maeve binchy

i'm nearly done with maeve binchy's latest novel, 'heart and soul'. for some strange reason i thought it would get me through ramadan (whether fiction should be a part of ramadan or not is a matter not to be addressed at present), but really, it is a one-sitting read. a very enjoyable sitting, i should add.

it has been some time since i read binchy's work. the first chapter of 'heart and soul' took me back to my first binchy book (read while in school), 'the lilac bus'. that was an awesome read, with each chapter covering a passenger on the bus. not only do i like this way of exploring the characters, but i love the sense of community her novels portray. it is a sense that i cannot say i have ever truly experienced. her work is also satisfyingly black or white; even gray areas in her worlds merge into one or the other.

there are not many authors i read as a secondary school student whom i am still reading now. the lack of intellectual matter in binchy perhaps adds to my pleasure in reading her novels. her stories are heart warming, and i can enjoy them without intellectual distractions.

i will be sad to finish 'heart and soul'. the characters will live with me for some time after the last page has been turned, and i will perhaps make up new scenarios for them. what else could i ask from a novel?