Showing results by author "Maeve Binchy" in All Categories

Baby Frankie is born into an unusual family. Her mother is desperate to find someone to take care of her child and she doesn't have much time. Noel doesn't seem to be the most promising of fathers but despite everything, he could well be Frankie's best hope. As for Lisa, she is prepared to give up everything for the man she loves; surely he's going to love her back? And Moira is having none of it. She knows what's right, and has the power to change the course of Frankie's life....

A silver wedding means a family gathering, difficult occasions at the best of times. But for the Doyles (Deidre, Desmond, and their children Anna, Helen, and Brendan) it will be more difficult than most. For each of them is keeping up a front; each of them is nursing a secret wound, or smarting over a hidden betrayal. As the day draws nearer, so the tension mounts, until finally the guests gather at the silver wedding party itself.

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.

Clara Casey has more than enough on her plate. Her daughters Adi and Linda were no problem during the usually turbulent teens. Now in their twenties, Adi is always fighting for or against something: the environment or the whale or battery farming; while Linda lurches from one unsatisfactory relationship to the next. As if this wasn't enough, Clara, a senior cardiac specialist, has a new job to cope with - and now her ex-husband wants something from her.

Every Friday night, the same seven Dublin workers meet to travel home in Tom Fitzgerald's lilac-coloured minibus. Each of them needs to return regularly to Rathdoon: Nancy Morris, a real "Miss Mouse", is known for her meanness and has to escape her flatmate's carping; Dee Burke is engrossed in her affair; Kev Kennedy has a side to his character hidden even from his family; Celis Ryan has to face her mother making a drunken exhibition of herself; and Tom has his reasons.

Stories about ordinary people going about ordinary lives will always be fascinating when told by a writer blessed with extraordinary talent, insight, and compassion. This Year It Will Be Different brings us the magic and spirit of Christmas in 15 stories filled with Maeve Binchy's trademark wit, charm, and sheer storytelling genius.

This is the story of two very different children growing up in a small Irish seaside town in the 50s and 60s, shouting their hearts' desires into the echo cave, praying that their destiny will lead them far away from the town in which they live. Castlebay, in winter empty and grey with wind and sea spray, becomes all bustle and colour in the gaudy days of summer. The paths of these two characters are destined to criss-cross in a quite unforeseen way, and eventually both roads will lead back to Castlebay.

When a new highway threatens to bypass the town of Rossmore and cut through Whitethorn Woods, everyone has a passionate opinion about whether the town will benefit or suffer. But young Father Flynn is most concerned with the fate of St. Ann's Well, which is set at the edge of the woods and slated for destruction.

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. This 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.

De rust in het Ierse plaatsje Rossmore wordt bedreigd door de aanleg van een nieuwe snelweg. Zal deze verbinding met de buitenwereld welvaart brengen of een einde aan de gemoedelijke sfeer maken? Vooral het feit dat de bron van Sint Anna voor de snelweg moet wijken zorgt voor ophef. Vele generaties gingen al met hun dromen en zorgen naar de bron om te bidden voor beterschap. Vader Flynn hoort de inwoners van Rossmore aan terwijl ze kiezen tussen de tradities uit het verleden en de beloftes van de toekomst.

Molly Sullivan said that the new baby was a little star. She was no trouble at all and she was always smiling - so she became known as Star and no one remembered that her name was Oona.Star Sullivan just wanted everyone to be happy - her father to stop gambling, her mother not to work so hard, her brother to stay out of trouble, her sister to stop worrying about every little thing she ate.

En samling på femten julehistorier, der viser Maeve Binchys store talent for at skildre helt almindelige mennesker, deres glæder og sorger, problemer med børn, gamle eller sig selv, ensomhed eller lykkelige familierelationer - alt sammen noget som i juletiden forstørres op og bliver mere intenst.

Syv ganske almindelige menneskers livshistorier, drømme og håb væves ind i hinanden med samlingspunkt i den bustur, de i fællesskab foretager hver fredag fra arbejdet i Dublin og hjem til deres barndoms landsby.

Da Kits mor forsvinder, tror Kit, det er selvmord og søger trøst hos den irske landsbys støtte - en eneboer-nonne. Under sin uddannelse i hotelbranchen møder Kit senere moderen i London.

Millioner af rejsende tager hver dag med Londons undergrundsbane fra sted til sted - måske fra deres hjem til arbejdspladsen. Millioner af anonyme passagerer, der ikke kender noget som helst til hinandens liv og færden. Det er disse navnløse rejsende, som Maeve Binchy puster liv i med en række bevægende og sørgmuntre episodefortællinger. Der er f.eks. den mystiske sekretær, der hver dag stiger på toget på stationen Notting Hill og vogter omhyggeligt på sine livshemmeligheder, og der er Adam, som mellem to stationer - bogstaveligt talt - skifter retning i sit liv, og på stationen Holborn finder der et skæbnesvangert møde sted.

Da Maeve Binchy døde i 2012 efterlod hun en samling noveller skrevet gennem hele sit lange virke. Disse historier er her samlet i Fortællinger fra Chestnut Street. I et fint kvarter i Dublin ligger Chestnut Street. Her møder vi mennesker fra vidt forskellige kår og med vidt forskellig tilgang til livet. Blandt andre Bucket Maguire, vinduespudseren, der må gå vidt for at beskytte sin søn; eller Nessa Byrne, hvis tante kommer på besøg fra USA hver sommer og vender op og ned på huset – og Nessas liv.

Dublin Fortælllinger består af fire lange historier, der centrerer sig omkring den fashionable del af Dublin. En kvinde fra det bedre borgerskab underholder sin ægtemands elskerinde under et middagsselskab. En pige fra landet reflekterer over glæderne ved storbylivet. En ung student må forholde sig til problemerne ved en ufrivillig graviditet. En fordrukken fotograf forsøger at genskabe sin noget vingeskudte karriere.

Højt på en skrænt på Irlands barske atlanterhavskyst ligger Stone House. Det engang så forfaldne hus er nu omdannet til et smukt hotel, der specialiserer sig i vinterferier. Hotellets store, varme køkken, de åbne pejse og elegante værelser byder alle gæster velkommen. Blandt hotellets gæster finder vi parret Henry og Nicola, der bærer på en frygtelig hemmelighed og håber, at et ophold på Stone House Hotel vil hjælpe dem med at møde fremtiden.

Alt forandrer sig i Rossmore. Efter et økonomisk boom i Irland er byen ikke længere en søvnig landsby, men et blomstrende sted, så travl, at der måske skal anlægges en ny omfartsvej. Indbyggerne er dybt splittede, især fordi den nye vej skal gå gennem Hvidtjørneskoven, lige præcis hvor Skt. Annas Kilde ligger. Nogle mener, at kilden har mirakuløse kræfter – andre, at det er noget overtroisk sludder. Fader Flynn vakler både i sit virke som præst i et stadig mere verdsligt Irland og mellem de to sider i kampen om den nye vej.

Fire mennesker med intet til fælles møder hinanden på en græsk taverna i bjergene over den lille by Aghia Ann. De har hver især foladt deres hjem og gamle liv i henholdsvis Irland, USA, Tyskland og England, da en overvældende tragedie uventet fører dem sammen. Fiona er en ung sygeplejerske, der kæmper for at få sin families accept af de valg, hun har truffet. Thomas savner sin lille søn og frygter, at hans ekskone vil komme imellem dem. Elsa har opsagt sit job som tv-kommentator, men der er en fra hendes fortid, der ikke vil lade hende være i fred.