The Glass Lake in Around the World in 80 Books

Dec 18, 2022 Laura rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: library, irish-lit, bricks, comfort-reads, library-request, overdrive, favorite-authors, 2022, brit-countryside

Wow. It’s been awhile since I’ve even tried a Maeve Binchy novel. They never used to match my mood, but now, a family saga / small town read, particularly set in Europe, seems just the right fit. My first by this author and won’t be my last!

This is that big fat book that you want to be stuck inside of forever; you don’t want it to ever end. From the blurb here, it seemed like it might be a family drama with a bit of magical realism. There was no magical realism at all. This should have been a di Wow. It’s been awhile since I’ve even tried a Maeve Binchy novel. They never used to match my mood, but now, a family saga / small town read, particularly set in Europe, seems just the right fit. My first by this author and won’t be my last!

This is that big fat book that you want to be stuck inside of forever; you don’t want it to ever end. From the blurb here, it seemed like it might be a family drama with a bit of magical realism. There was no magical realism at all. This should have been a disappointment, but it wasn’t.

Very hard to describe without throwing spoilers. This is basically the story of a mother and her daughter. One of their lives takes an unexpected and significant turn towards the beginning and the rest of the novel deals with the aftermath.

That may not sound too enticing, but trust me, it is. You’ll get to know the main characters so well (and for the most part, you’ll really enjoy them). There is a former nun in here who plays a minor but major role, if that makes any sense. She really became so close to my heart. She loves animals and people but chooses to live mostly by herself. The people (and animals) wind up coming to her when they are in trouble, because they know she will help whenever she can, she’ll give good advice and will keep confidences to herself.

I feel like I’m rambling. I wish I had read this with a group. There is SO much to discuss in here. So many “What would you do if … ?” type questions. I loved and then later kind of loathed the same character. I almost bagged the book bc this person’s decision irked me so much. I’m so glad I stayed with it, though, because by the middle or so, it just made more sense. And she tied up most of the loose ends by the end, which is a bonus in my opinion. The ending seemed a little rushed to me, but considering it was a 750-pp book….you know. It had to end sometime! I just didn’t want it to, ever. I really wish she had written a sequel, because one of the characters…….I want to see their life about 5-10 years down the road.

A highly recommended, semi-comfort, semi-family drama kind of read. And definitely an author for me to revisit. She knows how to create real people, and the pages just keep turning. A book to get totally lost in. Usually long books should be cut, I want to be done a good while before it’s over. This one was just the opposite. How many bricks can you say that about?! ...more

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