Maeve Binchy

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BOOKS BY THIS AUTHOR


Title: Tara Road: Description:
Oprah Book Club® Selection, September 1999: Against all odds, two newlyweds manage to buy the house of their dreams. In 1982, property speculation is beginning to be a big, big thing in Dublin--and their street is very much in an up-and-coming part of town. "They laughed and hugged each other. Danny Lynch from the broken-down cottage in the back of beyond and Ria Johnson from the corner house in the big, shabby estate were not only living like gentry in a big Tara Road mansion, they were actually debating what style of dining table to buy." But for its various inhabitants, the street is to become a boulevard of dreams--some broken, others created anew. Maeve Binchy has long proved herself a secure hand at multiple story lines, and over the course of 500 satisfying pages she focuses on Ria; her best friend, Rosemary Ryan, a beautiful, endlessly selfish career woman; Gertie, the battered wife of a drunkard; and several other intriguing women, each of whom has secrets not to be shared. There is even an all-knowing fortune teller who early on hints that Ria will travel and start a successful business--two things she knows are definitely not in the offing. Yet after our supposedly happy housewife and mother of two is confronted by some inexorable home truths, a chance phone call from America will change her life, forcing her to discard her illusions about men, women, and marriage and start all over again. At the same time, the Connecticut caller, Marilyn Vine, has her own lessons to learn when she and Ria swap houses for the summer. Yet there's nothing remotely preachy about this novel--even the bad guys (and yes, they're usually guys) and beautiful mistresses get to maintain some appeal. Instead, Tara Road is a stirring look at the reality behind our consuming fantasies, and a page-turner to boot. --Siobhan Carson

Title: The Lilac Bus: Description:
I have others by this author

Title: The Silver Wedding: Description:
A silver wedding usually means a family gathering - difficult occasions at the best of times. But for the Doyles it will be more difficult than most, for each of them is keeping up a front.

Title: The Copper Beech: Description:
In the schoolhouse at Shancarrig stands a copper beech, its bark scarred with the names and dreams of thr pupils who have grown up under its branches. The tree is the gateway to Maeve Binchy's marvellous portrait of a small Irish town whose untroubled surface conceals the passions, rivalries, friendships, ambitions and jealousies beneath

Title: Victoria Line - Central Line: Description:
A collection of Maeve Binchy stories

Title: Nights Of Rain And Stars: Description:
In a Greek taverna, high over the small village of Aghia Anna, four people meet for the first time: Fiona, an Irish nurse, Thomas, a Californian academic; Elsa, a German television presenter; and David a shy English boy. Along with Andreas, the old man who runs the taverna, they become close to each other after witnessing a tragedy when a pleasure steamer catches fire in the harbour. NIGHTS OF RAIN AND STARS is the story of one summer when Fiona, Thomas, Elsa and David all have to face the particular life crisis which first made them leave their homes and end up in Greece. With the help of Vonni, a middle-aged Irish woman who lives in the village and is now a near-native, they each find a solution - although not necessarily the one they anticipated...

Title: Nights Of Rain And Stars: Description:
In a Greek taverna, high over the small village of Aghia Anna, four people meet for the first time: Fiona, an Irish nurse, Thomas, a Californian academic; Elsa, a German television presenter; and David a shy English boy. Along with Andreas, the old man who runs the taverna, they become close to each other after witnessing a tragedy when a pleasure steamer catches fire in the harbour. NIGHTS OF RAIN AND STARS is the story of one summer when Fiona, Thomas, Elsa and David all have to face the particular life crisis which first made them leave their homes and end up in Greece. With the help of Vonni, a middle-aged Irish woman who lives in the village and is now a near-native, they each find a solution - although not necessarily the one they anticipated...

