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Evening Class
by
Maeve Binchy
It was the quiet ones you had to watch. That's where the real passion was lurking.
They came together at Mountainview College, a down-at-the-heels secondary school on the seamy side of Dublin, to take a course in Italian. It was Latin teacher Aidan Dunne's last chance to revive a failing marriage and a dead-end career. But Aidan's dream was headed for disaster until the mys...more
They came together at Mountainview College, a down-at-the-heels secondary school on the seamy side of Dublin, to take a course in Italian. It was Latin teacher Aidan Dunne's last chance to revive a failing marriage and a dead-end career. But Aidan's dream was headed for disaster until the mys...more
Paperback, 544 pages
Published
May 29th 2007
by Dell
(first published 1996)
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Community Reviews
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Mar 10, 2009
Suzanne
rated it
3 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
summer-read,
irish-writing
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 entert...more
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.
Jan 24, 2013
Tina
rated it
3 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
round-table-reads,
twenty-twelve
**SPOILERS .... BEWARE!!!**
I found this read pretty interesting. Each chapter is narrated by a different character & all of the characters are intertwined in some way, other than their obvious attendance to the evening class. This shouldn't have been a problem…. but by the time I got to the 6th character (or-so) I'd forgotten the first 5 & had to seriously rack my brain to figure out how the characters were connected, who was who, and who did what. (Maybe it’s my ever-increasing old age....more
I found this read pretty interesting. Each chapter is narrated by a different character & all of the characters are intertwined in some way, other than their obvious attendance to the evening class. This shouldn't have been a problem…. but by the time I got to the 6th character (or-so) I'd forgotten the first 5 & had to seriously rack my brain to figure out how the characters were connected, who was who, and who did what. (Maybe it’s my ever-increasing old age....more
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 many...more
2 likes · like · see review
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.
1 like · like · see review
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, Katherine a...more
Once again, Evening Class was a sweet story about people who gathered in an Italian evening class. People like Signora O'Donoghue, Aidan Duenne, Katherine a...more
'Evening Class' is an enjoyable piece of chick-lit which tells the story of how an evening class at a rundown high school, changes various individuals' lives. It's long, but worth the effort, in that it has that 'feel good' factor, and makes for an enjoyable story that you can read anywhere.
Nevertheless, I had quite a few complaints with the book. I found the main character of Signora utterly detestable and pathetic, and therefore very difficult to warm to, and I felt that with many of the char...more
Nevertheless, I had quite a few complaints with the book. I found the main character of Signora utterly detestable and pathetic, and therefore very difficult to warm to, and I felt that with many of the char...more
I love Maeve Binchy stories, but this is my all-time favorite of hers. It is the story of how to make the best out of your lot in life and actually enriching that life through positive steps such as learning a foreign language.
Aiden Dunne is a middle aged married man, father of two daughters. He is taken for granted by his daughters and ignored by his wife. He has just suffered a major setback in that the promotion he was expecting at his school was given to a much younger, less experienced man...more
Aiden Dunne is a middle aged married man, father of two daughters. He is taken for granted by his daughters and ignored by his wife. He has just suffered a major setback in that the promotion he was expecting at his school was given to a much younger, less experienced man...more
This was the second book I ever read by Binchy. This is a tale about Aidan who has lost all sense of himself. His family acts as if he's invisible and his wife, Nell, doesn't even know he exists. He teaches in a hardened part of town in Dublin called MountainView.
Nora is a woman who has lived in exile in Sicily for 20 years or so. She has followed Mario, the man she loves, to live there, even though he is already married to his prearranged wife, Carmen. When Mario dies, the island people gently...more
Nora is a woman who has lived in exile in Sicily for 20 years or so. She has followed Mario, the man she loves, to live there, even though he is already married to his prearranged wife, Carmen. When Mario dies, the island people gently...more
1 like · like · see review
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
I've read many of Maeve Binchy's books, but this one is still my favorite. Nora, a young Irish girl from a loveless home, falls hopelessly in love with Mario and follows him back to Sicily, even though he intends to marry the girl his family has picked out for him. She stays there for twenty-five years, sitting in a room across the square from where Mario and his family live, watching their comings and goings. But that's all backstory. The real story begins when Nora, now known as "Signora," fin...more
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.
Nora O'Donoghue, a Dublin...more
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.
