Ria has a handsome, successful husband, two happy, healthy children, and a gorgeous house that is always a hub of activity in the neighborhood. She is surrounded by a variety of friends and family, who always seem to have an assortment of problems and issues. Ria counts her blessings. Then one day Ria discovers that her life on Tara Road was not what is seemed... and her world will never be the same. A chance phone call connects Ria with Marilyn, who lives in the United States. They both feel the need to get away and work out some problems, so they decide to swap homes for the summer. In the process they learn about each other and about themselves, forging an unusual but bonding friendship.
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Maeve Binchy's Home Page
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Aches & Pains - anecdotes and humor by Maeve Binchy after her extended stay in the hospital for hip replacement, a great gift to lighten a friend's stay in the hospital. Authors royalties for this book are donated to the Arthritis Foundation.

Discussion (Let us know what you think at the discussion board):

What role does the house on Tara Road play in the story? Can you parallel the restoration of the house to Ria and Danny's relationship?

Does Binchy portray the characters in this story sympathetically? Even Danny?

Do you think Ria is a loyal friend? What do you think you would have done differently or the same if you were in Ria's postition?

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Reader Reviews:

submitted by Arlene (January 2001)
I read Tara Road and really liked it. I liked all the different characters and the way the author went back and forth between them. I liked how Mona turned out to be a strong woman after all. I hope there is a sequel to the story. I want Ria to go on and become a successful business woman, just like the gypsy said she would.

Sharon (October 2000)
I liked this book. It took me a little while to warm up to it, but by the end I felt like I knew all of the characters really well, and that I would be missing them now that the book is over. I enjoyed the variety in the characters... from clingy, drunken Orla to the beautiful, hard-hearted, successful Rosemary. Then there was Ria, the one many of us can sympathize with the most, and wonder... what would I do in her situation? The storyline, with it's Dublin backdrop, was engaging. I also liked the turn that the book takes when Marilyn is introduced and a whole new dimension is added to the story.