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Das Herz von Dublin: Neue Geschichten aus Irland
Liebenswerte Szenen aus dem südlichen Teil Dublins, einem eher eleganten Viertel der irischen Hauptstadt, spiegeln den ganz normalen Wahnsinn seiner Bewohner wider. Ein Mädchen vom Land lernt die Freuden des Stadtlebens kennen, eine Studentin schlägt sich mit den Folgen einer ungewollten Schwangerschaft herum und ein alkoholabhängiger Fotograf versucht einen beruflichen Neuanfang ...
Ihre einzigartige Darstellung menschlicher Gefühle und ihr unglaubliches Gespür für Dialoge machen Maeve Binchys Geschichten konkurrenzlos gut und ihre Figuren immer wieder unvergesslich.
Ihre einzigartige Darstellung menschlicher Gefühle und ihr unglaubliches Gespür für Dialoge machen Maeve Binchys Geschichten konkurrenzlos gut und ihre Figuren immer wieder unvergesslich.
222 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 1982
85 people are currently reading
2164 people want to read
About the author
Maeve Binchy
258 books5,009 followersAnne 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.
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.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 125 reviews
August 15, 2020
Fascinating, moving and entirely delightful.
November 8, 2022
Again, Maeve has transported me into the everyday lives of Dublin folk. Addiction, sexuality, infidelity, friendship, families, spreading one’s wings, dishonesty, and faithfulness. It’s all there with some little twists at the end, always giving a good message at the end.
She always has the knack of showing us human frailty, the nuances of human nature and the basics of being kind, and those that are the opposite.
None of these stories are repeated in her other numerous compilations, and they all have a lesson to ponder.
There is often a nun, mostly she tells of a young girl choosing to give her life to the intangible, whether the vocation is a life long one or not, time will tell.
A young girl who is so crazy with weakness on trying to establish a life for herself I cringed, she was utterly hopeless, but in true Maeve style, right at the end there was light.
Just like the poor wife on an alcoholic that lived with the constant threat of him picking up thatfirst drink, it was inevitable, but the way she held herself and supported her family, and the overarching decision was a good one.
As always, Kate Binchydelivers a seamless narration, and the era of the writing does not change the nature of the message, and the clarity of the message.
Maeve showcases her talent of the everyday, intertwined with moral dilemma and human foibles, it is quite uncanny. Love her.
She always has the knack of showing us human frailty, the nuances of human nature and the basics of being kind, and those that are the opposite.
None of these stories are repeated in her other numerous compilations, and they all have a lesson to ponder.
There is often a nun, mostly she tells of a young girl choosing to give her life to the intangible, whether the vocation is a life long one or not, time will tell.
A young girl who is so crazy with weakness on trying to establish a life for herself I cringed, she was utterly hopeless, but in true Maeve style, right at the end there was light.
Just like the poor wife on an alcoholic that lived with the constant threat of him picking up thatfirst drink, it was inevitable, but the way she held herself and supported her family, and the overarching decision was a good one.
As always, Kate Binchydelivers a seamless narration, and the era of the writing does not change the nature of the message, and the clarity of the message.
Maeve showcases her talent of the everyday, intertwined with moral dilemma and human foibles, it is quite uncanny. Love her.
February 26, 2014
Four tales, too long for a short story but not quite long enough for a novella, but ever so engaging. Perfect quick read for commuters. (I just became aware that people are looking for short reads for traveling on public transportation to work.) This is it. These characters will linger with you. They will nudge your judgments. What would you do in the situation?
Lest I forget, please note that Maeve Binchy is a top of the line story teller, a good writer and weaves minute details, tucked in so easily, that you don't know how much you actually know about the character until he or she does something unexpected and you think, "Of course."
When the snow flies and you're stranded in front of the fire, reach for a Maeve Binchy. When the sun casts a weak winter shadow and promises a melt, don't walk on ice. Read Maeve.
I went to Eclipse, a local used book store, and bought all their Maeve Binchy's. Well, all I could carry. I think that should be my way to limit purchase. If I can't carry, I won't buy it.
Happy reading!!!
Lest I forget, please note that Maeve Binchy is a top of the line story teller, a good writer and weaves minute details, tucked in so easily, that you don't know how much you actually know about the character until he or she does something unexpected and you think, "Of course."
When the snow flies and you're stranded in front of the fire, reach for a Maeve Binchy. When the sun casts a weak winter shadow and promises a melt, don't walk on ice. Read Maeve.
