Taverna tähtien alla

A group of tourists on a small Greek Island are drawn together after they witness a tragedy at sea. Each of them is struggling with personal problems: German Reporter Elsa has quit her job and left her boyfriend after discovering a devastating secret he had kept hidden. Fiona has come to the island

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from Ireland with her boyfriend Shane - her parents don't like him but she is determined to share her life with him. Californian Thomas is getting over a bitter divorce and his ex-wife's remarriage, afraid that his son will love his stepfather more than he loves Thomas. David has left his family behind in England; they want him to join in the family business but he has other plans. The people living on the island also have their problems: taverna owner Andreas is estranged from his son as is his friend Vonni whose son hates her because of her troubled past. As this disparate group comes to know each other, their lives will change in ways they never thought possible.

"Nights of Rain and Stars" gets off to a slow start, but once Maeve Binchy was done introducing the characters and switches to their families stories (about halfway through the book) I didn't want to put the book down. With the exception of Shane (who is so one-dimensional you have to wonder what Fiona ever saw in him), the others are complex and well-written characters that you will care about (liking them one second, wanting to shake them the next). All of their personal struggles were interesting, although Andreas wasn't in the book enough for me to fully care about his problems with his son. Vonni is perhaps the best-written character - she is the wise "mother" of them all, able to solve their problems but not her own. Binchy throws in several plot twists that keep the story moving and the twists make some of the characters even more interesting. Not all of the plot developments work, I found the one romantic relationship that developed to be unconvincing. Binchy ties up most of the various plots at the end, but leaves a couple of them open ended, perhaps sloppy writing or perhaps with a sequel in mind.

This was a pleasant, cozy book to read.

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A wonderfully written story of 4 visitors to a lovely Greek isle, the residents that befriend them & how everyones lives are changed after tragedy strikes the small village. Visitors from American, Germany, Ireland & England witness a fire aboard a ferry run by a local man. When they decide to stay

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for a time, thier lives become entangled with those of the residents that befriend them.
I had my doubts at first. This was a new author for me. But after I got the pace of her writing I enjoyed it very much.

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I don't usually read this author (this and one of her others are the only two), but this book fell into my hands via a trade, and when I started reading it, I couldn't put it down. Truly excellent story about a group of strangers who meet quite by accident in a tavern on a hilltop on a Greek

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island, then witness a terrible tragedy from afar. This brings them together in many unexpected ways. Recommended!

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This is my favorite Maeve Binchy book. I loved the Mediterranean setting, the personality of the characters, and the overall feeling I was left with after reading the book. Unlike most of Binchy's books, this one takes place outside of Ireland. Despite the setting change, however, this book, like

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its predecessors, features loveable, delightful characters I would call my friends. Binchy does a phenomenal job of creating an unforgettable storyline and causing her readers to feel true emotions alongside her characters.

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Maeve Binchy always makes me want to hop on a plane and get away from it all somewhere else for a month or two. First it was London; this time it's Greece.

I was browsing the audiobooks at one of the local libraries when I saw one with a cover depicting white houses on hills. "That looks like Greece," I thought. So I picked it up and read the back. It read:

In a small Greek island village, a group of travelers from around the world is brought together

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in unexpected ways when sudden tragedy strikes. ... Here is the story of old Andreas, the taverna owner who has spent many years regretting the argument that drove his only son [Adonis] to America; Elsa, the beautiful German reporter who gave up her career and the man she loves; and Fiona, the Irish nurse and dutiful daughter who's gone off to travel with the man everyone says is wrong for her. This is also the story of David, the only son who loves his family but not the family business; Thomas, the Californian who is able to cope with his recent divorce but not with sharing his son with his wife's new husband; and Vonni, who rashly left behind her life in Ireland to follow her true love to this village thirty years ago....

This was such a nice story. Nothing spectacular happens, no murders, no crimes that need to be solved by troubled detectives, no wizards gone bad...

...just a simple story of everyday people who happened to be in the same taverna when a boat catches fire in the harbor, killing the pilot--a young man named Manos who is known by everyone in the small village--as well as several of the tourists on board.

The people in the taverna begin talking with one another, feeling helpless. Though Fiona is a nurse and wishes to help, she realizes that the harbor is too far away for her to get there in a timely manner. Andreas' heart aches for the young man who has known since Manos was a child.

The story continues, following these characters and exploring why they have run from their homes, their separate countries.

