Not Quite Binchy
Although I can see the similarities that cause many people to compare Barclay's writing with Maeve Binchy's work, she doesn't come close to reaching the wonderful style of that author. Granted, her plot line is similar, focusing on a normal family group and the day-to-day trials and tribulations that its members experience as they try to live together and love each other despite their human failings. She focuses on relationships and all of the small things that make being alive - even the difficult and trying times that we all face - the focus of her book. However, she never quite touches the heart in the same way that Ms. Binchy does. There is a coldness to her writing that makes the story much less interesting and touching. I did enjoy this book but think that the emotional responses of the characters to their situations could have been explored much more deeply. Although she tries to really highlight the ties that Libby struggles with in her growing relationship to the Moorfield family as well as her ties to her son and contrast it with Moorfield family's own lack of ties, she never quite gets deep enough into the emotional aspect of her analysis. In summary, if you've read and enjoyed all of Maeve Binchy's books and are searching for a similar author, you'll find it in Tessa Barclay but just prepared to be slightly less touched by her book!