I went to Eclipse, a local used book store, and bought all their Maeve Binchy's. Well, all I could carry. I think that should be my way to limit purchase. If I can't carry, I won't buy it.
Happy reading!!!
March 25, 2020
Review to follow
December 10, 2023
I enjoyed this collection overall 🙂 four short stories set in Dublin - seemed like a nice way to gather them. and, at 5 hours long, each story had a good bit of time to develop, including develop some depth. as often, I enjoyed the way Maeve Binchy presents her characters' thoughts and feelings, including more vulnerable and less acceptable ones, and also how she focuses largely on the lives of women 🙂
📖 Dinner in Donnebrook - the planning of a party, and alot more is afoot! but abit of an unsatisfactory end, that felt abrupt and premature.
📖 Flat in Rings End - living alone for the first time in a city... navigating finding accommodation, flatmates, neighbours, men... 😉
📖 Decision in Bellefield - includes some interesting commentary on legislation and social norms around marriage, divorce, contraception, pregnancy... family, generations, different expectations...forgiveness, reconciliation. abit of an odd ending again.
📖 Murmurs in Montrose - alcoholism, the avoidance of scandal... a returning father and husband after treatment... everyone's uncertainty.
I thought it described well the children's reaction to their parents reuniting - seeing a dynamic they're unfamiliar with, as unsettling as the previous one, despite it being alot more positive.
the following months realistically up and down...
3.5/4 🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟 🙂
accessed as a library audiobook, very nicely read by Kate Binchy 🙂
📖 Dinner in Donnebrook - the planning of a party, and alot more is afoot! but abit of an unsatisfactory end, that felt abrupt and premature.
📖 Flat in Rings End - living alone for the first time in a city... navigating finding accommodation, flatmates, neighbours, men... 😉
📖 Decision in Bellefield - includes some interesting commentary on legislation and social norms around marriage, divorce, contraception, pregnancy... family, generations, different expectations...forgiveness, reconciliation. abit of an odd ending again.
📖 Murmurs in Montrose - alcoholism, the avoidance of scandal... a returning father and husband after treatment... everyone's uncertainty.
I thought it described well the children's reaction to their parents reuniting - seeing a dynamic they're unfamiliar with, as unsettling as the previous one, despite it being alot more positive.
the following months realistically up and down...
3.5/4 🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟 🙂
accessed as a library audiobook, very nicely read by Kate Binchy 🙂
October 19, 2012
I now know the pleasure of Maeve Binchy’s fiction! I'm sorry to meet this beautiful person's insight the year of her passing (July 2012). But I have all of her work to look forward to. "Dublin 4" from 1982, comprises short stories that some feel concluded early. I would love to see Carmel's much sweated-over soirée from "Dinner In Donnybrook", or learn how Pat conducted her pregnancy in "Decision In Belfield" but I immediately grasped that an outcome wasn't the point.
I'm convinced what Maeve did was a stroke of genius. She created discussions you can't wait to share with anyone you can. Would Pat hide an infant in London, knowing her parents lamented her sister cutting them off, rather than minding a Grandchild? The sole clear message is avoiding her sister's outcomes. She doesn’t fear being tied down. Jo getting stuck with two drunks in "Flat In Ringsend" was unrealistic. Where there is lack of assertiveness, there is cleverness; 'Thanks for the drink, gotta go'! However this tale ends with the most promise. "Murmurs In Montrose" is the only one to spell out the aftermath but I was least attached to its cast.
All attest to Maeve's gift for plain dialogue, proving you don't need action, or spooky plots to become absolutely compelled. Her stories appear to end without a conclusion because this is about glimpsing how someone thinks and finding that we understand their decisions. There’s compassion in knowing how people reach them and in respecting unique comfort zones. My favourite is "Dinner In Donnybrook". A formal letter-writer myself, I was captivated by Carmel's dinner plans; wondering what was wrong with organizing early. General fiction is not my genre but I see for myself, the great Maeve Binchy keeps us interested in the smallest details, from sentence one.
I'm convinced what Maeve did was a stroke of genius. She created discussions you can't wait to share with anyone you can. Would Pat hide an infant in London, knowing her parents lamented her sister cutting them off, rather than minding a Grandchild? The sole clear message is avoiding her sister's outcomes. She doesn’t fear being tied down. Jo getting stuck with two drunks in "Flat In Ringsend" was unrealistic. Where there is lack of assertiveness, there is cleverness; 'Thanks for the drink, gotta go'! However this tale ends with the most promise. "Murmurs In Montrose" is the only one to spell out the aftermath but I was least attached to its cast.