Elsa has discovered an ugly secret about the man she loves...
Fiona has grown weary of people telling her that she needs to leave Shane...
Shane is an asshole and I can't stand people like him...
David wants to travel the world rather than bow down to the Great God Profit...
Thomas is giving his 9-year-old son room to get used to his new stepfather...

I wish there'd been more about Adonis, Andreas' son. He seems like an interesting character. But as it is, I don't think it would have been possible to write much more about him, considering he is in Chicago and most of the rest of the story takes place on Aghai Anna.

If you're looking for action, adventure, fast-paced plot, etc... this isn't the story for you. But if you're wanting to read something a bit closer to real life... and if you, like me, are charmed by Greece (^_^), then you might very well enjoy this story.

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I love Maeve Binchy's books. So far everyone that I have read has been great. This one was no disappointment to me.

I did find it a bit weird, at first, that the story didn't take place in Ireland. But as the story progressed I realized that with three of the characters being from Ireland it was

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still in line with her normal Irish characters.

What I like most about Maeve Binchy's books is that they always have a happy ending. Everything is in order and the usually leaves nothing left unanswered. While this did have the happy ending there is one thing that I was left questioning... Does Vonni's son ever come home? But it's not one of those questions that is going to drive me nuts and make me hate the book, as I have with books in the past.

Overall I would say this wasn't her best book. There were parts where the dialog got a bit confusing. This was definitely a good book, for those that like Maeve Binchy, or those that like a happy ending.

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A lovely feel-good story, taking place in a small town in Greece. Five tourists, from different countries meet up in a taverna, while a boat sinks in the harbour down the hill from where they are. The tragedy brings them together, and they all stay for several more weeks, addressing their own and

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each other's problems back home.

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Read in 24 hours- not one of her best.

Definitley this is the worst Maeve Binchy book I've read so far. I was surprised because it doesn't even looks like a book writen by her, the story is very weak, the caracters have little interest and aren't developed. They don't even look real, their atitudes, the way they talk, the story final

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result...

Usually we end her books with a comfy feelling, in this one we are left with nothing. Just the desire to visit Greece :)

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A nice story, as all of Binchy's are. This particular story involves a group of people from different countries who become connected during a stay on Greek island., During the course of their stay, they each learn something important about themselves and about life.

Maeve Binchy writes the type of novel that is so not to my taste - pretty clear good and bad guys; mostly happy endings, fairly obvious plot turns. I really don't like stuff like this. And yet - something keeps bringing me back every few years to pick one up, and I enjoy myself each time I read one

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of her works, even if I am occasionally rolling my eyes and groaning out loud. I don't know if it's because the recognizable character archetypes are compelling in spite of their familiarity, or whether her strong push to show much of the affection and strength and love that humans are capable of endears her to me, but whatever it is, I know what I'm in for, and I do enjoy it.

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This is a book I was given, and the story is nice, but the setting and characters are not developed. Binchy always has a multitude of characters, but fails to enhance any of them. I thoroughly enjoyed Scarlet Feather, but the last two books have been "beach" reading. This story is set on a Greek

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island, where a group of tourists witness a disaster and then stay on the island and become friends. The passion and emotion are lacking in the story.

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My first novel by Maeve Binchy, and what got me hooked was the book's Mediterranean setting. The story is about four people, all strangers who find themselves together, holidaying in a small Greek costal village. A boating accident throws them all together, and along with the villagers, they mourn

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the loss of all who are tragically killed. With the people in this small community, they form new friendships, and help each other come to terms with their old lives, and think about the new. Vonnie a women who left her Irish home 30years ago but is now looked on as a native, is perhaps the one with the biggest tale to be told, and she is the pivot around which, all their lives will now take a turn. The first few chapters were a little slow, but the story soon picked up it's pace, and if all Maeve Binchy's books are like this, than I for one, would find them great to take away on holiday, as it was easy to pick up and put down.

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Four people who meet and become friends whilst on holiday in Greece. I probably particularly like this book because I have been there and done it! However even had I not experienced it Maeve Binchy always casts her spell and in my opinion can do no wrong - you always know what you are getting -

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wonderful to curl up with

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This story revolves around 4 strangers (from England, Ireland, Germany and America) who meet in a Greek taverna in the village of Aghia Anna and how they are brought together by a tragedy that hits the town. The book tells of each persons history and why they came to be in this part of the world

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and was sometimes, but not always, a good read. The details of the scenery and the Greek way of life reminded me of past holidays which I enjoyed, but sometimes the characters did not seem real or were just quite rude and annoying, the Irish characters in particular. This made me want to just finish the book and move on to another one, which is a shame. Would be ok to read if you had nothing else to hand, but I wouldn't recommend buying this.

