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    Heart and Soul
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    Heart and Soul
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    Heart and Soul
    Audiobook (abridged)6 hours

    Heart and Soul

    Written by Maeve Binchy

    Narrated by Sile Bermingham

    3.5/5

    ()

    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    About this audiobook

    "[Maeve] Binchy makes you laugh, cry, and care. Her warmth and sympathy render the daily struggles of ordinary people heroic and turn storytelling into art." -San Francisco Chronicle

    With the insight, humor, and compassion we have come to expect from her, Maeve Binchy tells a story of family, friends, patients, and staff who are part of a heart clinic in a community caught between the old and the new Ireland.

    Dr. Clara Casey has been offered the thankless job of establishing the underfunded clinic and agrees to take it on for a year. She has plenty on her plate already-two difficult adult daughters and the unwanted attentions of her ex-husband-but she assembles a wonderfully diverse staff devoted to helping their demanding, often difficult patients.

    Before long the clinic is established as an essential part of the community, and Clara must decide whether or not to leave a place where lives are saved, courage is rewarded, and humor and optimism triumph over greed and self-pity. Heart and Soul is Maeve Binchy at her storytelling best.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherPenguin Random House Audio
    Release dateFeb 17, 2009
    ISBN9780739377246
    Unavailable
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    Reviews for Heart and Soul

    3.5/5

    362 ratings33 reviews

    What did you think?

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    Review must be at least 10 words

    • 3/5
      Great beach read.
    • 4/5
      sweet and easy read
    • 4/5
      The Globe and Mail called this "Binchy's best read in a decade" and I would tend to agree. I didn't read her last book (Whitethorn Woods) because I was so disappointed in Nights of Rain and Stars. In this book Binchy brings together characters from some of her previous books with some new characters. One of the new characters is Clara Casey who is the newly appointed head of the Dublin heart clinic. Clara is separated from her husband but has her two daughters living with her. As if it wasn't stress enough to get the heart clinic up and running her husband wants a divorce so he can marry the pregnant woman (not much older than his daughters) for whom he left Clara. In order to stop thinking about the husband Clara plunges herself into the business of finding the right personnel for the clinic. One of the people she hires is Fiona who had a central role in Nights of Rain and Stars. Clara also hires Ania, a Polish immigrant who shows up in the car park next to the clinic one morning, to be the runner and general dogsbody. Quentins, the upscale restaurant from the book of the same name, makes several appearances and the catering couple from Scarlet Feather also show up. But the characters I was most happy to see were Nora and Aidan from The Evening Class. Aidan has a serious heart attack and they go to the clinic for advice on healthy living although Nora is convinced Aidan is going to die an early death. Clara manages to convince Nora to give the clinic a whole-hearted try for 6 weeks. Of course, before the 6 weeks is up Nora and Aidan are great supporters of the clinic. There are romances between staff, between children of staff and between one staff member and the child of one of the patients. There are ups and downs in the romances but, in the end, those that should work out do. A very satisfying read.
    • 4/5
      good fun reading
    • 5/5
      It starts with the making of a heart clinic. We come to know a few new people. Then Quentins come up, that's not so surprising. And finally St Jarlath's Crescent rings a bell, and Fiona, and Barbara... that's like having news of frends. I just loved it.
    • 2/5
      Binchy seems to be a hit or miss for me, and this one is definitely a miss, Trite, syrupy, predictable, it doesn't have much to redeem itself. Even though it seems to be some kind of St Jarlath Crescent series, Binchy is determined to introduce all of Dublin to the reader: it's confusing and unnecessary, creating stereotyped, uni-dimensional characters. Even as light reading it's boring and bland. Pass.
    • 4/5
      I just love the characters in her books.
    • 4/5
      Another charming read from Maeve Binchy. Her novels are pure comfort - not great literature, but full of kind people and hopeful endings. The highly flawed Nights of Rain and Stars had me worried, but Heart and Soul shows Maeve Binchy back at the top of her form.
    • 4/5
      I had forgotten how well Binchy weaves together stories. You just cannot put the book down because every character has a story you want to hear more of, so you keep going and going and suddenly it's 3am and you need sleep. That's how this book was for me. Reminds me that I need to read more of her stuff.
    • 3/5
      Audio book read by Sile Bermingham.

