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Mar 10, 2009

Suzanne rated it:

This is not one of Maeve's better books (Circle of Friends and Tara Road are better) but is a fun read and enjoyable. The plot centers around an Evening Class" (held in a small town in Ireland) teaching the Italian language and its culture to a group of Irish adults who need something new to jumpstart their engines and break up the monotony of their lives. Each student has his story and Binchy brings them all together and sews up every loose end using her superb easy style in a thoroughly More...

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Aug 03, 2008

Kathryn rated it:

I really wish that this site had half stars because I would push this up to a 3.5 stars, but couldn't really give it the full 4. The format of this book was especially interesting because if followed different individual characters for a period and than brought all their stories together in the end. I am definitely a Maeve Binchy fan now and would read anything written by her. Her books make everyday type events and people interesting.

1 comment like (3 people liked it)

Oct 28, 2007

Beth rated it:

For some time now I've been thinking about creative formats for novels, and one of my best ideas was to introduce an extremely-unlikely-to-have-anything-to-do-with-each-other set of characters and tell their various stories until they all twine into one. Maeve Binchy did something very similar to that in Evening Class, and that was what made this book shine for me. (Her plot, as usual, had a fair amount of angst and marital affairs, but I guess I'm getting used to that.) She waited to tell ma More...

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Dec 25, 2008

Sonia rated it:

I admit I read this out of guilt, because my mom gifted it to me a few years ago (it's about a Latin teacher with Italophilia). Plus I needed something to pass the night in PDX. But the book was LOUSY. The characters had all the depth of a jello parfait. I do not understand the appeal of this writing at all.

2 comments like (1 person liked it)

May 21, 2007

Prillia rated it:

It's a bad thing about Binchy's books. Once I start reading, I couldn't stop myself. The day before yesterday at midday I started to read Evening, I didn't do other things except reading it to the last. It was about 2 o'clock in the morning when my eyes couldn't recognise a single word. My brain still on it, but the eyes stopped to cooperate.

Once again, Evening Class was a sweet story about people who gathered in an Italian evening class. People like Signora O'Donoghue, Aidan Duenne, More...

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Aug 04, 2009

deliabookworm rated it:

I read Evening Class one broiling summer at my grandparent's house in Baltimore. It was 98 degrees every day; with the humidity it felt hotter. To make things even worse, I had my period that week. I also hadn't brought enough books to read. I finished (and reread) the six books I had taken, then proceeded to raid my grandmother's bookshelf. The first book I borrowed was The Lord of the Flies, the second, Death of a Salesman. It was with relief I picked up a book that looked remotely like chickl More...

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Jan 23, 2010

Loralee rated it:

Maeve Binchy is my new favorite author. She takes ordinary characters, takes a long chapter to share their story, and then intertwines all their stories to make a satisfying book.

Aiden Dunne is a hardworking Latin teacher in a working class neighborhood in Dublin, Ireland. He has devoted his life to the school in the hope of becoming the principal someday. The school leadership has other ideas, but to soften the blow, he is offered the chance to start an evening school.

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Feb 14, 2009

Fran rated it:

Maeve Binchy's books are very good if you are looking for an escape. They are all good feel stories.

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May 30, 2011

Christine added it

This is the first novel I have read by Binchy. I am not sure why I avoided her in the past. For some reason, her cover art screamed bad romance novel, I guess. I was pleasantly surprised to find a character driven novel that was pleasant to read. Certainly not great literature, but not a bad summer read for some fun. Things I liked: Characters were well developed, it is clear that the author knows that aspect well. The way the story was told from numerous points of view in the format of e More...

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Jul 28, 2011

Panthère rated it:

J'ai adoré ce livre. L'histoire m'a rappelé un peu le film Italien pour débutants, de la réalisatrice Lone Scherfig (que j'avais beaucoup aimé aussi).

Dans un cours d'italien à Dublin se retrouvent des gens de toutes sortes de milieux. Signora, leur professeur, saura créer des liens entre ses élèves et la vie de plusieurs d'entre eux sera transformée.

Il y a quelques éléments un peu tirés par les cheveux (pourquoi une famille italienne très riche séjournerait-elle dans un h More...

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Feb 20, 2009

Cathy rated it:

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here

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Jul 05, 2008

Ang rated it:

I fell in love with the characters, Italy and the Italian language!! A beautiful Signora returns to Ireland to teach Italian to a diverse group of people. They visit the country...you can feel the sun...an addictive read!

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Aug 05, 2009

Swanbender2001 rated it:

I found this to be as good as my last Binchy. She has a fine way of writing her characterizations and developing her plot lines into a lovely woven fabric of a story. This story involves Senora-Nora of Irish descent who has lived in Italy for almost 30 years near the love of her life and watched as he and his wife had children and the family prospered. When Mario dies suddenly in an automobile accident, his wife and her brother ask Senora to leave their village and their lives and she returns to More...

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Oct 15, 2009

Joseph rated it:

Thrillers and technical books have not been able to keep my attention lately, so I thought I would give this book a try since Shannan loved it so much. The Evening Class was a nice change of pace and style and I absolutely loved it! It involved Italy a little bit, which I enjoyed, but Binchy has a special gift and really drew me into the characters. The way she wove all of their lives together was amazing. I found I could really relate to the characters and care about them. I admit that this b More...

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May 15, 2011

jacky rated it:

I never would have thought to pick this up on my own. It was one of the thousands of books that line the library and book store that I've never heard of and don't think to pick up because there are so many other books I'm intent on reading. My on line book club chose to read this one. I wasn't sure I was going to like it at first, and wasn't thrilled about the length, but I enjoyed it right from the first few pages. What I particularly enjoyed about this book was that each section follows a More...

