CIRCLE OF FRIENDS, by Maeve Binchy, Delacorte Press, 565 pages, $19.95.

“Circle of Friends” brings the old magic back. Not that it strayed very far. Maeve Binchy has magic to spare as a story- teller.

Few writers can be as versatile as she has been. She can bring a glitter to the short story and create an atmosphere as in “Firefly Summer” or strong characterizations in a vignette as in “Silver Anniversary,” but her real forte is the long novel which moves satisfyingly through the years of a group of people.

Her first, “Light a Penny Candle,” a novel based on the World War II years, lit up the sky it was so refreshing. And now we have another. It is more than worth waiting for.

Based in an Irish village, Knockglen, it follows the friendship of two unlikely companions thrown together by circumstance. There is Benny, a not-too-attractive girl, who is the apple of her wealthy, smothering parents’ eye, and Eve, an abandoned orphan, being raised in a convent.

As anyone familiar with the ways of small villages knows, they are far from the quiet places they appear to be on the surface. Eve and Bunny, between them, know just about every secret behind the lace curtains and the circumspect public behavior. Their joint endeavor creates a bond and a fierce loyalty which will last throughout their lives.

It is not until they go to Dublin to further their education that they are exposed to a wider world, and big city mores along with academic viewpoints make a stunning impact.

In the course of events they meet many different people and in particular the beguiling son of a doctor, Jack Foley, and the exquisite Nan Mahon who influence them most. The bonds of friendship are dearly tested especially when intrigues of the past come to life and betrayal enters the picture.

The delight of the story, however, lies not in the complex strands of the plot or the sensitive portrayal of character and reaction, which the reader is bound to respond to with a nod of the head. Rather the joy is in a rich, long satisfying story about people whom we all have known. This is rare to find these days and is a special bonbon for a lagging spring.

Binchy’s novels have been called Irish “Thornbirds” because they have that aura of family saga. She was born and educated in Dublin and has written several best-selling novels as well as two plays and a teleplay. She and her husband reside in London and Dublin where she has written for the Irish Times since 1969.

Marion Flood French is a free-lance writer who resides in Bangor.