Not much to be learned here (Evening Class - Maeve Binchy)

Member Name: louanna8

Product:	Evening Class - Maeve Binchy
Date:	14/06/09 (48 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Easy to read, not typical chick-lit

Disadvantages: Predictable and little drama

Evening Class by Maeve Binchy is not the sort of book I would normally chose. I prefer gritty, unusual stories with unexpected twists . As it happens the choice of english books in my local library is limited and there weren't any better options(I refuse to read Nora Roberts.) Thus I began "Evening Class" expecting a pretty run of the mill book that if not exactly chick lit was not far off.

Evening Class is set around Mountainview school in Dublin, the very school that Aidan Dunne is expecting to become headmaster of. Unfortunately, he suffers a major disappointment as he loses out. To console himself he starts an Italien evening class and recruits the mysterious Signora(real name Nora O'Donoghue,) an Irish woman who has spent 30 years in a small Sicilian town, as the teacher. Each chapter of the book concentrates on one of the members of this evening class. Discovering their personal secrets as well as the impact the classe has on their lives. From the young, hard-working Kathy to the rich but generous Connie to the mentally challenged but determined Laddy people from every background and social class are to be found here. But how will the class' final trip to Italy culminate, will all the secrets come out and who will find love in the end?

I found the plot to be interesting if slightly too neat and most of the "twists" could be recognized early on. As we are told most of the characters secrets straight away there is little to be discovered and, in my opinion of course, the ending was predictable.
However, the writing style of Maeve Binchy is clear and easy to follow. She essentially manages to tell several stories in this novel and all within the space of one chapter. The plot is well-thought out and constructed if a little unbelievable. As a holiday book or just an easy read it is one of the better ones of its genre. I also liked the fact that the female characters were strong, independent and modern rather than being damsels in distress waiting for a man to come along.

In summary, a good if rather uninspiring book. I liked the characters but didn't feel particularly strongly about any of them and the ending didn't raise any emotion in me. Yet if you fancy something simple to read and easy to get into for your holidays this summer then this would be a good choice.

Summary: A decent holiday read