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Maeve Binchy is and has been one of my favourite authors since before I was really old enough to be reading her work. Yes, her work seems to follow a very formulaic pattern of being laced with all things Irish and generally turning out all right in the end, with a few moments of

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extreme-social-peril along the way and a not-very-torrid-affair wherever she can shoe-horn one in. There’s something comforting in the predictability of it all, and I appreciate the lack of brain engagement required to enjoy her work.

Particular good points of this book – talk of roast lamb, olives and other Greek culinary delights at frequent intervals, interesting bunch of characters, and very nicely-executed all-right-in-the-end-ness. As for the down sides, a certain sense of déjà vu, and I finished reading this about four hours ago and I’ve already forgotten most of the characters’ names. A nice story to carry you through a Sunday afternoon. To be recommended to grandmothers the world over, due to lack of swearing and everyone ending up in happy places.

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No big surprises in this book, but a light easy read.

The characters definitely kept me engaged - a good holiday read!

A Maeve Binchy novel set in Greece.

It was eleven years ago that I first read this book and gave it two stars. Listening to it as an abridged audio book was a more enjoyable experience, partly because I only heard the best bits and partly due to the excellent narration by Kate Binchy, Maeve's

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cousin. Her accents were excellent, from German to Greek to Irish, which added another dimension to the book.

The story is fairly mundane - a group of five tourists are eating at a Greek restaurant when, before their eyes, a fire breaks out on a passenger vessel out to sea, with the death of all hands. This shocking experience forges a bond between our disparate group of people and they get to know each other well over the succeeding days. The town is small and they keep bumping into each other until they gradually become the best of friends.

Each of them has come to Aghia Anna for various reasons, all running away from something or other. Their friendship helps each of them to see their problems in a different light and to arrive at some sort of solution.
It's a typical Binchy style of novel, heavily based on characters rather than plot.

Also read by Maeve Binchy:
A Week in Winter (3 stars)
Heart and Soul (3.5 stars)
Echoes (1 star)
Circle of Friends (4 stars)

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Book on CD performed by Terry Donnelly

Five tourists, all from different countries, come together at a small Greek taverna on a hill overlooking the harbor, where they witness a tourist boat fire that results in several deaths. Drawn together by this tragedy they begin to share their lives with one

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another and with the kind residents of the village. In particular they meet Vonni, an Irish woman who married a Greek man some decades previously and has made her life on the island, Andreas, who runs the taverna and his brother, Georgie who is the local police chief.

Binchy writes ensemble pieces that reflect the ways in which we get to know one another. Strangers are drawn together by location and circumstance, and find common ground where they least expect it. In this novel we have the American professor Thomas; German TV news reporter Elsa; David, a young man fleeing the family business in England; and Fiona and Shane from Ireland, she a nurse and he a ne’er-do-well hippie. Sharing a meal, a glass of wine, a bus trip to a different village, a walk on the beach, they reveal themselves little by little to one another and to the reader. If the ending is a little too neatly tied up with a pretty bow, who cares. It’s an enjoyable read and by the end I felt as if I were friends with them and wanted to visit this charming island myself.

Terry Donnelly does a fine job performing the audio version. Her pacing is good and she has enough skill as a voice artist to differentiate the characters.

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This book is lyrical and smooth, lilting might be a good word. Ostensibly, the novel is about four tourists who meet in the Greek village of Aghia Anna and the ways in which their lives intertwine. This thread is certainly part of the story. However, I think that the book is more about community

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building and the ways in which we create our own realities through constructing fantasies and ideals. The "nights of rain and stars" of the title are one version of Aghia Anna, but through local characters, Binchy allows us to see that, even on this beautiful island, life can be hard and cold. This novel is a gorgeous portrayal of the power of perspective on the human experience. Binchy has written a moving, decisive novel this time.

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I kind of have a love/hate relationship with Maeve Binchy. I always have to read the whole thing at once to make sure everything turns out okay, or else I can't sleep.

will not rank as one of my favorite Binchy novels, but did enjoy the story and the happy ending