Maeve Binchy: Firefly Summer / Circle of Friends

by Maeve Binchy

Genres: Fiction, Ireland, Romance, Contemporary

Paperback

First published July 21, 1994

About the author

Anne Maeve Binchy Snell was an Irish novelist, playwright, short story writer, columnist, and speaker. Her novels were characterised by a sympathetic and often humorous portrayal of small-town life in Ireland, and surprise endings. Her novels, which were translated into 37 languages, sold more than 40 million copies worldwide. Her death at age 73, announced by Vincent Browne on Irish television late on 30 July 2012, was mourned as the death of one of Ireland's best-loved and most recognisable writers.
She appeared in the US market, featuring on The New York Times Best Seller list and in Oprah's Book Club. Recognised for her "total absence of malice" and generosity to other writers, she finished third in a 2000 poll for World Book Day, ahead of Jane Austen, Charles Dickens, and Stephen King.

Reviews

[Monika · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you're starting Maeve Binchy, start with this. The little Irish town Mountfern and its people, pubs and culture way back in 1963-66, the children, the Ryan family, the O'Neill family, a fatal accident, a tragic death and a happy ending. The perfect 60's novel which gets you involved and attached with the characters. This one will never disappoint you for sure!

[Kate · Rating 4 out of 5]

Firefly Summer.
I really like this book, it was funny, sad and kept me wanting to turn the pages to see what would happen. Maeve works her magic interweaving peoples stories in such a way that you feel you know everyone personally and that you live amongst them.

Circle of friends.
I loved this book although I have never read a bad book by Maeve Binchy. She has a remarkable way of taking a cast of completely unrelated characters and weaving the most amazing story from it. Circle of friends is one of those books that you are sorry to finish and feel a bit lost afterwards as to what to do next.

[Toni Umar · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love all the MB books I have read. These two are just as good, somewhat predictable but wonderful descriptions af the characters and the thoughts and things they do, good and bad. Nice endings, good feel good stories.

[Rose Rosetree · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pub owners, John and Kate Ryan -- their Irish family and even the way of life in their small village -- come into conflict with an American interloper, one with Irish roots, Patrick O'Neill. He aims to build a luxury hotel, a tourist destination.

Both families have children. Each family has a unique voice, too, and it's fascinating to see what happens when they're all struggling to dominate pub-type traffic in Mountfern.

WHAT I LOVE ABOUT THIS NOVEL

Maeve Binchy's sensibility, that's what I love. Apart from telling an enthralling story, she seems to get out of the way, never showing off through her writing. Nonetheless, she has a knack for making me care about every one of her characters.

I'd add, so far I've gone to Ireland twice, once to teach workshops in Cork and once as a tourist in a lovely tour given by Road Scholar. I've seen a lot and learned a lot, but it does seem to me that Maeve Binchy has taught me more about Ireland. She's taught my heart, especially.

Taught me more about Ireland than I've learned from reading W.B. Yeats, James Joyce, John Synge, Oscar Wilde, Bernard Shaw, and other literary lions who've mattered a great deal to me.

Simply put, I love her books.

[Andrea Anderson · Rating 4 out of 5]

An engaging, place-based, riveting story, rich and complex, dripping with culture. I adore the brilliant flow of Binchy's writing; a conversation builds a scene while developing the plot and character. This is my first read of hers, I will be reading more.

[Leora S Hofmann]

Read 2 pages and didn't like her writing.

[Dena Hays]

Boring, couldn’t get into
11/20/2021

[Rebecca · Rating 3 out of 5]

Utterly breathtaking mediocrity and yet Ciricle of Friends is still rather enjoyable...I just don't understand how or why. Of course one expects Binchy's plots (if you can call them that) to be slow and just follow the lives of her characters, but did the woman honestly have to make her characters so dull-witted and childlike? Several times I felt like shaking the protagonists of both books by the throat. I can't see why Circle of Friends is supposedly Binchy's best work, as other books she has written are far better!

[Rebecca · Rating 5 out of 5]

Her characters are the best!

[Christine Miles]

Loved this book!

[Rebecca Lewis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Feel good and easy to read!

[Molly Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

Too many characters. Took too long. Skipped lots. Read ending.

[Denise]

This is not the edition I'm reading; is there any way to delete a book?

[Mell · Rating 4 out of 5]

2 of my favorite, and some of her best novels . . . .

[Wendy Ogden · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lovely read...relaxing and interesting. My first Maeve Binchy book. I will read more.