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• Just when you think you’ll never find another good book, one to comfort you when you are tired and stressed out, one to remind you that life is full of wonderful surprises, and one that introduces you to people you will love like they are your own best friends, Maeve Binchy rescues you with another fabulous novel. If you are already a fan of Maeve Binchy then you will find Heart and Soul is everything you have come to expect in her books. If this is your first introduction to her, you will soon find yourself racing out to gather all her books, and what a treat you are in for!As I fully expected, I loved Heart and Soul. It is full of quirky, loveable, interesting characters. The plot is surprising, often going in directions I hadn’t expected, yet always yielding satisfying conclusions. Many characters from her previous books make appearances and some even have starring roles. It was great to catch up with some of my old friends! I can’t recommend Heart and Soul highly enough!

  5.00 out of 5

  frisbeesage

• Book Review of Maeve Binchy’s Heart and Soul by Annette DunleaHeart and Soul is a new paperback by Maeve Binchy. It is published by Orion and its ISBN is 1409102319. Maeve Binchy is my favourite author so my expectations were very high and I was not disappointed. She makes something complex look very easy and that is her great skill and strength. She writes of ordinary people with ordinary problems in a compassionate and easy to read fashion. Somehow their lives interweave to make the tale complete. Occasionally she reintroduces old characters into her novels and she has done that here with great ease. This tale is all heart and appropriately it is set in a Dublin heart clinic. The novel is mainly about the first year of St. Brigid’s heart clinic. Dr. Clara Casey initially takes on the role as head of cardiology for a year and she sets about acquiring competent and cheerful staff. Soon the clinic becomes an integral part of the community and a symbol of hope. The story examines Dr. Casey’s hectic life, her staffs lives and their patients and their interactions with one another and of course their romances. This is not a sad tale of illness but a story of hope and managing cardiac illness to live a fulfilled life. Reviewed by Annette Dunlea author of The Honey Trap and Always and Forever

  5.00 out of 5

  ajdunlea

• I really enjoyed this book. I have never read anything by Maaeve Binchy before , but I loved this book and I want to read all of her books. I particularily liked the way she told about allo of these characters individually as well as how they intertwined in the heart clinic. If I were to pick a favorite character it would be Ania. I just loved her spirit and the fact that not even Mrs. Walsh could kick her down.

  5.00 out of 5

  RPerritt

• Plot synopsis? I'm afraid that I find it quite impossible to sum up any of Maeve Binchy's novels in a few short sentences. What is the book about? The more appropriate question would be what the book is not about. Binchy's ability to artfully weave together many separate and diverse stories with one common thread is really astounding. In Heart and Soul the connector and unifier is a heart clinic in Dublin set up to help people with heart disease manage their disease, and to learn how to live as healthily and long as possible. All of the serpentine stories in the book revolve around this clinic. One of the things I love about Maeve Binchy's novels is how she brings people from her previous novels back into existence as minor characters. I always want to know what happens to characters I come to know and love once the book is over. And she has the ability to show them through a different perspective where they somehow appear the same, and yet other aspects of their character are explored. The only time I find this a bit distracting is when I have not read the book which first introduced the characters, and people are talked about who do not really appear in this story, and have no real meaning to me. Another aspect of Binchy's writing which I find quite remarkable is her ability to show just what should be shown. In a few short commonplace words, even mundane task, she is able to perfectly paint a picture of character and setting. Her grasp and understanding of human nature is incredible. This through what she shows of people, and how well she knows her readers. Life. That is what her novels are. Life with all of it's heartache, humor and joy. And always she leaves you with a feeling of hope and joy.Read more...

  5.00 out of 5

  lisalouhoo

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