The Tavern on Maple Street

This tale of people living in Northern Ireland was charming. Although the ending wrapped up a bit too tidily, loved each character and their lives. If you have enjoyed the other two books by this author, you will enjoy this one too.

All of Sharon Owens' book are a delight! I believe The Tavern on Maple Street is my favorite so far. She writes with such charming warmth and humor. I know I've read a good book when I can't bear to put it down and I'm really disappointed when it ends because it's been such a satisfying read. The characters are described in such a way that I feel like I actually know them personally. I get caught up in their lives and problems and adventures, and particularly enjoy the fact that they're in Ireland. Her whimsical illustrations are added fun. If you like Maeve Binchy and Rosamunde Pilcher, you're in for a treat.

I recently discovered Sharon Owens' books, based in Belfast centering on ordinary people's lives. The Tavern on Maple Street opens on the possible destruction of Beaumont's Tavern, a tiny Victorian era tavern tucked away in the heart of Belfast. Jack and Lily Beaumont have run the tavern pretty much the same as it has always been run, drinks and sandwiches. Living and working at the tavern, Lily and Jack are able to remain engrossed in each other as well as their own world, safe from the pulls of outside life. It is a haven for the regulars, and overlooked by the bright young things in search of the newest martini and available men. The city planners give the OK for developer Vincent Halloran to build a big mall, provided he buy out all the businesses on the proposed area, including Beaumont's. Jack and Lily face the end of their magic little world until Lilly decides to see what happens if the tavern moves into the modern world. Facing the pressure of neighboring businesses who sell at fantastic prices and short of finding bones in the yard, it looks as though Beaumont's is going to be sold and torn down. Lily is frantic to find a solution. She hires several barmails and introduces live music and offers craft Saturdays. Suddenly, more of Belfast is arriving at Beaumont's door.....but at what price? Jack is sure Lily has taken on more than she can handle, and secretly Lily is, too! The barmaids bring their own set of problems, Bridget is so accident prone she threatens to bring the tavern's lining quarters down around their ears. Daisy is immetrsed in her school studies and has no patience for Trudy's neurosis and allergies, real of imagined. Marie is so shy that she threatens to fade into the wall. How Jack and Lily manage to keep Beaumont's afloat as they face down Victor and keep all the new help from destroying each other and the tavern is a delightful romp. The real magic in this book is characters who each have a distinct personality and engage the reader. There were mant times in the book I wished I could just give Bridget a swift kick, i was so vexed by her behavior! The regulars rally around and the changes seem to be bringing a new life to the tavern, but is it too late? Jack and Lilly are at last offered a way to save the tavern as well as a option to move back into "real Life" by one of Bridget's accidents. Another real delight!

This book is worth 10 stars. I love each of these books. Ms Owens does a fantastic job of building such intense, lovable characters there is no way you could put the book down until complete. We start out with Lily and Jack who inherited the Tavern on Maple Street. However, a builder wants to come in and tear it all down to build a mall. Lily and Jack decide to go down and flames. They hire four barmaids and host a ton of Christmas parties and a craft make-n-takes. They never had children and haven't really shared each other much with others. Will they make it through and be able to save the tavern, or should they make plans to live elsewhere? Read and find out! This is a book that will have you to the end!

In Belfast Jack and Lily Beaumont fell in love from the moment they met in 1984, but were so poor she could not afford a winter coat. Both felt then and still do that a miracle occurred when he inherited Beaumont Tavern from his grandmother's brother though all their relatives dumped them out of either jealousy or opposition to their relationship. They have lived in love there for two decades while the relatively small in size when compared to most of the city's bars Beaumont Tavern remains popular amongst the locals who frequent the Victorian modeled edifice. Now the government wants to renovate Maple Street tearing down the historical Victorian-gothic edifices and replacing them with a large mall. The couple initially refuses to sell, but the contractor Victor Halloran is a capable nice person making a more than reasonable offer that would allow the Beaumonts to retire. The government pressures the couple threatening eminent domain if they fail to agree to Halloran's kind offer. However, Jack and Lily hesitate as they have had loyal customers for two decades plus this has been their life together. Sharon Owens third contemporary Irish fiction novel is a stunning tale in which the decisions between urban renewal vs. heritage are difficult and realistic for everyone, making for a tense deep character driven drama. Neither Victor nor Jack and Lily are bad people and they negotiate in good faith though that does not lessen the impact of to sell or not to sell for that is the question. THE TAVERN ON MAPLE STREET is an excellent modern day story that fans will marvel over the simplicity of the plot yet relating a complex societal issue. Harriet Klausner