Title: Scarlet Feather: Description:
Cathy Scarlet and Tom Feather are on the brink of realising their dream: to open a catering company in the heart of Dublin, the eponymous Scarlet Feather. Friends since college, Cathy and Tom are sure of each other and united in their shared goal, but not everyone around them is so supportive of their ambitions.A disapproving mother-in-law, an overworked husband, a distracted girlfriend and terrible twins, hell-bent on creating as much havoc and asking as many difficult (yet humorous) questions as they possibly can, stir up recipes for trouble. Passion could very well be a feature on the menu as Tom and Cathy turn increasingly to each other for support and grow ever closer in their shared aim of making Scarlet Feather the best catering company Dublin has ever seen. In Scarlet Feather Binchy once more does what she does best: introducing a cast of characters whose personalities develop gently and whose lives are carefully and almost imperceptibly blended into the mix of love affairs, heartache, humour and family ties. One of the finest aspects of Binchy's feather-light touch is that it's almost possible to forget that you are reading a work of fiction and feel instead as if you are amongst a group of friends. --Emily Lowson

Title: Light A Penny Candle: Description:
As a child, Elizabeth White was sent from her war-torn London home to a safer life in the small Irish town of Kilgarret. It was there, in the crowded, chaotic O'Connor household, that she met Aisling-who would become her very best friend, sharing her pet kitten and secretly teaching her the intricacies of Catholicism. Aisling's boldness brought Elizabeth out of her proper shell; later, her support carried Elizabeth through the painful end of her parents' chilly marriage. In return, Elizabeth's friendship helped Aisling endure her own unsatisfying marriage to a raging alcoholic. Through the years, they always believed they could survive anything, as long as they had each other. Now they're about to find out if they were right...

Title: Tara Road: Description:
Amazon.com Oprah Book Club(r) Selection, September 1999: Against all odds, two newlyweds manage to buy the house of their dreams. In 1982, property speculation is beginning to be a big, big thing in Dublin--and their street is very much in an up-and-coming part of town. "They laughed and hugged each other. Danny Lynch from the broken-down cottage in the back of beyond and Ria Johnson from the corner house in the big, shabby estate were not only living like gentry in a big Tara Road mansion, they were actually debating what style of dining table to buy." But for its various inhabitants, the street is to become a boulevard of dreams--some broken, others created anew. Maeve Binchy has long proved herself a secure hand at multiple story lines, and over the course of 500 satisfying pages she focuses on Ria; her best friend, Rosemary Ryan, a beautiful, endlessly selfish career woman; Gertie, the battered wife of a drunkard; and several other intriguing women, each of whom has secrets not to be shared. There is even an all-knowing fortune teller who early on hints that Ria will travel and start a successful business--two things she knows are definitely not in the offing. Yet after our supposedly happy housewife and mother of two is confronted by some inexorable home truths, a chance phone call from America will change her life, forcing her to discard her illusions about men, women and marriage and start all over again. At the same time, the Connecticut caller, Marilyn Vine, has her own lessons to learn when she and Ria swap houses for the summer. Yet there's nothing remotely preachy about this novel--even the bad guys (and yes, they're usually guys) and beautiful mistresses get to maintain some appeal. Instead, Tara Road is a stirring look at the reality behind our consuming fantasies, and a page-turner to boot. --Siobhan Carson

Title: Firefly Summer (coronet Books): Description:
The sleepy Irish town of Mountfern is suddenly transformed one day when Ferncourt, a large house burnt down during the Troubles, is bought by an American with dreams of turning it into a hotel for American tourists. To many he appears attractive - but to others dangerous. The author is also a playwright and won two Jacob Awards and Best Script Award at the Prague Film Festival for her television play "Deeply Regretted By". She has also written "Light a Penny Candle" and "Echoes" which has been made into a Channel 4 television series

Title: Echoes (coronet Books): Description:
In a small Irish seaside town in the 50s and 60s, two very different children are growing up. They shout their hearts' desires into the echo cave, praying that their destiny will lead them far away from the town in which they live

Title: Quentins: Description:
Every table at Quentins restaurant in Dublin has a thousand stories to tell. The staff and customers all have tales of their own, and the restaurant itself has had times when it looked set for success, and others when it seemed doomed to failure. Presiding over it all are Patrick and Brenda Brennan, who have made Quentins such a legent - but even their life is not all it seems. Now Ella Brady wants to make a documentary about Quentins but as she uncovers more of what has gone on , she is forced to confront a devastating dilemma in her own life.

