| Product: |
Nights of Rain and Stars - Maeve Binchy |
| Date: |
05/03/08 (88 review reads) |
| Rating: |
 |
Advantages: You know what to expect from one of the author's books.
Disadvantages: Often seen as an older person'e read.
*****Midday at Midnight café.*****
I haven't counted all my book reviews, but I expect they would amount to about a third of all my reviews. I know they are a mixture of the genres, maybe leaning mostly to the general fiction, but I do like to read some literature that I'd class as either romantic, or just pure escapism. I have a few favourite writers in that category and one of them is Maeve Binchy.
Better known for her books set in her homeland of Ireland, she still manages to write some that aren't entirely type-set and this book falls into that category.
If you haven't read a book by this author before, then you are either young or have probably passed by these as mere romantic fiction. I can't say that I had read many of her books before seeing the film, "Circle of Friends" in 1995. After that I read the book and started to add more of her books to my library. More later.
*****The Story*****
Tragedy strikes the small community of Aghia Anna- a small village on an un-named Greek island. From a tavern three miles uphill from the harbour, Andreas, the owner watches in horror as the tourist boat, the Olga, goes up in flames in the bay below. A small mixed party of tourists join him and watch in disbelief as they share his own grief at the loss of life.
Throughout the rest of the day and into the starry night, they introduce themselves and as many shocked people will do, they start the beginning of a bonding process that will stay with them throughout their time on the beautiful Greek Island.
Four strangers from Ireland, America, Germany and England, each with their own reason for being far away from their normal lives. Each with problems that will eventually catch up with them, but not until the island and some of it's colourful characters will weave a spell around them...so that nothing will ever be quite the same again.
*****The Characters*****
Normally I'd mention these in the plot summary, but as this is a character-driven story, I thought it only fair to allow them their own short descriptions. Binchy writes about characters in the main and this book is no exception.
First there is Fiona, a young women travelling with her unsuitable boyfriend on a mission to escape her parent's nagging. Back in Ireland she was a nurse, in Greece she learns to become much more.
Thomas, the American, is a quiet man whose sabbatical from a teaching post is also helping him to come to terms with a broken marriage and the problematic relationship with his young son.
Elsa is a successful woman back in her homeland of Germany, but she, too is running away from her own personal demons.
David is a young Jewish man from England, fighting against the inventible prospect of following his father into the family business.
Each character comes to know Andreas, who has his own regrets about his only son who lives and works in America. Then there is Vonni, the charismatic and eccentric woman who seems more of a native than her origins from a village in Ireland, many years ago.
There are minor characters, of course. Binchy's books revolve around her characters, less than any main plot. So there are some wonderful cameos from the rich world of ordinary Greek islanders. The grieving widow, Eleni, Andreas's brother, Yorghis, and the people who are on the fringes...the ones left at home...the main character's families.
Without these there would be no story. But don't expect a fairy-tale ending where each character finds their heart's desire. Each one, even the character of Vonni, who seems to be so centred, must go through a brief Summer of learning about themselves before they can find any resolution to their lives. Of course, it's this that makes the book such a wonderful, warm experience and a damn good read.
*****Prose*****
I've visited many Greek Islands and each is a perfect gem in itself. Reading the description of the made-up village of Aghias Anna took me back to so many villages that could easily have been the blueprint for this one. I found myself remembering tiny café's that served traditional Greek food. Tavernas that seemed almost fifty years behind modern civilisation. Tiny coves and hidden bays, ever-changing blue and turquoise waters, sandy beaches and blue skies. Nights when it seemed that the stars were endless and magical.
I also loved the attempts made by some of the tourists, the character of David in particular, to learn some of the language. The author shows how important this is to becoming more than just a noisy tourist. In my many trips to the Greek Islands, I always found that the people were so pleased if you tried to learn even a few words, and it's obvious that the author has done her homework.
There is slightly less dialogue in this book than the normal. I didn't find this off-putting though. Binchy's dialogue usually carries the book so it was a nice change to read less. Even so, there are some wonderful passages that are so natural and a few that bring tears to the eyes. Well, it's her stock in trade and none of her readers would expect less than a box of hankies story.
*****Summary*****
I know what to expect from a Maeve Binchy book by now and wasn't disappointed by this one. It was a little slow to start and it did take a while for the warmth of the characters to come through. I suspect that's because of the different location and the character's different nationalities. As usual I was waiting for one of the characters to take over and this happened, though not in the usual way.
I enjoyed the book and the ending was just right for the story. It's not a wonderful book, but then again, I read for a number of reasons and sometimes I want to indulge myself in something like a nice warm bath with candles surrounding me and a glass of wine on the side.
Other people say that reading one of her books is like putting on comfortable slippers or taking a favourite walk. I don't think that's a bad thing. I read some deep books and I do need to come down from the heights and paddle in the sea under the stars at times.
I paid £1.50 for my second-hand copy. You could probably buy this for about £3+ with postage from Amazon, or look around the shops as I do.
My copy is in excellent condition and at 392 pages was an easy read. The print was quite large as well, which did help.
As Always, thanks for reading.
©Lisa Fuller March 2008.
Summary: A lively and interesting read.
|
|
