Chestnut Street Hardcover – Deckle Edge, April 22, 2014

Maeve will Never Ever let you down. This is yet another beautiful marriage of words that capture your mind and heart. I loved this book, how we got to know residents of this little street over the decades, some of the characters intertwining from the chapters.If you haven't read Maeve Binchy's books, this is a fine one to start with. Trust this reviewer, it won't be your last?

I started reading her books when I was very young and in her short stories I was once again reminded why this author is the mistress of her characters. In each story I was transported into the lives of ordinary folk ... that is until I turned the page and discover that nothing is ordinary anymore. I notice some readers were disappointed by the brevity of the story, but IMO I liked the idea of guessing what comes next; couples are stretched to the breaking point, families are divided and the reader comes away with a surprise ending. All of which should make the reader want to settle in with one of her full-length novels. I know I will now pick up a few of her books to read.

My all time favorite author. She develops her characters to a level above most authors. They are both down to earth and very entertaining in their relationships to friends and family.

I picked up this book at a bargain price and even though this kind of book is usually not my cup of tea; nevertheless, I did find it a compelling read. The late Irish author (Maeve Binchy) is best known for her many novels. This book (Chestnut Street) relates her many interesting experiences living in Dublin, Ireland on Chestnut street. There are 36 stories in this collection and a few of these are as follows:Dolly's Mother, It's only a day, Fay's new, A problem of my own, All that matters, Liberty green, Star Sullivan, The gift of dignity and numerous other stories.Those who are fans of the author may want to pick up a copy of this book, which I believe is the last one before she died.Rating: 4 Stars. Joseph J. Truncale (Author: Haiku Moments: How to read, write and enjoy haiku).

who never thought we'd hear 'from' her again - 36 very short stories, all very Maeve, with little if any connection between them, but that's ok... I did relish this as an unexpected bonus from Irish heaven :) Since it's stories, first- time readers may not be caught up in the usual charm of a Binchy novel, and if you are not, please do yourself a favor and try her full novels, which are so satisfying - the earlier novels are the best, I feel. I've often tried to explain what it is about her books I so enjoy, as I typically dont read similar genre authors. I think it is not just the stories, but her character development, which is complete and deep, and perhaps unusual , as she always portrays people the way we really are - not black, not white, but gray. Good people who occasionally do or think or feel 'bad' things, and bad people who have some 'good' qualities as well......... and isn't that the way the world is? Most of us are gray.

If you're a fan of Maeve Binchy's novels and prefer novels to short stories, you probably won't like this posthumous collection as well as her earlier works. These are loosely connected through the taxi driver character, who eavesdrops on his passengers while taking them back and forth to Chestnut Street. For instance. he discusses Ireland's referendum on divorce as a means of commenting one passenger's life: "if the referendum passes, many men will be expected to divorce their wives and marry their mistresses, but of course, they won't have to." "No,," the passenger replies, "they won't." This the driver, who transports both the wife and the mistress but likes the wife better, makes his point, while the reader learns something about life in a changing Ireland. The passenger leaves the taxi somewhat relieved on referendum day.I liked this very much. I picked up Kindle whenever I had a few moments to spend in Ireland with Maeve. I did miss dialog, though. It's as if reader is told the story by the narrator. This book would work really well on audio.

I read all of Maeve's novels probably close to 10 yrs ago & loved most of them. In fact some I have read some more than once. They are just delightful to read & she is one of my favorite authors. I tend not to like short stories b/c it seems they just get started then stop. Most don't actually end they just stop which is annoying when you are getting into it. I had forgotten about that when I saw this book offered so I got it thinking the little vignettes would be snippets similar to her novels that would be nice for a quick read. WRONG! I have only read 42% of this book & probably will not finish. These stories so far are negative & depressing about people who are terrible & not nice or pleasant at all. If her name weren't on it I would never in a million years think these were by her. So, I hope I have learned my lesson now & NEVER buy another book of short stories by her or anyone else. If you've not read Maeve Binchy I suggest you start with a novel: Nights of Rain & Stars, Whitethorn Woods, Tara Road, Evening Class just about any of them are much better than these stories. I didn't like Fireflies or something like that, too much & I think there was one other but all the rest I loved & could hardly put down. I'd read well into the wee hours & not even realize it.

How amazing to have the ability to have so many stories in your head and put them down on paper In such a successful way. Easier to read if you put it down a couple of times, as sometimes you want the story to continue.