Title: Evening Class: Description:
It's the perfect gift: Laughter, the best medicine! From beloved author Maeve Binchy, who has captured the hearts of millions with her spectacular national bestsellers, including Circle of Friends and Tara Road. In Evening Class, she applies her signature warmth, wit and understanding to something new--a wickedly funny book for anyone who's checked into the hospital, headed for an operation or convalesced at home. Maeve Binchy can always be counted on to spin an involving tale about ordinary people that brings out the extraordinary in everyone. Here, she zooms in on the working-class of Dublin. Schoolteacher Aidan Dunne organises an evening class in Italian with the help of Nora O'Donoghue, an Irishwoman returning home after 26 years in Sicily. When the somewhat squashed-by-life denizens of the surrounding neighbourhood take the unexpected step of enrolling in the class, they find their lives transformed. Binchy tells her story from the viewpoints of eight different characters and rewards both them and her readers with happy endings after the requisite rocky road. Reading a novel by Maeve Binchy is like catching up with old friends--you know everything will turn out fine in the end, but you're still interested in how things get that way.

Title: Whitethorn Woods: Description:
The town of Rossmore is a special place, full of character charm. Nestled beside the Whitethorn Woods, the town has grown since the days when it was small and friendly and everyone knew everyone else; now it has chain stories and traffic problems and housing estates. But still, there are the woods, full of spiky bushes and criss-crossed with paths; and there's St Ann's Well, where generations have come to pray or make wishes or just to look back at the pretty little town. Which is why there is going to be such a fuss about the plans for the new motorway. It's going to by-pass Rossmore, cutting through Whitethorn Woods and endangering the well itself. The new road will bring jobs and relieve traffic in the town; for others, it will destroy businesses and leave the town a backwater. The people of Rossmore are divided. There is a lot of land standing in the way of the great road of progress. Quite by accident the decision rests on Neddy Nolan - the most honest man in Rossmore. A man determined to do the right thing

Title: Victoria Line, Central Line: Description:
Millions of people travel on London's tube every day, yet we usually only give our fellow passengers a cursory glance. Maeve Binchy infuses the nameless people with stories to provide a cross-section of London life. By the author of "Dublin", "Lilac", "Silver Wedding" and "Circle of Friends". From the Publisher A vintage collection of short stories from the bestselling author of Light a Penny Candle and Circle of Friends --This text refers to the Paperback edition. From the Back Cover At Notting Hill, a mysterious secretary harbours a secret on her journey to work; at Highbury and Islington, a young man has a sudden change of heart; while at Holborn, a disastrous reunion is about to take place… From Green Park to Brixton, Shepherd’s Bush to Chancery Lane, the nameless faces travelling on the Tube each have their own tales to tell. In this vintage collection of stories, Maeve Binchy brings this cross-section of London society vividly to life with her unforgettable humour and compassion. ‘Reading these tales is like listening to someone talking: someone you very much want to hear’Sunday Telegraph ‘An adept storyteller with a sharp eye or social nuances and a pleasing affection for her characters’ Sunday Times ‘Full of warmth and pure delight’Woman & Home --This text refers to the Paperback edition. About the Author Maeve Binchy:Maeve Binchy was born in Dublin, and went to school at the Holy Child Convent in Killiney. She took a history degree at UCD and taught in various girls' schools, writing travel articles in the long summer holidays. In 1969 she joined the Irish Times and for many years she was based in London writing humorous columns from all over the world. She is the author of five collections of short stories as well as twelve novels including Circle of Friends, The Copper Beech, Tara Road, Evening Class and The Glass Lake. Maeve Binchy is married to the writer Gordon Snell and they live in Dalkey, Dublin. --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Title: The Copper Beech: Description:
In the Irish town of Schancarrig, the young people carve their initials-and those of their loves -- into the copper beech tree in front of the schoolhouse. But not even Father Gunn, the parish priest, who knows most of what goes on behind Shancarrig's closed doors, or Dr. Jims, the village doctor, who knows all the rest, realizes that not everything in the placid village is what it seems. Unexpected passions and fear are bringing together the lives of so many, such as the sensitive new priest and Miss Ross, the slight, beautiful schoolteacher... Leonora, the privileged daughter of the town's richest family and Foxy Dunne, whose father did time in jail... and Nessa Ryan, whose parents run Ryan's Hotel, and two very different young men. For now the secrets in Shancarrig's shadows are starting to be revealed, from innocent vanities and hidden loves to crimes of the heart... and even to murder.

