Circle of Friends

by Maeve Binchy | Literature & Fiction |
ISBN: 0440211263 Global Overview for this book

Registered by TFraser of Round Rock, Texas USA on 3/6/2004

This Book is Currently in the Wild!

15 journalers for this copy...

Journal Entry 1 by TFraser from Round Rock, Texas USA on Saturday, March 6, 2004

It began with Benny Hogan and Eve Malone, growing up, inseparable, in the village of Knockglen. Benny--the only child, yearning to break free from her adoring parents...Eve--the orphaned offspring of a convent handyman and a rebellious blueblood, abandoned by her mother's wealthy family to be raised by nuns. Eve and Benny--they knew the sins and secrets behind every villager's lace curtains...except their own.
It widened at Dublin, at the university where Benny and Eve met beautiful Nan Mahlon 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.

Journal Entry 2 by hbriggs1031 from Georgetown, Texas USA on Sunday, March 7, 2004

This ray is OVER. Please see the last journal entry if you are interested. =)

MsPooh -- Texas
ToXiCKiTTiKiSS -- California
Momathome -- Illinois
Aisling78 -- Massachusetts

Journal Entry 3 by hbriggs1031 at on Monday, March 22, 2004

Release planned for Tuesday, March 23, 2004 at BOOKRAY in n/a, n/a Controlled Releases.

Off to visit ToXiCKiTTiKiSS who is the 1st stop on the ray route.

Journal Entry 4 by TemekuGirl from Temecula, California USA on Tuesday, March 30, 2004

Thanks for letting me in on this ray. I cannot wait to read it =]. It was recieved today.

Journal Entry 5 by TemekuGirl from Temecula, California USA on Saturday, April 17, 2004

Well, I am half way into the book, but I think the book is too big for me to read right now. I have other rings and rays with 1 or 2 week limits. From what I read so far, it was a really good book. In the movie, I think, they left out some things and added some. Hopefully, I can read it again some other time. Thanks =]. Will be sent to Momathome on Monday.

Journal Entry 6 by Momathome from Crystal Lake, Illinois USA on Tuesday, May 4, 2004

Received today as part of a book ray! Will read ASAP and send it on to its next destination!

I put this book in the mail today, July 22, 2004. Sorry it took me so long to get it to you.

Journal Entry 7 by Aisling78 from Essex, Massachusetts USA on Tuesday, July 27, 2004

Oops...
I forgot I had signed up for this bookring...and another bookcrosser RABACKed it to me a month or so ago, and I just finished it last week. I appoligize for not realizing my mistake sooner...but if this bookray ended with me I will be happy to continue it's journey on the forums, if that's alright with MsPooh (I'll PM you also).
Thank you for sharing this book with myself and other bookcrossers, it is a fabulus book, as you can tell by my bookshelf (I now have 3 seperate copies of this book on my shelf! Check out my other journal entries for my thoughts on this book.)
~ Aisling78

Journal Entry 8 by Aisling78 from Essex, Massachusetts USA on Tuesday, September 21, 2004

This book is going on a little trip next week...to Virgulina in Portugal as a RABCK. She has had this book on her wishlist for ages, and since so many people have been generous in sending me RABCK's out of the blue, I wanted to do the same for her. So enjoy this book, Virgulina!
~ Aisling78

Journal Entry 9 by usedtobe on Wednesday, February 9, 2005

Thanks a lot for the nice RABCK, Aisling78! I got another copy of this book already so I'm starting a BookRing with this one. :o)

Journal Entry 10 by usedtobe on Thursday, February 10, 2005

BookRing:
The order for this BookRing is:

* Witchie (Espinho)
* ichigochi (Vila Nova de Gaia)
* BlossomU (Lisboa)
* terpsicore (Algés)
* Fantasma (Amadora)
* Xeyra (Palmela)

Journal Entry 11 by Witchie from Espinho, Aveiro Portugal on Tuesday, February 15, 2005

Got it today, in a bag full of goodies!! Thanks a lot, Virgulina! I'll read it as soon as possible!! It's my first Maeve Binchy, so I can't wait!

Journal Entry 12 by Witchie from Espinho, Aveiro Portugal on Monday, May 9, 2005

This was my firdt Binchy, so I really didn't know what to expect. A few friends were all excited with this author so I gave it a shot! I must say I became a fan! She is really good! Her books are not life changing experiences, but they are so real and so incredibly possible that you can trully identify with the characters, feel their sorrows and their joys.
It was my first Binchy and certainly not my last! Thanks for the chance to meet this fantastic lady!

It will be sent to ichigochi as soon as possible!

Journal Entry 13 by ichigochi from Vila Nova de Gaia, Porto Portugal on Tuesday, May 17, 2005

I got it today... for me it's also the first Maeve Binchy, so I'm curious.
I started reading it on the bus, I'm on page 8 and enjoying so far... only 588 pages to go :)

Thank you very much Witchie and Virgulina...