      This is a story of family, friends, patients and staff whose lives intersect at a heart clinic in Dublin. Dr Clara Casey has taken on the job of director of this underfunded but much needed clinic. She agrees to a one-year contract because she has plenty of other issues in her personal life – two adult daughters with whom she has a difficult relationship, and an ex-husband who is trying to worm his way back into her good graces. The staff she assembles is eclectic and not without their own issues. Ania is a Polish émigré looking to escape her disgrace and find a way to help her widowed mother. Dr Declan Carroll is still in training and doing a rotation at the clinic; he has a natural empathy that helps both patients and other staff members.

      This is my first Binchy book, though her books have been on my TBR list for ages. This was the right book for me at the right time – a gentle, engaging story that focuses on relationships. It is a sort of snapshot of a year in these people’s lives. We learn of past heartaches, their insecurities, their strengths, and emotions. Sile Bermingham does a fine job of reading the book. Her pacing and inflections are right on target.
    • 4/5
      This was a cozy comfort read. Nothing especially memorable but very enjoyable and good for travel reading.
    • 5/5
      Book Descripiton With the warmth, humor, and compassion we have come to expect, Maeve Binchy tells a story of  doctors and staff, patients, family, and friends at a heart clinic in a community caught between the old Ireland and the new.

      Dr. Clara Casey agrees to take on the seemingly thankless task of establishing a clinic with little funding—for a year. With her own plate full—two troublesome grown daughters and a needy ex-husband—she is still able to gather a wonderfully diverse and dedicated staff. And before long she has done the impossible, made the clinic a success and a part of the community. Now Clara must decide whether or not to stay.

