Tara Road

A Novel

By: Maeve Binchy

Narrated by: Katherine Borowitz

Length: 17 hrs and 37 mins

Publisher's 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Ria seems to have become quite a hostess, entertaining half the neighborhood, which at first irritates the reserved and withdrawn Marilyn, a woman who has always guarded her privacy.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.

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©1999 Maeve Binchy (P)1999 Random House, Inc., Bantam Doubleday Dell Audio Publishing, A Division of Random House, Inc.

Critic reviews

“Her best work yet... Tara Road is like a total immersion in a colorful new world, where the last page comes too soon.” (Seattle Times)

“An irresistible tale.” (Elle)

“Engrossing.” (Wall Street Journal)

Wholesome

wonderful story made me fell I knew these people couldn't wait to return to story.
Thank you Mave Binchy for hours of pure enjoyment.

Strength with in us, deciete and friendship.

A book set mainly in Dublin, Ireland. It does have a part about the US. It has good twists and turns. Deciete and friendship. Two Strangers switch homes for the summer. They loved the homes but didn't expect their lives to change. I give it 2 thumbs up.

❤❤❤❤❤

I loved it!! I thought the characters were all so well developed. I laughed & cried along the journey. I'll definitely read it again someday.

Tara Road

always a warm story from Maeve Binchy. This one was a little bit too long though. Still a huge fan.

Exc story, narrator, poor production

I am surprised that audible.com would accept this recording into their stacks. Nearly every chapter is a diffferent volume and sound clarity, and there is another track playing distantly in the background sometimes.

The story, however, is terrific! After the first few hours, I wondered how she could carry on the story for 16 more hours- wasn't Ria's story over? Not by a long shot. It just kept getting more interesting as time went on.

I loved the narrator. She has a very pleasant voice and had a clear grasp of the story. I loved her inflections and how she read for the boy Bryan.

Now I am off to find another Maeve Binchy story!

Maeve Binchy - the true seanchaithe

If you could sum up Tara Road in three words, what would they be?

Beautifully woven story with characters that I missed long after I finished reading.

What other book might you compare Tara Road to and why?

A grown up version of Enid Blyton books ...you want to seat down by the fire with a hot cup of coffee laced with brandy.

Have you listened to any of Katherine Borowitz’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

No...I don't usually pay attention to the names of the readers

If you could take any character from Tara Road out to dinner, who would it be and why?

Brian...he would spill the beans and it would be funny.

Loved the Irish Accent of the Reader

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

I would recommend this book to the casual reader. A great first audible book. A Good "Beach" book. Not very taxing on the brain but it was enjoyable.

One of My Fav Maeves!!

I've read ALL of Maeve's stories, and love them all. But THIS, Tara Road, is really entertaining and I loved every second of it! The narrator was amazing! Enjoy Tara Road!

A lovely stroll

I LOVED this book! It felt like a meandering stroll and was a welcome contrast to my daily hustle and bustle.
It felt like many mini-stories all with at least one thing that holds it together with the others. Just beautiful

Loss & Redemption

A series of individual stories intersect in this carefully woven tale about the power of redemption.