Evening class
Binchy, Maeve.
Adult Fiction BINCHY

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From Publishers' Weekly:

A banker with a spendthrift girlfriend; a studious teenager with an overprotective older sister; a thug looking to go straight while needing a place to stash illegal goods‘the lives of these and many other Dubliners are touched by Signora, née Nora O'Donoghue, whose adult education class, "Introduction to Italian," becomes a lesson in what it means to be alive, in Binchy's richly satisfying new novel. After being passed over for the principal's job he desperately wants, underappreciated teacher Aidan Dunne is offered, as a pacifier, the job of spearheading a program of adult education classes. He recruits Nora, whose repatriation to Ireland is precipitated by the death of her longtime married Sicilian lover, to teach Italian language and culture. The stage is thus set for La Signora to work her magic, drawing out the secrets and the romance in her students' lives. Readers uninitiated into the quotidian charms of Binchy's popular world (The Glass Lake) may find it offputting that Signora, who by many standards has masochistically mismanaged her own affairs, should prove a beacon to others. But those in the know will recognize the trademark Binchy willingness to let people be as they are, unjudged. Also familiar will be the leisurely unfolding of the story, as well as themes concerning the inevitable clash of traditional and contemporary mores, and the gap between familial duty and having a life. You didn't love people to change them," one character observes here. Fans of Binchy's nimble storytelling skills, and of her characters, who are always decent without being dull, won't want to change a thing. Major ad/promo; Literary Guild and Doubleday Book Club main selections; first serial to Good Housekeeping; TV satellite tour. (Mar.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved

From Library Journal:

Aidan Dunn is no longer the new principal of Mountainview School in Dublin in this latest effort from Binchy (The Glass Lake, Audio Reviews, LJ 6/1/95). Instead, he is in charge of starting an evening Italian class that emphasizes language, culture, and art. Signora, an Irish woman who recently returned to Dublin after 23 years in Italy, is teaching the subject, bringing an eclectic group together: wealthy Connie, streetwise Lou, young Cathy, dizzy Lizzie, and a host of others. Signora captivates them all with the wonders of Italy, and, miraculously, no one drops the class. As the students work toward making a trip to Italy, each takes center stage briefly to tell what led them to this evening class and to this point in their lives. As each story emerges, the invisible ties connecting the students outside of the class become apparent with sometimes shocking and dangerous results. The author's cousin Kate Binchy, who has appeared on stage and screen in numerous productions, flawlessly captures the subtle speech patterns differentiating each character and vividly brings the book to life. Highly recommended.‘Melanie C. Duncan, Washington Memorial Lib., Macon, GA (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.