      My Review I love Maeve Binchy's novels and this one did not disappoint. It has a great plot and great development of characters. It is a very easy read and should not be missed if you are a Binchy fan. I'm looking forward to reading another of her novels very soon.
    • 4/5
      This novel centers around a newly built heart clinic. Like with all Binchy's novels, there is a big cast of characters, and we get a glimpse into a lot of different characters' lives. Clara, separated from her husband and with two grown daughters who still live at home and have issues of their own, runs the clinic. Declan is a young doctor who lives with his parents who never had a lot of money and think the world of their son. Aina, a Polish immigrant to Ireland, has a past she is ashamed of and wants to make a new life for herself. And there are many more... I really enjoy Binchy's novels – the ones I've read. Although there are always lots of characters, she spends enough time introducing each of them that it's easy to remember who's who and they are interesting. I also like that she brings in characters from previous novels as part of the community, as well.
    • 4/5
      I’m almost out of Maeve Binchy books to read and that makes me incredibly sad. The Irish author passed away last year after writing 16 novels and a handful of short story collections. After finishing Heart and Soul I now only have one of her books left unread. I’m sure I’ll return to her earlier books again, but I hate that I only have one completely new story left to discover.Heart and Soul is set in Dublin and tells the story of Clara, who is starting a new heart clinic in the bustling city. Despite a frustrating ex, two bratty daughters and a penny-pinching boss, Clara manages to get the clinic up and running with an excellent staff. She handpicks everyone from the nurses and dietician to the security guard. In Binchy’s trademark style we wander in and out of various characters lives, watching them fall in love, tackle new challenges and learn more about themselves along the way. This book includes many familiar faces. We reconnect with characters from her other novels, (especially Scarlet Feather, Quentins, Nights of Rain and Stars and Evening Class) and see how they are doing now. You don’t have to read those books to appreciate this one, but it’s a nice surprise to meet those characters again. I particularly enjoyed Anya’s story. She’s a sweet Polish girl just hoping to find some work in Ireland. Her sincere joy at life despite her ups and down was lovely. A few areas in the story faltered, like a section with a priest and a woman who is avidly pursuing him, but that wasn’t enough to detract for the overall book. BOTTOM LINE: If you love Binchy’s work then definitely pick this one up. She is a comfort read for me and I almost always enjoy her.
    • 3/5
      Are there two Irelands? I know that the answer is yes but is the Ireland of Frank McCourt, Roddy Doyle, Neil Jordon and Sebastian Barry the same place as the one that the late Maeve Binchy inhabited? I know that things have changed recently but how can Ms. Binchy’s characters have no history of abject poverty or religious hatred? Where are the forced removals to convents ala Magdalene Sisters or the brutality of the Irish brothers? Even the Polish immigrants have a charmed lives and the McMafia of Eastern Europe is never mentioned. Heart and Soul has a cast of hundred happy Irish souls going about their daily business with ne’er a worry about anything more serious than their daughter working in a shop that sells drag or what ruby ring the good doctor needs to buy for his lovely fiancé Read at your peril
    • 5/5
      Dr.Clara Casey has been offered the thankless job of establishing an underfunded heart clinic in Ireland. She has quite enough on her plate already with two difficult adult daughters and the unwanted attentions of her ex-husband, but she assembles a wonderfully diverse staff devoted to helping their often difficult patients. There is the infectiously cheerful nurse, the indispensable office manager who can't quite manage her own life, the young Polish girl who came to Ireland to escape a bad love affair, the young doctor who has a special touch with his patients and the physical therapist who takes on a different sort of therapy to deal with a stalker and the local priest. Together they make the clinic an essential part of the community, and Clara must eventually decide whether or not to leave the heart clinic where lives are saved, courage is rewarded and humor and optimism triumph over greed and self-pity. I truly enjoyed this story and give it an A!
    • 3/5
      Started out rather slow, after the first 100 pages or so it was good. The book could have focused more on just a few characters. Some of them that were added in in the middle just didn't really have any connection to the story and the book would have been alot more pleasant to read. Even after finishing I didn't see the point of introducing the other characters. Too bad Maeve Binchy didn't focus alot more on the story line that developed in the beginning of the book. It kind of took a strange course that added nothing to the plot. I am a big Maeve Binchy fan, just not of this particular book.
    • 4/5
      Review for the abridged audiobook.This audiobook was a bit like listening to several episodes of Emmerdale Farm, or some similar long-running soap. It kept my interest but never grabbed me. It may be that the abridgement took some of the life out of the book, but it felt like a series of events, rather than a novel.The central character is Clara Casey, a heart specialist, who takes on the position of setting up a new heart clinic in St. Brigid's Hospital, Dublin. She is an immediately likeable person who holds everyone else together.We also meet Anya, a Polish girl with a sad past, who is hoping to make some money to send back to her mother. She chances upon Clara in a car park where she is washing windscreens, and becomes employed at the clinic as general assisstant.Declan Carroll joins the clinic for experience as a young doctor, only to fall in love and meet his wife-to-be.Binchy also brought back some of the characters from Nights of Rain and Stars - Fiona, the Irish nurse and Vronni and Andreas from Greece, who both make a cameo appearance. I do like it when authors incorporate characters from past novels but it didn't matter at all if you hadn't read the book.Most of the narrative revolves around the staff and patients at the clinic, which becomes rather a cast of thousands and a bit difficult to keep up with in an audiobook where it is much harder to refer back. In addition, the fact that it is abridged means that each of the characters is covered in much less detail.I enjoyed it as company when driving but didn't find it earth shattering. I think I would have preferred an unabridged version but I won't be going back to the book to fill in the gaps.I should add that I did enjoy the narration by Maeve's cousin, Kate Binchy, who has a soft irish accent that was a pleasure to listen to.