Title: Dublin 4: Description:
A novel, bringing together the life stories of ordinary people, including a student facing the dilemma of unmarried pregnancy and a country girl savouring the delights of the city. From the Publisher A vintage collection of short stories set in the heart of Dublin, from the bestselling author of Light a Penny Candle and Circle of Friends --This text refers to the Paperback edition. From the Back Cover A society hostess entertains her husband’s mistress to dinner; a country girl savours the delights of city life; a student faces the dilemma of unmarried pregnancy; and a drink-ridden photographer tries to re-launch a shattered career… This vintage collection of stories from the bestselling author of Light a Penny Candle and Circle of Friends is Maeve Binchy at her best – her trademark warmth, wit and compassion are unmistakeable.Illustration by Sarah Perkins FictionArrow Books --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Title: The Lilac Bus: Description:
The Journey -- Every Friday night young Ron Fitzgerald's lilac-colored minibus leaves Dublin for the Irish country town of Rathdoon with seven weekend commuters on board. All of them, from the joking bank porter, Mikey Burns, who plays the buffoon while his brother makes a fortune in the family business, to the rich doctor's daughter, Dee Burke, who is having a secret affair with a married man, have their reasons for making the journey. The Destination, Rathdoon, is the kind of Irish Village where family histories are shared and scandals don't stay secret for long. And this weekend, when Tom's bus pulls in, the riders find the unexpected waiting for them... as each of their very private lives unfolds to reveal a sharp betrayal of the heart, a young man's crime, and chance for new dreams among the eight intriguing men and women on... The Lilac Bus.

Title: Evening Class: Description:
8TH Edition(1996)Publisher Ted Smart. Maeve Binchy writes at the very top of her form in this novel of linked episodesabout a schoolteacher and his motley collection of students,who find extraordinary new leases of life through the Italian evening classes which he sets up after everything in his life goes wrong. About the Author Maeve Binchy was born in Dublin and came to fame first as London Correspondent for the Irish Times. Her first novel, Light A Penny Candle made her famous in the UK and USA. She lives in Dublin with her husband, Gordon Snell.

Title: The Lilac Bus: Description:
The lilac coloured bus belongs to Tom Fitzgereld. Each Friday night it is a meeting place for the same seven people who used it to travel home from Dublin to spend the weekend in Rathdoon. Each one has an inner life unknown to those fellow passengers. There's Nancy Morris, a real 'Miss Mouse' who is known for her meanness. Dee Burke - Engrossed in her affair with an unfaithful hospital consultant. And Kev Kennedy who is a bit of a mystery even to his own family. Then there's Celia Ryan wo regularly returns home to ryan's bar to find her mother making a drunken exhibition of herself in front of half the local population. And of course, Tom Fitzgereld himself has his own reasons for returning home so regularly.

