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Ria is an extroverted homemaker who lives in a big Victorian
home on Tara Road in Dublin. She encourages family and friends to drop in regularly, and
they’re glad to oblige, even if it’s just for a cup of coffee and a nibble of cake. Her
roguishly handsome husband, Danny, is a real estate developer with an eye for property
and an eye for the ladies. Ria thinks she has a wonderful marriage until her husband
tells her that it’s over. It’s all for the best, he explains, because his teenage
girlfriend is pregnant. The news is so shocking and unimaginable to Ria that she’s in
denial for months.
In tandem to Ria’s journey through shock, denial,
anger, and acceptance, is Marilyn’s journey. Marilyn is the introverted academic who
lives in New England. She works at keeping people at an emotional distance. The already
private Marilyn retreats further into herself as grief cripples her so much that she
can’t even reach out to her husband.
On Marilyn’s whim, the troubled
women agree to switch homes for the summer. The book is primarily about how these two
women cope with their unwanted and painful changes in their lives.
This
book is written in Irish writer Maeve Binchy’s typical easy-to-read and engrossing
style—a style that has gained her a grand following. As the reader, you’re privileged to
know the innermost thoughts of the main characters. Some plot turns you might see coming,
but Binchy tosses in a few surprises. So much of human nature is captured lovingly on
Maeve Binchy’s pages that you may just catch glimpses of yourself and others.
Tara Road was selected for Oprah’s Book Club in 1999. Oprah
conducted an interview with the author, which you can read on Oprah.com.
