Tuesday, August 16, 2016

Maeve Binchy - Silver Wedding

42. Silver Wedding by Maeve Binchy (1989)
Length: 419 pages 
Genre: Contemporary Fiction 
Started: 9 August 2016
Finished: 16 August 2016
Where did it come from? From Bookmooch
How long has it been on my TBR pile? Since 12 December 2012
Why do I have it? I like contemporary fiction and have read and enjoyed several books by this author in the past.

A silver anniversary is always an occasion to celebrate, and for Desmond and Deirdre Doyle this celebration is no less special. As the Doyles prepare to commemorate the twenty-five years of marriage they have shared, their closest family and friends gather around them in remembrance of such a happy time. However, it is also a time fraught with tremendous uncertainty.

The Doyles face an uneasy moment of reckoning as their friends and family members begin to arrive for the festivities. So much time has passed for all of them, and so much has changed. The couple may have prepared themselves for anything; but they can only hope that everyone has come ready to celebrate their twenty-fifth wedding anniversary. Everyone has certainly come to congratulate the happy couple, but each person seems to have also brought their own personal baggage to the party.

First to arrive are the three Doyle children: Anna, Helen, and Brendan. Their hapless daughter Helen is still struggling with her vocation to become a nun. Having reached a crossroads in her life, she plans on making her final decision at her parents silver anniversary. Their rebellious son Brendan prefers a life of solitude spent on the family farmstead in Ireland, rather than living with his parents and sisters in London.

Desmond's best man - Frank Quigley - was once his very best friend, but is now Desmond's boss. Deirdre's bridesmaid - Maureen Barry - is now a successful career woman, looking forward to opening a London location in her chain of fashion boutiques. Father James Hurley - the priest who married the couple - arrives to the silver anniversary carrying his own guilty family secret.

Yet it is her parents silver anniversary that will prove to be a time of ultimate transformation for the Doyles' eldest daughter, Anna. She is the person tasked with the seemingly impossible: navigating through the troubled waters of the past and smoothing out ruffled relationships. For only Anna can confront their tarnished lives and find a truth strong enough to draw them into a circle of love that might nourish, protect, and finally heal them all.

As I have probably said many times before, Maeve Binchy was such a remarkable author. This was actually the second time that I have read this particular book, yet it still felt like a fresh story to me. In my opinion, Ms Binchy created so many memorable characters; as well as poignant and emotionally-driven stories. This was just another one of her many delightfully written books and I would give it a definite A!

A! - (90-95%)

Till we Meet Again, Glow Brightly as Moonlight

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