Title: Firefly Summer: Description:
An account of four fateful years in the life of a small Irish town, and in particular of the family who run the local pub. The novel features interlocking stories of loves lost and won, hopes raised and dashed, ambitions nurtured and secrets betrayed. From the Publisher Firefly Summer is warm, humorous, sad and happy. Reading it is a joy' Irish Independent --This text refers to the Paperback edition. From the Back Cover Kate and John Ryan are happy in Mountfern, a peaceful and friendly village - and, for their four young children, an unchanging backdrop to a golden childhood. The summers are long and hot, and the twins Michael and Dara, and their siblings Eddie and Declan have, in the ivy-clad ruins of Fernscourt, the once-grand house on the bank of the river burned down during the Troubles, a place to play like no other. Then Patrick O’Neill, an Irish American with a great deal of money in his pocket, buys the ruins of Fernscourt. No-one in Mountfern could have guessed what Patrick’s dream would mean for their small village, and it’s not until the very end of this tale of love won and lost that Patrick O’Neill himself will understand the irony and significance of his grand dream for Fernscourt… ‘Binchy’s novels are never less than entertaining. They are, without exception, repositories of common sense and good humour… chronicled with tenderness and wit’Sunday Times ‘Another joyful, absorbing Binchy read with lots of heart’Irish Times ‘Full of warmth and pure delight’Woman & Home --This text refers to the Paperback edition. About the Author Maeve Binchy:Maeve Binchy was born in Dublin, and went to school at the Holy Child Convent in Killiney. She took a history degree at UCD and taught in various girls' schools, writing travel articles in the long summer holidays. In 1969 she joined the Irish Times and for many years she was based in London writing humorous columns from all over the world. She is the author of five collections of short stories as well as twelve novels including Circle of Friends, The Copper Beech, Tara Road, Evening Class and The Glass Lake. Maeve Binchy is married to the writer Gordon Snell and they live in Dalkey, Dublin. --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Title: The Glass Lake: Description:
Kit McMahon lives in the small Irish town of Lough Glass, where everyone knows everyone; children who walk to school together grow up and become sweethearts and marry, people gossip and grumble and dream their lives away. For it is a place where change comes slowly. Until one day, beautiful, mysterious Helen McMahon disappears, presumed drowned in the lake, and then the gossip runs wild. The consequences for Helen's husband, her son, but above all for her daughter, Kit, are unimaginable and will leave not one of their lives unchanged. About the Author Maeve Binchy was born in Dublin and came to fame first as London Correspondent for the Irish Times. Her first novel, Light A Penny Candle made her famous in the UK and USA. She lives in Dublin with her husband, Gordon Snell. --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Title: Whitethorn Woods: Description:
The town of Rossmore is a special place, full of character charm. Nestled beside the Whitethorn Woods, the town has grown since the days when it was small and friendly and everyone knew everyone else; now it has chain stories and traffic problems and housing estates. But still, there are the woods, full of spiky bushes and criss-crossed with paths; and there's St Ann's Well, where generations have come to pray or make wishes or just to look back at the pretty little town. Which is why there is going to be such a fuss about the plans for the new motorway. It's going to by-pass Rossmore, cutting through Whitethorn Woods and endangering the well itself. The new road will bring jobs and relieve traffic in the town; for others, it will destroy businesses and leave the town a backwater. The people of Rossmore are divided. There is a lot of land standing in the way of the great road of progress. Quite by accident the decision rests on Neddy Nolan - the most honest man in Rossmore. A man determined to do the right thing. About the Author Maeve Binchy was born in Dublin and was the London Correspondent for the Irish Times. Her first novel was LIGHT A PENNY CANDLE, and she has now sold millions of copies of her books around the world. She lives in Dublin with her husband, Gordon Snell.

Title: Nights Of Rain And Stars: Description:
In a Greek taverna, high over the small village of Aghia Anna, four people meet for the first time: Fiona, an Irish nurse, Thomas, a Californian academic; Elsa, a German television presenter; and David a shy English boy. Along with Andreas, the old man who runs the taverna, they become close to each other after witnessing a tragedy when a pleasure steamer catches fire in the harbour. NIGHTS OF RAIN AND STARS is the story of one summer when Fiona, Thomas, Elsa and David all have to face the particular life crisis which first made them leave their homes and end up in Greece. With the help of Vonni, a middle-aged Irishwoman who lives in the village and is now a near-native, they each find a solution - although not necessarily the one they anticipated...

