I love Maeve Binchy’s writing and I have enjoyed so many of her books. This is not one of her best in my opinion. I love how the story starts in the present and then we are taken back to the beginning. And there are wonderful characters in the book; colorful, interesting, irritating, heartwarming, good, bad and in-between. The friendship between the main characters is heartwarming. You really do get a sense of how life was during this timeframe and a flavor for both Ireland and England which is Binchy’s strong suit and where her talent lies. The book is a bit long and while I don’t have any problems with fat books as long as they keep me engrossed, this one wavered a bit. We see the two main characters as they grow from children to teen to women discovering the world and wanting to live fully versus being forced into the roles women typically were forced to play out. The ending, however, kind of left me feeling flat. Had the ending left me satisfied and full I would have enjoyed the whole experience more.

Loved it! She knew how to paint a picture with words.

Simply amazing how her stories captivate you! Could not put this book down!

Murder, intrigue, lies, betrayal, friendship that is stronger than all relationships. This book was awesome, I love the O' Connor family, kinda an Angela Ashes but with a twist of fun that only Maeve can write. I love how she used the history of world war II Rations and what it was like to live with shipping children to a safe place because of bombs. This book will keep you up into the wee hours of the night and when your done, it will have you call your best friend and renew all that makes up the meaning of friendship. Must read!

I read this years ago and still love the story enough to reread it. Compelling and heart wrenching. A lovely evocation of 20th century England and Ireland. If you enjoy the chronicles of a lifetime told through central characters and their struggles this is a great book.