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Evening Class
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an interesting book enjoyed listening to it
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A story to warm the heart
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Heartwrenching
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This is the story of two very different children growing up in a small Irish seaside town in the 50s and 60s. Shouting their hearts' desires into the echo cave, praying that their destiny will lead them far away from the town in which they live. Castlebay, in winter empty and grey with wind and sea spray, becomes all bustle and colour in the gaudy days of summer. The paths of these two characters are destined to criss-cross in a quite unforeseen way, and eventually both roads will lead back to Castlebay.
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Depressingly sad
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Every table at Quentins Restaurant has a thousand stories to tell: tales of love, betrayal and revenge. Ella Brady wants to make a documentary about the renowned Dublin restaurant that has captured the spirit of a generation and a city in the years it has been open. In Maeve Binchy's magical Quentins you will meet new friends and old: the twins from Scarlet Feather, the Signora from Evening Class, Ria from Tara Road - and a host of fresh faces.
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an interesting book enjoyed listening to it
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A story to warm the heart
- By Anonymous User on 09-02-2018
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Scarlet Feather
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Cathy Scarlet and Tom Feather have decided to create the best catering company in Dublin. They have the perfect premises, heaps of talent, and even a few contacts - but not everyone seems as pleased by the idea of 'Scarlet Feather' as they are. Tom's parents are disappointed that he has turned his back on the family business. Cathy's husband buries himself in work, becoming ever more distant, whilst his mother thinks Cathy should stay at home to look after him.
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Heartwrenching
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Overall
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It began with Benny Hogan and Eve Malone, 2 inseparable young Irish women, growing up in the village of Knockglen. Benny, an only child, yearning to break free from her adoring parents and Eve, an orphan, abandoned to be raised by nuns, seemed an unlikely pair. Together, Eve and Benny knew the sins and secrets behind every villager's lace curtains...except their own. The pair becomes a circle when Benny and Eve leave for university in Dublin, and meet beautiful Nan Mahon and Jack Foley, a doctor's handsome son. But heartbreak and betrayal would bring the worlds of Knockglen and Dublin into explosive collision. Long-hidden lies would emerge to test the meaning of love and the strength of ties held within the fragile gold bands of a...Circle Of Friends.
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Echoes
- By: Maeve Binchy
- Narrated by: Kate Binchy
- Length: 18 hrs and 53 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
This is the story of two very different children growing up in a small Irish seaside town in the 50s and 60s. Shouting their hearts' desires into the echo cave, praying that their destiny will lead them far away from the town in which they live. Castlebay, in winter empty and grey with wind and sea spray, becomes all bustle and colour in the gaudy days of summer. The paths of these two characters are destined to criss-cross in a quite unforeseen way, and eventually both roads will lead back to Castlebay.
-
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Depressingly sad
- By Margaret on 28-10-2018
-
Nights of Rain and Stars
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- Narrated by: Terry Donnelly
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Overall
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Performance
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Heart and Soul
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Clara Casey has more than enough on her plate. Her daughters are a handful and Clara, a senior cardiac specialist, has a new job to cope with.... For Ania, meeting Clara Casey is a miracle: she had never intended to leave her beloved Poland, but after the love of her life has turned sour, her world seems rather empty. Perhaps a new job in a new country will mend her broken heart?
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heart and soul
- By Tim on 30-07-2017
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The Copper Beech
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By the school house at Shancarrig stands a copper Beech, its bark scarred with the names and dreams of the pupils who have grown up under its branches. Under Junior Assistant Mistress Maddy Ross's careful gaze the children play, but out of school Maddy's gaze lingers where it shouldn't. Maura Brennan, a bundle of fun from the rough end of town, plays with her pals
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A Week in Winter
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The Sheedy sisters had lived in Stone House for as long as anyone could remember. Set high on the cliffs on the west coast of Ireland, overlooking the windswept Atlantic ocean, it was falling into disrepair - until one woman, with a past she needed to forget, breathed new life into the place. Now a hotel, with a big, warm kitchen and log fires, it provides a welcome few can resist. Winnie is generally able to make the best of things, until she finds herself on the holiday from hell.
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Long winded.
- By Jennifer2 on 30-09-2016
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Light a Penny Candle
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- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
As a child, Elizabeth was sent from her war-torn, rather loveless home in London to stay with a big, boisterous family in a small town in Ireland. There she meets Aisling, and begins what becomes a long-lasting friendship. Over the next 20 years, Aisling and Elizabeth's paths will cross and re-cross. As they face their loves, their marriages, and their disappointments, they realise that not all problems will be solved, nor all wishes granted by lighting a penny candle.
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incredibly frustrating
- By Trish on 17-07-2016
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Chestnut Street
- By: Maeve Binchy
- Narrated by: Kate Binchy
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Just round the corner from St Jarlath's Crescent (featured in Minding Frankie) is Chestnut Street. Here, the lives of the residents are revealed in Maeve Binchy's wonderfully compelling tales: Bucket Maguire, the window cleaner, who must do more than he bargained for to protect his son. Nessa Byrne, who's aunt comes to visit from America for six weeks every summer and turns the house - and Nessa's world - upside down. Lilian, the generous girl with a big heart, and the fiancé not everyone approves of.