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Oct 21, 2011

Heidi rated it:

This was a re-read for me and it didn't disappoint the 2nd (or maybe 3rd time around) either. I love Maeve Binchy books. To me they are my "gentle fiction" reads that I turn to time and time again when I just want something engaging to read and don't have anything at hand. They are satisfying. The characters are real - not too good, not sappy and have rea-life issues. I particularly enjoy this book and it was good to reread since I remembered very little of it from my last read a few y

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Jun 25, 2009

Bess rated it:

Hope left this book for me after her weekend at the Greevy B&B, and I started reading it from fond memories of reading M.B. as a teenager. The first chapter was dull, but the book quickly locked me in after that . Superb and complex character development. You really get a good look at the story from many different perspectives, gathering little bits along the way until all the strands are woven into a final chapter. A very nice book to loose yourself in for a few days.

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Aug 27, 2011

Trish rated it:

Liked this book far better than I imagined, and far more than Tara Road or others by Binchy. Different sections of the novel focussing on different characters merge together in a rather satisfying ending. Characters are likeable and believable, with the possible exception of Signora. Hard to understand abandoning one's country and family for decades to move to Italy and live as a mistress across the street from a married man who won't leave his wife for you.

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Feb 05, 2009

Henni rated it:

En rigtig hyggebog der passer perfekt til sofahjørnet. Der er ikke de helt store overraskelser i bogen, men det gør ikke noget, for det forventede jeg heller ikke. Til gengæld blev mine forventninger om et broget persongalleri og en slutning der ville flette alt sammen til det bedste ikke gjort til skamme.
Maeve Binchy har en dejlig evne til at fortælle om dagligdagens skæbner så man lever sig ind i begivenhederne føler sig underholdt undervejs.

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Mar 19, 2009

Krista rated it:

Really great, dynamic characters. You just cheer for them all the way as they learn Italian and figure out how to shape their lives. Each chapter is from the point of view of a different character, and having them intertwine is fun in the way that seeing a character show up in cameo in another tv series is fun. Pretty confusing, though, as there are a couple dozen characters at least, and several of them have second, Italian names. Pretty quick and easy to read, and has a few really good chuckle More...

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Aug 28, 2010

Maggie rated it:

Maeve Binchy is my new favorite author. She takes ordinary characters, takes a long chapter to share their story, and then intertwines all their stories to make a satisfying book.

I thought this was a delightful read. I loved getting to know the main characters of the story and see how the lives of those who signed up for the Evening Class became intertwined with each other. It was funny, sad, poignant, happy, and a good read. It was really hard to put it down each night and go to More...

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Feb 02, 2012

Restless Ness rated it:

October 2008: It's a collection of character stories that are interwoven, detailing how they all come to be part of this Italian evening class. I quite like it, but it may be a bit slow paced for some. I quite like how she is able to make you care for characters even though she just introduces them to you very randomly and refers back to them. This is a skill I would like very much to master.

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Jul 29, 2011

Jayne rated it:

Fairly typical Maeve Binchy fare, this, although the structure is a little looser than some of her other novels. Each chapter focuses on a different character although they intermingle a little. I thought the story of the teacher and her tragic love affair in Italy was the best, though fans of Maeve Binchy will find much to enjoy in the well rounded characters and their individual stories throughout this book.

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Jan 14, 2011

J rated it:

My favourite out of all of Binchy's books and I've read them all. What I like the most about Binchy is her writing style, the way the words just gently roll off your tongue as you read it out aloud. The appeal lies in the book's characters, individuals who are leading ordinary lives in Ireland until a serendipitous choice to learn Italian leads to hope, adventure and change.

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May 28, 2009

April rated it:

I enjoyed this book. I was reading this on the plane this weekend, and I realized that Maeve Binchy is perfect airplane reading. In fact, I first started reading her on a plane back in 1999. A lady gave me Circle of Friends on an international flight. I didn't think I would like it, but it was so engaging. I loved the characters and her style. I've been a fan since then.

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May 14, 2009

Julianne rated it:

There's going to be an evening class offered at the local
Dublin school. These working-class adult students set out to learn Italian! What a treat! Something different, unusual, unexpected. As they meet each evening, we learn about each of them, their backgrounds, their families, their problems and their dreams. And soon they work toward a common goal -- an adventure!

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Mar 25, 2011

Annelle rated it:

Sometimes authors create characters that are a little hard to believe. I can believe a woman following her love to another country knowing he "has" to marry another woman. But I don't believe this woman will live there for 20 years living on next to nothing watching her "love" live his life. All this while her life is basically on hold. Not really believable!

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Apr 19, 2011

Deb rated it:

Cast of perspectives? Members of an evening class. Each class member has a section of the book that tells their part of the story... expertly interwoven in a "small world" way. If I were to be teaching perspective in a classroom I could easily choose a couple of chapters from this book. Binchy is a best seller for a reason. Fun reading.

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Aug 06, 2011

Rebeccameder rated it:

I rarely read this type of book, I usually read historical or fantasy, but this was very well written. I liked seeing all the different peoples lives. It kept me wanting to turn pages the whole time. It's made me reflect on how each person has a whole story of their own to be discovered, and you may truly understand so little of them from just surface acquaintances.

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Feb 01, 2011

Marcia rated it:

Absolutely love it! An English friend gave me this book because I'm taking an evening Italian class. I was not familiar with the author. Now, I can't wait to read more of Maeve Binchy's books! Whether you are in an Italian class as I am, you will enjoy the characters and the story that unfolds. I Highly recommend this book!

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