Benny Hogan is the central character in Circle of Friends by Maeve Binchy. She is big hearted and generous, living with her parents in a village called Knockglen in Ireland. Her family own Hogan's Outfitters a gentleman's clothing shop which is run by Benny's father. A rather naive and unassuming man he hires the dodgy Sean Walsh. Her parents, bless 'em, have high hopes that Benny will marry this Sean, but Benny has no interest in him. He is rather too oily for her tastes.
Benny becomes friends with Eve, the girl from the convent in Knockglen and together they go to college in Dublin and become friends with Nan, a girl with an alcoholic father who is determined to marry well.
So why is Benny this week's heroine? Well, to be honest because I can identify with her so well. She isn't very confident at all initially even though she is a lovely girl. I think she is what you might call "naturally curvaceous" but for her this spells unattractive. She falls for the good looking Jack Foley, never believing he would be interested in her, but they begin a relationship. He wants more from her, but she sticks to her guns and goes back home to Knockglen every night.
When there is a death in her family we see a strong Benny emerge. A Benny we always knew was there. She handles the missing money in the shop with tact but firmness, then she realises what Jack has been up to and deals with that also.
By the end of this gentle story, Benny has become a confident woman. Confident in her own skin and no longer feeling inferior to others.
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