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Satisfactory solutions
- By Roger on 16-09-2014
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Whitethorn Woods
- By: Maeve Binchy
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When a new highway threatens to bypass the town of Rossmore and cut through Whitethorn Woods, everyone has a passionate opinion about whether the town will benefit or suffer. But young Father Flynn is most concerned with the fate of St. Ann's Well, which is set at the edge of the woods and slated for destruction.
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Firefly Summer
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Firefly Summer is warm, humorous, sad and happy. Reading it is a joy' Irish Independent In the summer of 1962, an American millionaire arrives in a small, sleepy Irish town with far-reaching consequences. For the children of the Ryan family, the long hot summers are usually spent playing in the ruins of a large, abandoned house.
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A comfortable listen, but not one of Maeve's best
- By Anonymous User on 01-07-2018
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Minding Frankie
- By: Maeve Binchy
- Narrated by: Kate Binchy
- Length: 7 hrs and 1 min
- Abridged
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Performance
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Story
Baby Frankie is born into an unusual family. Her mother is desperate to find someone to take care of her child and she doesn't have much time. Noel doesn't seem to be the most promising of fathers but despite everything, he could well be Frankie's best hope. As for Lisa, she is prepared to give up everything for the man she loves; surely he's going to love her back? And Moira is having none of it. She knows what's right, and has the power to change the course of Frankie's life....
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Silver Wedding
- By: Maeve Binchy
- Narrated by: Kate Binchy
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- Abridged
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A silver wedding means a family gathering, difficult occasions at the best of times. But for the Doyles (Deidre, Desmond, and their children Anna, Helen, and Brendan) it will be more difficult than most. For each of them is keeping up a front; each of them is nursing a secret wound, or smarting over a hidden betrayal. As the day draws nearer, so the tension mounts, until finally the guests gather at the silver wedding party itself.
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The Lilac Bus
- By: Maeve Binchy
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Story
Every Friday night, the same seven Dublin workers meet to travel home in Tom Fitzgerald's lilac-coloured minibus. Each of them needs to return regularly to Rathdoon: Nancy Morris, a real 'Miss Mouse', is known for her meanness and has to escape her flatmate's carping; Dee Burke is engrossed in her affair; Kev Kennedy has a side to his character hidden even from his family; Celis Ryan has to face her mother making a drunken exhibition of herself - and Tom has his reasons.
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A Few of the Girls
- By: Maeve Binchy
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- Unabridged
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Maeve Binchy's best-selling novels not only tell wonderful stories, they also give an insight into how Ireland has changed over the decades but how people remain the same: they still fall in love, sometimes unsuitably; they still have hopes and dreams; they have deep, long-standing friendships, and some that fall apart. From her earliest writing to her most recent, Maeve's work has included wonderfully nostalgic pieces and also sharp, often witty writing which is insightful and topical.
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Great stories.
- By Jennifer2 on 19-09-2016
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Far from Over
- By: Sheila O'Flanagan
- Narrated by: Kate Binchy
- Length: 14 hrs and 18 mins
- Unabridged
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Gemma Garvey’s marriage has been over for ages. And it was Gemma’s choice to end it; her decision to go it alone with two kids, rather than pretend the marriage to career-obsessed David was working. So why is she so upset when he marries that flame-haired bimbo, Orla O’Neill? Is it that Orla’s nearer in age to Gemma’s teenage daughter than to herself? But for Orla, being wife number two isn’t all she’d imagined. And the trouble has only just begun.
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it was great
- By Anonymous User on 28-01-2019
Publisher's Summary
The Italian evening class at Mountainview School is like hundreds of others starting up all over the city. But this class has its own special quality - as the focus for the varied hopes and dreams of teacher and pupils alike.
Aidan Dunne needs his new evening class project to succeed almost as much as his pupils do. They too are looking for something more: Bill to find a way to keep spendthrift Lizzie at his side and Fran to make sure that young Kathy finds her way out from behind the kitchen sink.
The key to their success lies with the Signora. Her passion has drawn her from Ireland to Italy and back home again with a burning desire to share her love of all things Italian - and a secret hidden in her heart ....
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- Anonymous User
- 01-07-2018
A journey from Ireland to Italy
This is a great Maeve Binchy novel -- full of her usual cast of fascinating and varied characters who are somehow also completely believable.
The structure is unusual in that it's told 'by character'; one chapter each for 'Signora', 'Luigi', 'Constanza' and so on. Initially, this grates when you get to a character you're not particularly interested in, but with Maeve's story-telling skill you're soon drawn in to the lives of even the characters who aren't your favourites. In my view, this is one of Maeve's most beautiful love stories, and it's heart-warming to see Aidan and Nora getting a second chance at happiness after a tragic beginning on each side. If you need a pick-me-up, feel-good sort of audiobook, then this is a great place to start. You can also follow Aidan and Nora through other Maeve novels later on -- Scarlet Feather, Heart and Soul and Minding Frankie all update the reader on how our favourite pair are getting on!
