by Maeve Binchy
"It began with Benny Hogan and Eve Malone, growing up, inseparable, in the village of Knockglen. Benny - the only child, yearning to break free from her adoring parents.... Eve - the orphaned offspring of a convent handyman and a rebellious blueblood, abandoned by her mother's wealthy family to be raised by nuns. Eve and Benny knew the sins and secrets behind every villager's lace curtains ... except their own. It widened at Dublin, at the University where Benny and Eve met beautiful, but conniving and selfish, Nan Mahon and Jack Foley, a doctor's handsome son. But heartbreak and betrayal would bring the worlds of Knockglen and Dublin into an explosive collision."
I have loved this author for a long time and have purchased and read almost everything she has written. I find Maeve a rare author who can give you a story with numerous, complex characters - but she makes them so individual you are easily able to keep them straight in your mind. Her familiar and relatable characters' stories are compelling and their situations and drama make for both cozy and entertaining reading.
Circle of Friends is the first Maeve Binchy book I read and I completely fell in love with her writing style. She paints a gorgeous picture of Irish life including the various diverse worlds and backgrounds of her characters and seamlessly melds them together into a rich story.  About 5yrs later, I saw the film version, and I know it's blasphemy to say so, but the film made changes from the book that I absolutely appreciated and (in my opinion) made the story better - or at least more palatable for a wider audience. Heidi Y.