's Quentins first, and Ria and Danny were only very briefly mentioned. Now, after reading Tara Road, their relationship is crystal clear. In this novel there are real people with real problems, gifts and talents, deceptions and revelations, addictions and abuse of all kinds, and the means to overcome them, real love, caring, and a strong sense of family and friendship. Everything that life is or should be.
Maeve Binchy has the talent for bringing characters alive, a study in psychological profiling that makes one wonder about themselves and others. The added dimension of another culture only enriched the novel further.
I can't wait to discover how everyone has progressed in her continuing saga centering around Tara Road!