Tara Road: A Novel

Written by:
Maeve Binchy
Narrated by:
Fionnula Flanagan

Unabridged Audiobook

Ratings
Book
51
Narrator
6
Release Date
July 2000
Duration
17 hours 39 minutes
Summary
Ria lived on Tara Road in Dublin with her dashing husband, Danny, and their two children. She fully believed she was happily married, right up until the day Danny told her he was leaving her to be with his young, pregnant girlfriend. By a chance phone call, Ria meets Marilyn, a woman from New England unable to come to terms with her only son's death and now separated from her husband. The two women exchange houses for the summer with extraordinary consequences, each learning that the other has a deep secret that can never be revealed.

Drawn into lifestyles vastly differing from their own, at first each resents the news of how well the other is getting on. Ria seems to have become quite a hostess, entertaining half the neighborhood, which at first irritates the reserved and withdrawn Marilyn, a woman who has always guarded her privacy. Marilyn seems to have become bosom friends with Ria's children, as well as with Colm, a handsome restaurateur, whom Ria has begun to miss terribly. At the end of the summer, the women at last meet face-to-face. Having learned a great deal, about themselves and about each other, they find that they have become, firmly and forever, good friends.

A moving story rendered with the deft touch of a master artisan, Tara Road is Maeve Binchy at her very best—utterly beautiful, hauntingly unforgettable, entirely original, and wholly enjoyable.
Reviews
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Siobhan F.

Good story kept you guessing what would happen next.

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Anonymous

Actually loved this book. Bought it in a used book store 8 years ago but with life moving forward, I misplaced it. I found listening this, I remembered everything about the characters and the story even though I had only read 20%. I continued to finish it with this audiobook and truly enjoyed it including the narrator. Want to read more from this author.

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Alexis Solis

Audiobook does not match the book. A revision is needed.

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Anonymous

This is the first title that I've returned without listening to the whole book. The story jumped from person to person too quickly, so there was never time to "care" what happened to each character. After 2 discs, I gave up.

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Pam

Another very good story about interesting people! Ms. Binchy's stories are wonderful character studies and I really liked this one.

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Shane

Well in movie parlance it is a chick flick. You know it is one. It is one. Complaining about it being one is not the point. The narrator is worth the listen to this one, if nothing else. GREAT accent!

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Nadine Bouler

Overall the book was the usual Maeve Binchy, an entertaining, soap opera in contemporary Ireland, but some of the gaps in the abridged book made me wonder if I missed a disk. Delete a star if you are a purist or looking for a substantial piece of literature.

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Patricia Paradine

I really enjoyed listening to this book. Most women can relate to this book and it ends on a good note.

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Anonymous

This was an engaging tale of human interactions! I didn't really know where it was all going to lead, and I like that it kept you engaged.

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Donna

Just couldn't get into this book. One of the very few books I returned without finishing.

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Nanette

Loved the story and characters. This is the novel I have read by this author and will look for more.

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Molly

Story was lukewarm, the villians much more interesting than the heroine/victim. Passable listen.

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Julie

Perhaps I would have enjoyed the unabridged version more. I felt as though the characters would make unexplainable shifts that would change who you thought they were, but always for the worst, never better, and never in a way that made me think I could learn from poor Ria's experiences. So I found it a bit of a downer. I also am very glad I didn't read the description of the book above before I listened to it because it gives the whole story away.

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Angela Jones

Intriguing and suspenseful. This story brings out many emotions when you are listening to it. I did not want to take a break from this story. I will miss these characters.

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Amanda Runnels

I loved this Irish tale of love and life, and the webs we sometimes weave for ourselves. All the characters had a lot of depth to them and were believable. Worth listening to.

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Shirley

I have recommended this book to at least 5 (women) friends and ALL have loved it. From my 85 year old mother to my daughter's 20 year old friends and in between. A not so simple story which is very different from the one most of us live, Maeve Binchy makes me want to move to Ireland! It's about relationships, with ourselves as well as others, how life changes us and we change it - and so much more. Do yourself a favor, listen to Tara Road.

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Dina Mac

Ho, hum. Unless you're a real Binchy fan, as I am, you might want to skip this one.

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