The Glass Lake (The Glass Lake - Maeve Binchy)

Member Name: Kukana

Product:	The Glass Lake - Maeve Binchy
Date:	14/02/05 (626 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Well-written, pleasant novel for a holiday, Great example of social history, Pleasant plot, nothing to disturb or offend

Disadvantages: Characters seem a bit remote, Might be too long for some people

Kit McMahon lives in the small Irish town of Lough Glass, near the shores of a big lake. Her father is a pharmacist, her mother is a loving and impetuous woman who likes to be free of all restraint. The novel opens in 1952 when Kit is twelve, attending a convent school with her best friend Clio. A few chapters into the book, a dramatic event takes place that changes her family's lives permanently.

This is a book to read over several days, and to savour. I first read it about six or seven years ago, and recently tried it again. I liked it considerably better second time around. At nearly 700 pages it's not a quick read anyway, and it's not the kind of novel that's meant to be raced through. By the time the book ends Kit is at college and in the throes of a love affair: a confident young woman who has matured and developed in many ways over the six or seven years since we first met her.

But it isn't just a family saga, although that's the genre and the setting for this novel. It's a very well-written piece of Irish social history. Through Kit's eyes we see the rapidly changing view of society in the post-war years. It looks without judgement at issues such as attitudes to divorce, unmarried motherhood, and working wives. It also examines deeper questions: is it right to keep some secrets forever? Are 'white lies' a good thing when they protect other people? How strong are the ties of blood?

So it's quite a thought-provoking book, and mostly believable too. There are some delightful minor characters such as Sister Madeleine, a hermit nun who dispenses wise advice to almost everyone in Lough Glass. There are several romantic threads, mostly low-key. I like the style of writing, which is straightforward without too much description; I don't think I skimmed anything and I didn't find any section of conversation that jarred or seemed unrealistic. The various sub-plots worked well together; one slight (but significant) unlikely coincidence towards the end didn't spoil the book at all for me.

And yet... enjoyable though it was, I can't quite award it five stars. It was good, but not brilliant. Nowhere was I moved to tears despite some sadnesses in the story. Perhaps more importantly, I didn't find myself truly empathising with anyone. There are several likeable characters, but right through the book I felt like an outside observer who wished them well, not someone who knew and cared for them. Perhaps this is because the author changes viewpoint several times. The story is told in the third person, and while much of it centres on Kit, it switches around to other perspectives too. It's well-done - there's no feeling of discontinuity or confusion, but it gave me a fly-on-the-wall feeling rather than the sense of being personally involved.

So four stars. I can hardly give it less, as it was undoubtedly a good book. It would be ideal to take on a holiday, to read on a flight or at the beach, since it's fairly engrossing while reading, but easy enough to put down in between times. Recommended to anyone (adult or teenager) who enjoys family sagas, or 1950s social history.

Amazon.co.uk have the paperback edition for sale at £5.59 after their usual 20% discount. For such a lengthy book, this is good value. They also often have some second-hand editions at their Marketplace, and there are large print copies available too. For those who prefer to listen to books on tape, there are audio versions: an abridged Hodder & Stoughton one at £10.49, or the full unabridged Chivers audio book at a rather pricey £49.29.

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