All attest to Maeve's gift for plain dialogue, proving you don't need action, or spooky plots to become absolutely compelled. Her stories appear to end without a conclusion because this is about glimpsing how someone thinks and finding that we understand their decisions. There’s compassion in knowing how people reach them and in respecting unique comfort zones. My favourite is "Dinner In Donnybrook". A formal letter-writer myself, I was captivated by Carmel's dinner plans; wondering what was wrong with organizing early. General fiction is not my genre but I see for myself, the great Maeve Binchy keeps us interested in the smallest details, from sentence one.
April 17, 2012
Ok. First of the 4 stories was actually pretty interesting--a woman plans a dinner party and invites friends as well as her husband's mistress. Does she, or doesn't she, know that the woman is her husband's mistress? Suspenseful. The middle two stories really weren't all that great, and the last story was a train wreck. You knew that the train wreck was going to happen, it was just a matter of time, but still, you hope you're wrong and that the story will end happily. But of course it doesn't.
December 27, 2008
Every once in a while I read something that reminds me that reading is supposed to be pleasurable. These are good, perceptive, entertaining stories with plenty to say, and they say it deftly.
September 17, 2024
Enjoyed the four snippets of stories of everyday people. I was impressed with Maeve’s writing style, glad this was my first read of hers as now I have a taste of what a longer novel would be like 👏
April 14, 2016
As usual, Maeve has really impressed me. She has such an ability to really get at the heart of human emotions. This collection of short stories really captured my interest and it was also a nice quick read. I finished it in a day. I love how she always manages to have the perspective of so many different characters without ever losing you, she has a real talent for this. Overall the stories were very good, but they were a bit dark. They all were very well written and put together, but left me feeling a bit sad when I was done. You don't want to read this if you want something lighthearted. However, I would definitely recommend it because the stories are compelling. My favorite was "Murmurs in Montrose."
August 7, 2014
A collection of four different stories that involve you in the lives of their chaacters.
The stories encompass you but leave you without a concrete ending.... you know what is going to happen but you don't know how it ends.
Interesting way to leave the ends and makes you want her to continue the stories so it's not all left to imagination.
The stories encompass you but leave you without a concrete ending.... you know what is going to happen but you don't know how it ends.
Interesting way to leave the ends and makes you want her to continue the stories so it's not all left to imagination.
February 28, 2015
I love to read anything by Maeve Binchy. The only reason I didn't rate this with five stars is that it is a collection of four "long" short stories instead of a novel. As always, Ms. Binchy takes mundane incidents and by making the characters interesting, she makes the occurrences significant.
January 15, 2019
Being an ex Dubliner, this book brings back memories of living there. Four short stories of different lives that all occur in one area in Dublin. Each story is written in a warm and character driven way
January 24, 2011
A collection of four short stories, each set in Dublin. Binchy gives a great feel of Dublin society, although I'm glad I don't live with these repressed people.
January 9, 2013
Amazing as always expected from Binchy...
Highly recommended to happily spend some leisure peaceful time ;)
Highly recommended to happily spend some leisure peaceful time ;)
June 19, 2017
Dit boek heb ik met als titel Verhalen uit Ierland.
December 31, 2018
Excellent short stories set in an area of Dublin. The characters grab you & you find yourself wondering what happened to the characters after the story ends
April 13, 2020
"Why should things be stirred? Particularly, why should people be stirred? They should be left to simmer or cool down or even grow a crust on top of them if they wanted to."
Razmišljala sam se koju ocenu da dam ovoj maloj zbirci priča. Od ukupno četiri priče, nijedna mi se nije posebno dopala. Tri su bile vrlo zanimljive što se tiče same teme, ali kraj svake je delovao nedorečeno. Razumem da je autorka želela da nam ostavi prostora da sami zamislimo kraj, ali po meni to nije naročito uspešno ako se priča vodi na ovakav način i onda prekine, kao da je sekirčetom odsečena.
Taj način odstranjivanja kraja me je iznervirao u prvoj priči gde saznajemo da žena priprema večeru na koju će, između ostalih gostiju, pozvati i ljubavnicu svog muža. I dok vi sa nestrpljenjem očekujete tu večeru, na kraju ta večera ni ne bude opisana. Šipak.
Mev Binči odlično piše i poznaje ljudsku psihu do tančina. Ali nisam sigurna da li mi se dopada način na koji nas uskrati za razrešenje sudbina svojih likova.