3.5 StarsOn the whole this was rather disappointing and I am not sure that the Editor here has done anything to further Ms Binchy's posthumous reputation. Many of the stories read like character studies or trial runs for a chapter in a long form novel which means that they don't actually work as a stand alone story. The ones that do work are probably those that were being worked on with a view to a more complete story about Chestnut Street and it's residents.I ranked each story as I read it and whilst none are terrible it is all a bit hit and miss:Dolly's Mother - 3 StarsIt's Only A Day - 3.5 StarsFay's New uncle - 3 StarsA Problem Of My Own - 2.5 StarsAll That Matters - 3 StarsJoyce And The Blind Date - 2 StarsLiberty Green - 2.5 StarsThe Cure For Sleeplessness - 4 StarsMiss Ranger's Reward - 3.5 StarsDecision In Dublin - 4 StarsThe Wrong Caption - 4.5 StarsStar Sullivan - 2 StarsTaxi Men Are Invisible - 2.5 StarsA Card For Father's Day - 2 StarsThe Gift Of Dignity - 3 StarsThe Investment - 3.5 StarsThe Leap Of faith - 2 StarsLilian's Hair - 4 StarsFlowers From Grace - 3 StarsThe Builders - 3.5 StarsBucket Maguire - 3 StarsThe Older Man - 3 StarsPhilip And The Flower Arrangers - 3 StarsReasonable Access - 4 StarsBy The Time We Get To Clifden - 2 StarsThe Women Who Righted Wrongs - 4 StarsThe Sighting - 3 StarsThe Lottery Of The Birds - 3.5 StarsMadame Magic - 3 StarsSay Nothing - 2.5 StarsEager To Please - 2 StarsSeeing Things Clearly - 4 StarsFair Exchange - 3 StarsThe Window Box - 2.5 StarsFinn's Future - 3.5 StarsOne Night A Year - 4 StarsTara's Horse - 3 Stars

Having read quite a lot of Maeve Binchy's previous books I have enjoyed the interlinking of characters and story development.Tara road, Scarlett feather, Quentins, The glass lake, The Copper Beech; nicely written books: Some of them do have almost separate stories for the different characters, but linking together into an overall cohesive plot.This has none of that. It's not even a collection of 'short stories', as there is no 'story' to most of the chapters.To me a 'story' implies something with a beginning and end, some kind of development or purpose.This is one chapter for each of the neighbours living in Chestnut Street.Some have a semblance of a story- though they feel a bit rushed, or curtailed, but many seem to have no purpose other than that 'someone has to live at number 17'! Several times I got to the end of a chapter and wondered 'what was the point of that?' Some seem almost repetitive- there are a few common themes as if she had a particular idea and tried a couple of different ways to present it.I have come across a couple of her books like this recently- 'the return journey' being another one.To me it feels as if she's built up her reputation to the point that many of her readers will buy anything she publishes, and so there's no need to actually write a decent story now. She can stick a dozen chapters of pointless rambling together and still make a fortune while leaving many readers feeling unsatisfied.I gather that this was a compilation put together after the death of the author, and i suspect the publishers have simply cobbled it together out of unfinished notes, ideas, and musings, to generate one last payday from a bestselling name.This is the literary equivalent of McDonalds, when you were expecting a nice home cooked dinner. Disappointing; not what I expected, and left me rather regretting that I'd wasted time and money on it!

I didn't dislike this book, but it's not the best by this author. Apparently, it is some of her earlier short stories collected together by her husband. This, I think, is what limits the book. The stories are obviously written by someone exploring their craft - more interesting from that perspective. I found some of the stories very frustrating though, as I felt there was more to say about the characters. Several times I really wanted to know what happened next! Also the characters didn't seem to link together as well as they do in her later books. The book really is a series of stand-alone stories, rather than a cleverly interwoven narrative. That said, it was quite an enjoyable read and interesting to compare with Maeve Binchy's writing when she was at the top of her game.

Lovely book which really made me think. It was perfect for me to read in a busy school holiday as you could pick it up for ten mins and read a whole 'story'. All the people live on the same street but that's about the only link so if you are expecting a chick lit type rounded off ending then you will be disappointed.I am under the impression that these were put together after Maeve Binchy died and that they were the starting point for a book before she died which makes sense.I would definately read another of her books as I loved the pace and tone of the book and the way in which she writes about all different types of people in a thought provoking, non judgemental way - it will make you think about how you view your neighbours!

Although I enjoy a book of short stories to dip in and out off I didn't feel this was one of M B's best. I am a big fan of this author but the stories were not linked as much as the title Chestnut Road would suggest. The subject of each tale lived on Chestnut Road but only a few were involved in the other's lives.