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- Tim
- 23-06-2018
another enjoyable story w ritten by meve binchy
a story made even more enjoyable by being read with the irish accent oof the person rreading oone you ca n listrn to many times over and enjoy every time
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- Eloise Boezak
- 26-07-2015
Vintage Maeve Binchy
Lyrical, interesting, packed with charming characters and unexpected story twists. If you enjoy a great story, this is a must
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- Terry Ellen Raats
- 22-06-2015
Enchanting
Beautiful! Like listening to a friend. I'd read the book years ago but wanted to experience the book in an Irish accent - it fulfilled every expectation.
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- Sharon
- 18-03-2013
Totally enthralling
Would you listen to Evening Class again? Why?
Wonderful story, lots of different lives all entwined
What did you like best about this story?
The different families and their stories with a good story line
Have you listened to any of Kate Binchy’s other performances before? How does this one compare?
Yes I have read several others but this was definitely my favourite
If you could rename Evening Class, what would you call it?
I think the title was perfect
Any additional comments?
With the back drop of Italy this made it perfect for me. It inspired me to get lessons in Italian
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Overall
- Janice
- 19-09-2010
A great way to spend your evening(s)
This has to be my favourite of all Maeve Binchy's books, both the written and audio versions. A medley of characters, portrayed with generosity and sympathy, all embarking on the class for different reasons. I loved the way the back stories of the characters are melded together and how, the group moves forward together, to plan and then embark on their trip to Italy - which visit is the scene of some surprises for more than a few of them.
The marvellous 'Signora' - Nora - tugs at your heart with her heart warming simplicity and honesty and how good to have a love story where the key characters are not young, trendy, aspirational and career oriented 'thirty somethings' but instead are gently middle-aged with disappointments and disillusion behind them. Other individuals and couples in the story, similarly chime true and with the bonus of picking up some handy Italian phrases on the way, this novel is worth curling up with any evening, several times - it is always pleasant to revisit Mountain View - both in Italy and Ireland, to meet up again with these old friends. Hats off, again, to Kate Binchy, for her flawless and characterful narration.
8 of 8 people found this review helpful
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Overall
- Suzanne
- 13-06-2009
Loved it Loved it Loved it
What a wonderful book. It brought tears to my eyes and joy to my soul. Following the lives of what seems at first a mismatch of people who all embark on an Italian evening class for a wide variety of reasons takes you on a roller coaster of emotions and secrets. It also brings you into the world of Italy. For those of us who have been lucky to have visited it also is a trip down memory lane - I just with I had taken the class before I went. A fabulous listen!
8 of 8 people found this review helpful
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- D J BRANNAN
- 04-11-2016
Entertaining Read
This was a lovely book with many characters. It was well narrated with the male and female Irish voices
My only problem with it was that I got a bit confused by so many characters but I remembered the key ones.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful
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- Sally-AnneR
- 06-10-2016
Love Maeve Binchy's stories
Super for relaxing at bedtime made all the more wonderful read beautifully by her daughter.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful
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- Amazon Customer
- 11-06-2016
A Favourite Read
A summer read with a fee-good-factor. About my 10th time reading it but my first time listening. Very much enjoyed.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful
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Overall
- Marilyn
- 07-12-2012
"Delightful"
I really enjoyed this book.
I couldn't wait for all the stories within the book to unfold. Full of warmth and humour, all of which Maeve Binchy does so well.
Simple Delightful
3 of 4 people found this review helpful
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- Anonymous User
- 23-05-2018
Just brilliant!!
It’s impossible not to like this book! The story is so well told about ordinary people and how their lives are all woven together. Simply brilliant!
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- jane moorby
- 02-01-2018
An absolute delight
I am a great lover of Maeve Binchy so listening to this was just wonderful....now I need to buy everything else and wrap myself in the great big hug which is her work which is also beautifully read by her daughter ❤️
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- A. Wilson
- 02-08-2017
Rich cast of characters
If you could sum up Evening Class in three words, what would they be?
Lives weaving together
Who was your favorite character and why?
Difficult to say, but Signora was captivating with her complex facets.
Have you listened to any of Kate Binchy’s other performances? How does this one compare?
Not applicable
Did you have an emotional reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?
No strong emotional responses - curiosity mainly, to see how each of the characters would end up.
Any additional comments?
I sometimes felt frustrated at losing the thread of one character story to move onto another character. It was almost like a series of short stories.
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- Tracey
- 03-05-2017
A Heartwarming Holiday Read!
What made the experience of listening to Evening Class the most enjoyable?
Kate Binchy is a wonderfully lyrical, lilting speaker and makes the story more authentic.
What was one of the most memorable moments of Evening Class?
When Signora meets Aidan and they make a connection - it's so subtle and so well done.
Which scene did you most enjoy?
I enjoyed the scene where Aidan and Signora sit on the brick wall together.