Razmišljala sam se koju ocenu da dam ovoj maloj zbirci priča. Od ukupno četiri priče, nijedna mi se nije posebno dopala. Tri su bile vrlo zanimljive što se tiče same teme, ali kraj svake je delovao nedorečeno. Razumem da je autorka želela da nam ostavi prostora da sami zamislimo kraj, ali po meni to nije naročito uspešno ako se priča vodi na ovakav način i onda prekine, kao da je sekirčetom odsečena.
Taj način odstranjivanja kraja me je iznervirao u prvoj priči gde saznajemo da žena priprema večeru na koju će, između ostalih gostiju, pozvati i ljubavnicu svog muža. I dok vi sa nestrpljenjem očekujete tu večeru, na kraju ta večera ni ne bude opisana. Šipak.
Mev Binči odlično piše i poznaje ljudsku psihu do tančina. Ali nisam sigurna da li mi se dopada način na koji nas uskrati za razrešenje sudbina svojih likova.
November 1, 2021
The main protagonists in all four of these stories are starting afresh in one way or another. The demon drink or drunkenness is also mentioned in every story, with the final one being about a recovering alcoholic. Another odd link between two of the stories is that there are characters who use their master bedroom for another purpose, either an office or an artist’s studio. I wonder if that was Maeve Binchy’s own dream. She definitely made use of her own experience, moving to a Dublin bedsit in 1971.
These stories were a great reminder that Binchy was a master at telling a story from everyone’s point of view, with natural-sounding conversations. Perhaps I’ll pick up one of Binchy’s doorstoppers next time I’m looking for a comfort read.
These stories were a great reminder that Binchy was a master at telling a story from everyone’s point of view, with natural-sounding conversations. Perhaps I’ll pick up one of Binchy’s doorstoppers next time I’m looking for a comfort read.
August 25, 2025
Maeve Binchy clearly has an acute understanding of the private endeavors which ensue under the sheath of anonymity offered by Ireland’s biggest city. Across the four short story installments that compose this novella, Binchy explores the convergence of Irish cultural and ecclesiastical expectations with the rapid progress of a modern, urban environment. Tensions between transplants and native Dubliners, Dublin and the Irish countryside, as well as antique etiquette and the budding social liberation of a late 19th century Dublin imbue each of Binchy’s chronicles with interest. Moreover, Binchy’s characters are impressively complex and respond to their surroundings in a realistic, yet consistently interesting manner. Binchy’s portrayal of the Dublin woman is particularly remarkable. Binchy expertly demonstrates the apparent breadth of opportunity yet covert limitations marked on each of her protagonists exploring interconnected spheres of feminine life in Dublin.
February 16, 2024
Four short stories set in Ireland. A country girl moves to the city and rents a flat with two other girls, a wife hosts a dinner party with her family and her husband’s mistress, a young girl faces an unwanted pregnancy and a drunken man returns home to his friends and family fresh out of a stay in rehab. All of these stories are told with the author’s own fresh and witty Irish voice.
January 5, 2025
Unfaithfulness will repeat itself, lonely girl meets new hopeful possible guy, pregnant unwed girl with no help will move out, get job, start school,suck it up, seem happy when writing home, alcoholic Dad, gets rehab does good for a few months, backslides, wife plans to leave with teens, let down. Well written naturally.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 10, 2019
This book consists of four longish short stories, each focusing on a person or family living in Dublin and an issue they are facing. These stories are not related to each other.
This was included in my copy of The Lilac Bus, but I'm listing it separately because it was published on its own.
This was included in my copy of The Lilac Bus, but I'm listing it separately because it was published on its own.
May 30, 2020
Love the short story form and they were written well. Just a bit too depressing for me to have actually enjoyed them.
April 18, 2021
Oh if only someone had warned me that the last story wasn't heartwarming like the others. Honestly, it was a comfort read until then, probably four stars. But no.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 25, 2022
I found the endings of these to be too abrupt, but I DID enjoy getting to them!
April 13, 2012
I am not really a great fan of short stories and these were okay but the endings, for me, were rather abrubt and so I think there was more that should have been told.
In the first one Carmel, the wife of a bank manager, Dermot, is having a dinner party and asks Dermot's mistress to the dinner party which is being held on the opening night of her art exhibition. The thing is Carmel never has dinner parties and everyone else who has been asked know that Dermot is having an affair but does Carmel. It turns out she does and she has contacted an old friend who gets an interview with the mistress and puts ideas into her head that Dermot instigated this whole dinner so he could have his 2 women together but it is left like that for us to make up our own minds.