Journal Entry 14 by ichigochi from Vila Nova de Gaia, Porto Portugal on Monday, May 30, 2005

Well, I think Mrs Maeve Binchy has found another fan in me. :)
I enjoyed the book very much, and completely agree with Witchie: the characters are so real that I felt part of the Circle and found myself really worrying about how everything would turn out...

The book was sent today to BlossomU.

Journal Entry 15 by BlossomU on Wednesday, June 1, 2005

Just arrived, totally according to Murphy´s Law as applied to bookrings. I will start reading it as soon as I finish my current read and pass it to Terpsicore when she returns!

Journal Entry 16 by BlossomU on Monday, June 13, 2005

I really liked this, it was slow but it left this impression of those people and that village so vivid that after finishing it, I was sort of craving some more, took me a bit to change gears for something else. I liked it tremendously, particularly the secondary characters ( even if I did get confused by names now and then). Mother Francis was awesome and a favorite character.

I will try to pass it to Terpsicore this week.

Journal Entry 17 by terpsicore from Algés, Lisboa (distrito) Portugal on Monday, June 20, 2005

was delivered to me by hand by BlossomU at the last meetup at the beer deck in expo.
Still reading The Jane Austen Bookclub and this one will go next.

Journal Entry 18 by terpsicore from Algés, Lisboa (distrito) Portugal on Thursday, July 14, 2005

Very enjoyable reading as usual.
Glad to know BlossomU found it a bit slower than other of Maeve Binchy's books,because it took me 2 weeks to read this one,while I usually finish her other books in 1 week tops.
One thing I love about Binchy is how much she likes poeple.I mean,she even got me feeling sorry for the "bad guy" in the end.
Thanks for sharing!
will be delivered in hand to fantasma this evening

Journal Entry 19 by Fantasma from Carnaxide, Lisboa (distrito) Portugal on Friday, July 15, 2005

Here it is!
This will be my first Maeve Binchy book, so I'm very curious after hearing so many good things about her.
Thanks Virgulina and Terpsicore.

Journal Entry 20 by Fantasma from Carnaxide, Lisboa (distrito) Portugal on Thursday, July 28, 2005

It's oficial. I'm doomed. Virgulina, you've made me add another author to my wish list!!! ;)
I've heard lots of people talking excitedly about Maeve Binchy for a long time and was really curious to see if all the fuss was justifiable. And it really was an enjoyable read. She makes us feel like we know the caracters, like they are real people going through real problems and joys.
At the end, we miss them...

*** Going to Xeyra's hands today (3rd August) ***

Journal Entry 21 by Xeyra from Seixal, Setúbal Portugal on Wednesday, August 3, 2005

Passed onto me during the BC meeting today. It'll be my first Maeve Binchy book, though I already have Firefly Summer from a relay. It'll be my next bookring once I finish the one I'm currently reading, because I'm very curious about this author, one of those I only heard through bookcrossing. Thank you for the opportunity to read this book. It'll probably make a fan out of me as well.

Journal Entry 22 by Xeyra from Seixal, Setúbal Portugal on Wednesday, August 10, 2005

And yes, it made a fan out of me. I already have another Binchy novel to read and one on its way, so I'll be reading much more of this author. Although the story started slowly and took its time to grab me, once it did, a few chapters down the way, I couldn't stop reading. As far as the story goes, it's a fairly simple and straightforward one: it's about a group of friends and their friendship, loves and all the happenings in their lives. It's a heart-warming novel with believable characters with whom we can easily identify, despite the story happening in the '50s, if I'm not mistaken.

I think that's how Maeve Binchy grabs us: she creates characters that are so well developed and seem so real, we cannot help but wanting to know all about them and to keep on reading so as to learn what happens to them, to go through their happy and sad moments as if they were our own. A story with a fabulous plot does not survive without good characterization, and Ms. Binchy knows how to make the reader love the characters she fleshes out.

Another fan has been born. Damn you, Virgulina, now it'll be even more books onto the TBR mountain... And thank you, for the opportunity to know this great author.

Journal Entry 23 by usedtobe on Saturday, October 29, 2005

This book is now going to hetku77 in Finland, as a RABCK. Enjoy!

Journal Entry 24 by

hetku77

from Nokia, Pirkanmaa / Birkaland Finland on Sunday, July 19, 2009

4.11.2005 I picked this up from post office this morning. Thank you for fulfilling my wish, Virgulina! The timing couldn't be any more perfect - it's my birthday today!

19.7.2009 Finally I get around reading this book - thanks to Tarna's Mt. TBR challenge :). This was a thick book indeed (almost 600 pages), but somehow the story seemed to flow forward all the time. I like Binchy's writing style quite a lot and enjoyed reading this book as well. Even Binchy doesn't write anything life-changing, it's something that catches your interest and keeps you entertained.