Nora O'Donoghue, a Dublin...more
Maeve Binchy's books are very good if you are looking for an escape. They are all good feel stories.
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 each mai...more
1 like · like · see review
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 hôtel modeste?), des chan...more
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 hôtel modeste?), des chan...more
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
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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!
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
A sentimental, somewhat slow moving but ultimately enjoyable story told about eight individuals who live in present day Dublin. Their individual narratives are developed using their attendance in an Italian class organized by an extraordinary Irishwoman returning home after 26 years in Sicily. The group ultimately becomes greater than the sum of its parts as personal difficulties are overcome. Binchy writes somewhat in the style of Rosamunde Pilcher, but she lacks Pilcher’s warmth and skill in f...more
I found this book second-hand at the local Saturday market for 50p. I've no real idea what compelled me to choose it but I'm so glad I did! It's such a lovely feeling to stumble upon something as enjoyable and engrossing as this was for such a cheap price! I've not read any of Maeve Binchy's books before, but I honestly loved it. The way that each of the characters has their own chapter dedicated to them kept the pace quick, the story fresh, and gave me a real good understanding of what made the...more
Jan 21, 2013
Maria Grazia
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
biblioteca,
narrativa-inglese
Sarà ridicolo, ma è il primo romanzo più o meno rosa che leggo in tutta la mia vita, e tutto sommato questa sconosciuta (per me) Maeve Binchy, ha fatto un discreto lavoro.
I personaggi sono ben caratterizzati, anche se non molto approfonditi, le ambientazioni sono gradevoli, le situazioni un tantino stereotipate, soprattutto per quanto riguarda l'Italia, che è decisamente un'Italia per stranieri, ma il libro è scritto in modo curato, e ogni tanto prova anche a riservare qualche piccolo colpo di s...more
I personaggi sono ben caratterizzati, anche se non molto approfonditi, le ambientazioni sono gradevoli, le situazioni un tantino stereotipate, soprattutto per quanto riguarda l'Italia, che è decisamente un'Italia per stranieri, ma il libro è scritto in modo curato, e ogni tanto prova anche a riservare qualche piccolo colpo di s...more
This is my favourite Maeve Binchy book. There is just something about the mix of characters and the way they all come together for something that is a leveller - no matter what their background is, in the Italian Evening Class they are all the same.
I also love the structure of the novel and the way you get each story separately but they all weave together at the end. The humour throughout is also wonderful, I was constantly chuckling.
Although the much talked of trip to Italy is in fact the short...more
I also love the structure of the novel and the way you get each story separately but they all weave together at the end. The humour throughout is also wonderful, I was constantly chuckling.
Although the much talked of trip to Italy is in fact the short...more
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 boo...more
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 new...more
Have not read something by this author in a long time, but after this novel,i will be reading more! I love a book that starts off interestingly enough to keep you reading, but slowly draws you into the story and the lives of the characters so deliciously that you soon find that you do not want to put the book down. That was pretty much my experience with Evening Class... interesting characters, some of which are very well developed, in an unusual setting that makes you part of the story.
With the recent death of this so-loved writer, I thought it was time to revisit what is my favourite of her many books. This is one of those novels that have stuck with me over the years. I enjoyed it as much this time around as I did when I read it years ago. The interplay of the different characters, the wit and the warmth were all still there. I always felt sorry for Nora/Signora, watching the man she loved live his life with another woman, and cheered for the renewal of her own life.
Oct 21, 2011
Heidi Hertzog
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
read-in-2011,
audio-book
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 years ago.
Thank you, LucyAnn! I don't think I would have ever tried this one without such a strong recommendation from you!! Italy, Ireland, romance, intricate character interactions. It reminded be a bit of J. Archer, but without all the politics and nastiness. All the main characters are nice people trying to do their best. As they meet, many unexpectedly end up helping others. It has a very, very nice feel-good way with it! It would make a lovely Masterpiece Theatre mini-series.
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.
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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| Maeve Binchy character connections | 6 | 62 | Jun 06, 2013 10:51am |
Maeve Binchy was born in Dalkey, County Dublin and came to fame first as London Correspondent for the Irish Times. Her first novel, Light a Penny Candle, made her famous in the UK and USA. She passed away on July 30, 2012, at the age of 72.
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Apr 20, 2011 02:47am