Title: Irish Girls About Town: Description:
An irresistible collection of short stories, some hilarious, some heartbreaking, from the most popular contemporary Irish women writers. Poignant, hilarious, heartwarming in turn, this anthology includes never-before-published short stories by some of the best-known and best-loved Irish writers, including Maeve Binchy, Marian Keyes, Cathy Kelly, Julie Parsons, Deirdre Purcell, Joan O'Neill, Morag Prunty, Colette Caddle and many more. It also includes stories by up-and-coming Irish stars like Annie Sparrow, Catherine Barry and Marisa Mackle. While some stories will have you laughing out loud, others will have you reaching for your hanky: but they all display their own peculiar brand of Irish charm. And it's all in a very good cause: 1 pound from every copy sold will go to Barnardo's children's charity, and the Irish charity, The Society of St Vincent de Paul, which aims to alleviate poverty throughout the world.

Title: Quentins: Description:
Every table at Quentins restaurant has a thousand stories to tell: tales of love, betrayal and revenge. There has been hope and despair sitting in the chairs. The staff who come and go have stories of their own, and the restaurant itself has had times when it looked set fair for success and others when it seemed as if it must close in failure. Ella Brady wants to make a documentary about the renowned Dublin restaurant that has captured the spirit of a generation and a city in the years it has been open. As Ella uncovers more of what has gone on, she wonders about the wisdom of brining it to the screen. Are there some stories which are too sacred to be told? Should the restaurant keep its secrets?

Title: Whitethorn Woods: Description:
The town of Rossmore is a special place, full of character and charm. Nestled beside the Whitethorn Woods, the town has grown since the days when it was small and friendly and everyone knew everyone else; now it has chain stories and traffic problems and housing estates. But it still has the woods, with the well dedicated to St Ann, where generations have come to pray or make wishes or just to look back at the pretty little town. Which is why there is going to be such a fuss about the plans for the new road, cutting through Whitethorn Woods. The people of Rossmore are divided. No one is more concerned than the curate, Father Brian Flynn, who has no idea which faction to support. Surely Neddy Nolan's family should take the compensation being offered for their land? But wasn't Neddy's mother given a cure at the well many years ago? And what about the childless London woman who came to Whitethorn Woods begging the saint for help, with unexpected consequences? Full of Maeve Binchy's warmth, humour and compassion, WHITETHORN WOODS tells of the people of Rossmore, each with their own story, as they wait for the great road of progress... About the Author Maeve Binchy was born in Dublin and was the London Correspondent for the Irish Times. Her first novel was LIGHT A PENNY CANDLE, and she has now sold millions of copies of her books around the world. She lives in Dublin with her husband, Gordon Snell.

