Date: 24 March 2013
Location: Bob & Linda
A few hardy members met on the Bob & Linda’s former porch now beautifully converted open den for our March (i.e. St. Patrick’s Day) edition of book club. I had been asked to come up with something Irish and hopefully lighter than what we’ve read for the last two months. A “feel good” book seemed the right answer.
Maeve Binchy lived up to the requirement. She provided us with nice people in the form of a tribe (or village) organized by Emily to keep baby Frankie out of the feared hands of the local foster care system represented by the very unhappy personage of Moira, while Noah got his life together for the sake of the little girl. Moira was very efficient in taking care of all the people who were assigned to her – there would be no headlines coming out of her work to hit the evening papers. But she did it without joy. Emily, the cousin who comes for a visit from America is Moira’s opposite. She seems to be a good fairy sprinkling gold dust all around her, solving problems with a flick of her serene wrist.
Bob noted that the characters seemed shallow, but I thought that perhaps the author was relying on the reader’s knowledge of most of the characters from several of her previous books. To me it was a joy to become reacquainted with everyone, sort of like returning to a neighborhood where you used to live. In the end all’s well and everyone is content, with the exception of poor Moira. We were content with a pleasant story, Irish coffee, good corned beef, and good friends.
— Gina