    • 3/5
      Charming book centering around a group of people connected to a heart clinic. Maeve Binchy does a great job of describing Dublin and developing a variety of characters of all ages.
    • 3/5
      Not one of my favorite Binchy stories but it was good. I think I felt a little let down at the end. The characters are engaging; but maybe there were too many characters and the author tried to give us a good story about all of them instead of maybe giving more solid stories about two or three. This novel revolves around a heart clinic and the lives of those who come and go through the facility. This is an easy read but a bit more depth would have made for a better story.
    • 3/5
      Not as good as vintage Binchy's but a better offer than a lot of her latest books: there are a few more separate storylines, the characters are a little bet better defined, but still: a very very light read, not to be sampled when you are in a critical mood. Simple brain candy - and sometimes a person needs just this.
    • 4/5
      This is the latest book in Binchy's novels about an extended contemporary Irish family. There's great joy and some sadness in this volume as Dr. Clara Casey's mid-life crisis is laid out in all of its complexity. Her daughters, jerky wandering husband and the job at the clinic that she feels is a step-down for her all work together to make an interesting read.
    • 4/5
      Whitethorn Woods was a huge disappoint to me so I wasn't sure if this book was going to end up the same but I loved it and felt that this was more like the old Binchy that I loved.Back Cover Blurb:Clara Casey has more than enough on her plate. Her daughters Adi and Linda were no problem during the usually turbulent teens. Now Adi is always fighting for or against something: the environment or the whale or battery farming; while Linda lurches from one unsatisfactory relationship to the next. As if this wasn't enough, Clara, a senior cardiac specialist, has a new job to cope with - and now her ex-husband wants something from her....For Ania, meeting Clara Casey is a miracle. She never intended to leave Poland - but perhaps a new job in a new country will mend her broken heart? Declan is looking forward to joining the clinic - but what should have been a straightforward six-month posting brings him far more than he expected.Then there's Father Brian Flynn, whose life is turned upside down when his reputation is threatened; and the beautiful, cheerful nurse, Fiona, who can't leave her troubled past behind....
    • 4/5
      People who run a Cardiac Rehabilitation Unit. These people are real - as always with Maeve Binchy. I like the way MB brings in characters from other books ie Whitethorn Woods, Scarlet Feather, Quentins, Nights of Rain and Stars - you feel as if you are meeting up with old friends
    • 3/5
      Dr. Clara Casey is chosen to run an under-funded heart clinic in Dublin. Soon family, friends, patients and staff come together to make the clinic a huge success. Binchy is a master storyteller who weaves life's day-to-day happenings into her stories. You will care about the characters and hate for the story to end.
    • 4/5
      Dr. Clara Casey was passed over for the position of head cardiologist at the hospital. Instead, she ends up appointed the director of the new heart clinic and she's less than thrilled about the prospect. She promises herself it will only be for a year, she'll get through it, and move on.The new job is just the beginning of her troubles. She has two selfish daughters who are wrapped up in their own lives. Her estranged husband, who left her to live with a much younger woman, is finally asking for the divorce she won't grant, and Frank Ennis, the hospital board member overseeing the clinic, is an incredible thorn in her side.At the clinic, she begins assembling a diverse and wonderful staff. Clara is a force and you begin to see the clinic find its home in the community and become a touchstone for so many of the characters in this book.Maeve Binchy is a comfort read for me. She creates such immensely likable characters that I want to pick up and go to Dublin to meet these people. In this book, as with most Binchy novels, the story is told from several perspectives and you know what's going on in the lives of all the characters. Some of their stories are more interesting than others but it's the way they are all tied together that makes it work. Binchy does a good job of folding you into the story and you're hooked before you know it. The ending of this one felt a bit abrupt and the characters all work out their problems fairly quickly but that may also have been me not wanting to see this story come to an end at all.This book does include characters from previous novels but you don't need to have read them all to understand what's going on here. It stands on its own but if you've read the other books, it's nice to see the characters you've met before are all doing fine.
    • 2/5
      Although I liked the characters in this book, I found it boring. It was quick and light though, I read it for book club. I liked Circle of Friends much better.
    • 4/5
      This book focuses on the people who work in a heart clinic in Dublin. Each chapter features a different character and allows the reader to see all the ways these characters are interconnected. In a way, it almost reads like a series of short stories, but it does push through the somewhat predictable plot of the young doctor and the pretty nurse getting married, and the ingenue, hard-working Polish immigrant falling for the well-to-do son of one of the heart patients. Despite its predictable plot and legions of characters that I struggled to keep straight, it was a very enjoyable book.
    • 5/5
      I really enjoyed this book. I have never read anything by Maaeve Binchy before , but I loved this book and I want to read all of her books. I particularily liked the way she told about allo of these characters individually as well as how they intertwined in the heart clinic. If I were to pick a favorite character it would be Ania. I just loved her spirit and the fact that not even Mrs. Walsh could kick her down.
    • 4/5
      I'm always looking for 'cozies and .while this didn't disappoint, I wouldn't give it as many stars as some of her previous books. Again, she presents us with a cast of characters, all tied together by place, and sorta by their purpose -- a heart clinic -- but each has his or her own story, and motivation. Ultimately of course, there is the on again off again romance (at least one good one, and a couple less well developed on the side) there are the duty nasties who may or may not melt into good guys at the end (I'll not do any spoiling). It's Irish, so there's the duty priest, the town widow, and in a newer twist, there are some polish immigrants. Again, while the setting may be different, the script is becoming fairly predictable. Still ...an enjoyable read.