Title: Scarlet Feather: Description:
Scarlet Feather is set in contemporary Dublin, and is the story of Cathy Scarlet and Tom Feather, who go into business together as caterers. Tom is the son of a builder and his fanatically devout wife, both of whom are disappointed that he hasn't joined the family building firm. Cathy's father is an inveterately optimistic gambler on the horses, and her mother, Lizzie, is a domestic cleaner. In particular Lizzie cleans the house of Cathy's mother-in-law, the fearsome Hannah Mitchell. Hannah is furious that her clever lawyer son, Neil, should have married her maid's daughter, and is even more outraged when Cathy sets up Scarlet Feather with Tom. Tom's hopelessly obsessive love for his beautiful, ambitious model girlfriend, Marcella, and Cathy's increasingly distant marriage to Neil, form the heart of the emotional tangles in the story. Against a background of hilarious catering triumphs and disasters, these key relationships begin to crumble, and the aphrodisiac of shared business trials and tribulations starts its inevitable work on Cathy and Tom. Meanwhile, around them, a magical supporting cast of classic Binchy characters weaves its spell: a comically dreadful but endearing set of twin children; a lonely man looking for the foster daughter he had to hand back to her real parents years earlier; the glamorous aunt whose financial backing of Scarlet Feather has a dubious source. These and many more wend their way through a story of love and heartbreak and laughter - Maeve Binchy at her most beguiling. About the Author Maeve Binchy was born in Dublin and came to fame first as London Correspondent for the Irish Times. Her first novel, Light A Penny Candle made her famous in the UK and USA. She lives in Dublin with her husband, Gordon Snell. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Title: Evening Class: Description:
Among the many evening classes starting all over Dublin is an 'Introduction to Italian'. On the surface it could be just one of hundreds in which some students will succeed and some will fall along the way. But the Italian class at Mountainview School has its own special quality, and the hopes and dreams of so many people are tied up in the twice weekly lessons. The students learn far more than they ever bargained for, and by the time they are ready to set off on the promised trip to Italy at the end of the year, everyone's destiny has changed utterly. About the Author Maeve Binchy was born in Dublin and came to fame first as London Correspondent for the Irish Times. Her first novel, Light A Penny Candle made her famous in the UK and USA. She lives in Dublin with her husband, Gordon Snell.

Title: Circle Of Friends And Silver Wedding: Description:
Circle of Friends - Big, soft-featured Benny, an adored only daughter, and Eve, the little bird-like orphan brought up by the nuns, are best friends in the small Irish town of Knockglen. On their first day at University College, Dublin, an accident brings the pair together with fellow students Nan Malone and Jack Foley, and new friendships are quickly struck. But beneath their carefree student existence, trouble is brewing for the circle of friends. Benny, the good-natured clown of the group, always seems to draw the short straw in life, while Nan, selfish and very attractive, takes what she wants without expecting to pay for it. And Eve, intensely loyal to Benny, and resentful of Nan’s careless optimism, becomes obsessed with the need to avenge Benny’s disappointments. A unique family occasion is looming for the Doyles. Desmond and Deirdre will have been married for twenty-five years in October. Naturally there must be a celebration – but who is going to arrange it? And will the right people come? It is unthinkable not to have a party, but do Desmond and Deirdre Doyle really want one? Silver Wedding - These are the questions which torment the Doyles’ eldest daughter Anna, as she thinks how best to commemorate her parent’s’ Silver Wedding. No use turning for help to her attractive but utterly selfish lover, Joe. No use asking her sister Helen, living in her London convent and struggling to be a nun, or Brendan her brother, who has chosen another form of exile on a bleak farm in the West of Ireland. Anna knows that the guest list and the party will be her responsibility alone, and so she settles down to invite the people she thinks her parents would most like to see.

Title: The Copper Beech: Description:
By the school house at Shancarrig stands a copper beech, its bark scarred with the names and dreams of the pupils who have grown up under its branches. Under Junior Assistant Mistress Maddy Ross's careful gaze the children play, but out of school Maddy's gaze lingers where it shouldn't. Maura Brennan, a bundle of fun from the rough end of town, plays with her pals: leap year baby Eddie Barton, the apple of his mother's eye, and Nessa Ryan, who little realises as she carves his name at the roots of the copper beech on the very last day of school that she'll get a lot more from one of her schoolmates than her first shy kiss. The copper beech is the gateway to Maeve Binchy's marvellous portrait of a small Irish town whose untroubled surface conceals the passions, rivalries, friendships, ambitions and jealousies beneath. About the Author Maeve Binchy was born in Dublin and came to fame first as London Correspondent for the Irish Times. Her first novel, Light A Penny Candle made her famous in the UK and USA. She lives in Dublin with her husband, Gordon Snell.

