Dublin 4 / Lilac Bus / Victoria Line, Central Line

by Maeve Binchy

Dublin 4: A society hostess invites her husband’s mistress to dinner. A country girl savours the delights of city life. A student faces the dilemma of unmarried pregnancy. A drink-ridden photographer tries to relaunch a shattered career. Dublin 4 has all of Maeve Binchy’s intimate grasp of human feelings, her marvellous ear for dialogue and her subtle sense of life’s confusion. The stories bubble with fun and wit — yet sometimes leave a taste of sadness. Victoria Line Central Every day, millions of people travel on London’s Underground, yet everyday life is not nearly as mundane as we think. At Notting Hill, the secretary, harbouring her secrets travels to work; at Highbury and Islington, Adam has a sudden change of heart; at Holborn, a disastrous reunion is about to take place. With her characteristic mix of humour and biting realism, Maeve Binchy enters the lives of ordinary people. The Lilac Bus is a collection of interrelated short stories by the writer Maeve Binchy, first published in 1984. The stories were later republished, along with the earlier collection Dublin 4, in The Lilac Stories.

320 pages, Hardcover

Published January 1, 1998

About the author

Anne Maeve Binchy Snell was an Irish novelist, playwright, short story writer, columnist, and speaker. Her novels were characterised by a sympathetic and often humorous portrayal of small-town life in Ireland, and surprise endings. Her novels, which were translated into 37 languages, sold more than 40 million copies worldwide. Her death at age 73, announced by Vincent Browne on Irish television late on 30 July 2012, was mourned as the death of one of Ireland's best-loved and most recognisable writers.
She appeared in the US market, featuring on The New York Times Best Seller list and in Oprah's Book Club. Recognised for her "total absence of malice" and generosity to other writers, she finished third in a 2000 poll for World Book Day, ahead of Jane Austen, Charles Dickens, and Stephen King.

Reviews

[Melanie · Rating 2 out of 5]

I wanted more definite endings to some of the stories

[Kathy Schuller · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was disappointed to find this is a book of short stories, some very short, as I don't generally like short stories. However I persevered to the end and some I liked and some I didn't so I gave this book 2.5*

[Sue · Rating 3 out of 5]

Three books in one: Dublin 4, The Lilac Bus and Victoria Line Central Line.

Dublin 4 is four mini-novels set in Dublin. Good characters and interesting conversation, with fast-paced plots. However I found all the endings rather unsatisfactory.
Longer review of this book after re-reading in 2023: https://suesbookreviews.blogspot.com/...

Lilac Bus is a novel written in the form of eight inter-connected stories, each featuring one of eight different people who travel, each weekend, from their work place of Dublin to their home town of Rathdoon, about three hours away. They have all known each other all their lives, but know very little about each others' work or lives in Dublin. I thought it very well written.
Longer review of this book: https://suesbookreviews.blogspot.com/...

Victoria Line Central Line is a book of short stories with realistic characters facing unusual situations. Some ended rather too abruptly for my tastes, and some were morally dubious...but some were thought-provoking, and the characterisation is good.
Longer review of this book: https://suesbookreviews.blogspot.com/...

Three stars for 'Dublin 4', four stars for 'Lilac Bus', three and a half for the short stories. Average three and a half.

[Susan]

That was one long book over 700 pages, some of the short stories were excellent, there may have been a couple I didn't care for, but all in all, it was a good book, but reader beware, it's a long one.