Another story is about a young girl who moves from the country to Dublin, she is very naive and does not know how to stand up for herseld and worries about everything. She moves into a flat, expecting it to be an open flat where the flatmates are friends etc but she quickly finds out that they each live their own lives - mind you she is only there for 2 weeks before the story is finished. One night she brings 2 drunks home, because she could not say no to them, but collapses on her bed and leaves the boys in the kitchen with her 2 flatmates. Next day she realises that the girls did not oome home the night before so she immediately thinks they are kidnapped. To me this was a bit crazy but it is left unfinished as well.
I won't go into the other's about a family who seemed to turn their back on a daughter who become pregnant and did not want to marry the father and a drunk who has just come out of rehabilitiation.
In the first one Carmel, the wife of a bank manager, Dermot, is having a dinner party and asks Dermot's mistress to the dinner party which is being held on the opening night of her art exhibition. The thing is Carmel never has dinner parties and everyone else who has been asked know that Dermot is having an affair but does Carmel. It turns out she does and she has contacted an old friend who gets an interview with the mistress and puts ideas into her head that Dermot instigated this whole dinner so he could have his 2 women together but it is left like that for us to make up our own minds.
Another story is about a young girl who moves from the country to Dublin, she is very naive and does not know how to stand up for herseld and worries about everything. She moves into a flat, expecting it to be an open flat where the flatmates are friends etc but she quickly finds out that they each live their own lives - mind you she is only there for 2 weeks before the story is finished. One night she brings 2 drunks home, because she could not say no to them, but collapses on her bed and leaves the boys in the kitchen with her 2 flatmates. Next day she realises that the girls did not oome home the night before so she immediately thinks they are kidnapped. To me this was a bit crazy but it is left unfinished as well.
I won't go into the other's about a family who seemed to turn their back on a daughter who become pregnant and did not want to marry the father and a drunk who has just come out of rehabilitiation.
June 5, 2017
Hope: An inevitable prayer on our lips when we hope for a miracle. The ray of sunshine after the stormy night. The willingness to believe that all is well with the world again.
No one perhaps understands the cry of hope the way Maeve Binchy does as she so wonderfully illustrates in this collection of four short stories:
A woman who hopes to rein in her adulterous husband by inviting his mistress to dinner.
A young girl in the big bad city, trying to fit in and refrain from drowning in loneliness.
A pregnant teenager knowing what she has to do before she brings her family on its knees in shame and schisms.
A woman who has to decide her course of life after hoping and waiting for her alcoholic husband to turn over a new leaf.
Each short story seems to be written for a female audience, drawing at our heartstrings and understanding hope and helplessness in a way only a woman can. Yet surely this book is written for people of all ages, all sexes and all races, because isn’t hope what gives us the will to live on?
Poignant, beautiful and hopeful. That is how each story is written by the brilliant Binchy!
No one perhaps understands the cry of hope the way Maeve Binchy does as she so wonderfully illustrates in this collection of four short stories:
A woman who hopes to rein in her adulterous husband by inviting his mistress to dinner.
A young girl in the big bad city, trying to fit in and refrain from drowning in loneliness.
A pregnant teenager knowing what she has to do before she brings her family on its knees in shame and schisms.
A woman who has to decide her course of life after hoping and waiting for her alcoholic husband to turn over a new leaf.
Each short story seems to be written for a female audience, drawing at our heartstrings and understanding hope and helplessness in a way only a woman can. Yet surely this book is written for people of all ages, all sexes and all races, because isn’t hope what gives us the will to live on?
Poignant, beautiful and hopeful. That is how each story is written by the brilliant Binchy!
March 29, 2013
I much prefer full novels to short stories but thought I would try this collection of four stories as I very much enjoyed the author's final book "A Week in Winter." None of these stories were upbeat although some had a sadder feel than others. The first story about a society woman who is trying to save her marriage was the best as it was written almost like a mystery with the reader not knowing where it was going for quite a while. I didn't care much for the themes of adultery, alcoholism, unwed pregnancy and could have done without the profane word thrown in here and there. I also would have preferred more in-depth endings to the stories; all of them were rather abruptly ended.
February 8, 2021
Maeve Binchy's short stories are like small peeks into everyday lives of the Irish people. There is so much you can relate to, Irish or not--families with problems that try to work them out, young folks just starting out in life wanting adventure & love & the struggles they face, people struggling to pay the bills, raise their children, make the sacrifices in a tough world. Little slices of life you get to be part of for a short time & then move on to the next. I think her early ones like Dublin 4 are the best. I really enjoy discovering & reading the ones I've missed, the gems amongst her many works.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 125 reviews