Title: Whitethorn Woods: Description:
Everything is changing in Rossmore. No longer a sleepy Irish town, where the young people leave to travel the world; nowadays it's a prosperous place, so busy that a new bypass has been proposed. The people of Rossmore are divided, particularly since the road will go right through the Whitethorn Woods and the well dedicated to St Ann - a well thought by some to have near spiritual properties, and by others dismissed as a superstition. No one is more concerned than the honest and well-meaning curate Father Brian Flynn, who has no idea which faction to support. Surely Neddy Nolan's family should take the compensation being offered for their land? But wasn't Neddy's mother given a cure at the well many years ago? And what about the childless London woman who came to the Whitethorn Woods, begging the Saint for help, with the most unexpected consequences? Lifelong friends who first met on an Israeli kibbutz visit the shrine to sort out their marriages; a wealthy American seeks advice; and a murderess and her mother have both considered consulting the saint... About the Author Maeve Binchy was born in Dublin and was the London Correspondent for the Irish Times. Her first novel was LIGHT A PENNY CANDLE, and she has now sold millions of copies of her books around the world. She lives in Dublin with her husband, Gordon Snell.

Title: Light A Penny Candle (coronet Books): Description:
Compassionate and delightful, this is the magnificent story of twenty turbulent years in the lives of two women. One is English, th other is Irish. Their friendship is sealed whenthey are children: it is warm, devoted, unshakeable and, against all the odds, it survives.Their names are Aisling and Elizabeth....

Title: Nights Of Rain And Stars: Description:
Four strangers, with nothing in common but a need to escape, meet in a Greek taverna high above the small village of Aghia Anna. From Ireland, America, Germany and England, they have each left their homes and their old lives, when a shocking tragedy throws them unexpectedly together. Fiona is a young nurse, trying to make her family understand her need to follow her own path. Thomas desperately misses his young son and fears that his ex-wife will come between them. Elsa abruptly left her career as a television presenter, but someone from her past refuses to let her go. And shy, quiet David is determined to make a stand against his overbearing father. With these four is Andreas, the taverna owner, who badly misses the son who left home nine years ago and has never returned. NIGHTS OF RAIN AND STARS is the story of one summer and four people, each with a life in turmoil. With the help of Vonni, a middle-aged Irishwoman who lives in the village and is now a near-native, they find solutions - though not necessarily the ones they anticipated ... About the Author Maeve Binchy was born in Dublin and came to fame first as London Correspondent for the Irish Times. Her first novel, LIGHT A PENNY CANDLE, made her famous in the UK and USA. She lives in Dublin with her husband, Gordon Snell.

Title: Circle Of Friends: Description:
Set against the backdrop of a small community, over a period of ten years, three friends become entwined in a bizarre triangle. From the author of LIGHT A PENNY CANDLE and FIREFLY SUMMER.

Title: Echoes: Description:
In a small Irish seaside town in the 50s and 60s, two very different children are growing up. They shout their hearts' desires into the echo cave, praying that their destiny will lead them far away from the town in which they live.

Title: Circle Of Friends (coronet Books): Description:
Benny and her best friend Eve have grown up in Knockglen, a sleepy small town. When they are old enough, their one thought is to get to Dublin, to university and freedom. But it is in Knockglen that Benny and Eve's new friends will find passion, tragedy and the independence they yearn for.

Title: This Year It Will Be Different:: Description:
Filled with Maeve Binchy`s wit and true storytelling genius,This Year It Will Be Different powerfully evokes the lives of wives,husbands,children,friends and lovers,all set during the one holiday when feelings cannot easily be hidden.

Title: Shancarrig (phoenix 60p Paperbacks): Description:
Taken from THE COPPER BEECH,this is a warm,gentle story of small-town life,told with humour and compassion,from the bestselling author THE GLASS LAKE. About the Author Maeve Binchy was born in County Dublin and came to fame first as London Correspondent for the Irish Times. Her first novel, Light A Penny Candle made her famous in the UK and USA. She lives in County Dublin with her husband, Gordon Snell.

Title: This Year It Will Be Different: Description:
20 short stories about Christmas written with Maeve Binchy's warm style.