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Silver Wedding
Silver Wedding | Maeve Binchy
31 posts | 11 read | 4 to read
There was never any question that Deirdre and Desmond Doyle would celebrate a gala twenty-fifth anniversary. Naturally, their daughter Anna, would plan their grand affair. Of all three Doyle children, Anna knew exactly what their mother wishedeven as she lived her own secret life. Will Brendan, the rebellious son, even bother to return to London? Will Helen, the hapless would-be nun, embarrass them all? This is Deirdres day, a triumph for a woman obsessed with keeping up appearances, her silvery revenge after marrying down twenty-five years ago. Shes determined to show them all: the maid of honor, still unmarried, still gorgeous, now a successful London business womanthe best man, once Desmonds close friend, now his bosstheir reluctant priest, who harbors his own guilty secret. As family and friends gather, a lifetime of lies takes its toll. But what begins as a family charade brings with it the transforming power of loveand truth. From the Paperback edition.
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review
EadieB
Silver Wedding | Maeve Binchy
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Pickpick

It‘s Desmond and Deirdre Doyle‘s 25th wedding anniversary party. Will their daughter who is struggling to become a nun be able to attend? How about their estranged son who lives with Uncle Vincent? Even Father Hurley has a guilty secret! Daughter Anna is drawing them all back together and hopefully they can finally heal their tarnished lives. Another good story from Maeve Binchy kept me interested until the very end. A wonderful family novel!

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Andrew65
Silver Wedding | Maeve Binchy
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#MaeveBinchyBuddyRead
#SilverWedding

Final Discussion

Question 5 of 5

EadieB I think I liked the last one called Silver Wedding because it allowed you to revisit all the characters and told you what was going on in their lives. 6y
JacqMac I think I liked Anna‘s story the best. She seems to have gotten her life together in the end. 6y
Andrew65 @JacqMac Certainly Anna seems to have a good basis on which to build and come out of the book best of all. 6y
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Andrew65 Helen‘s was a strange story. She‘s almost worth a book on her own! 6y
Andrew65 I would like to have known more what happened to Father Harley‘s nephew. 6y
EadieB @Andrew65 Yes we never heard anymore about him! 6y
cobwebmoth I think I liked the way Anna's story ended best. She might actually find some real happiness. 6y
rubyslippersreads Definitely Anna and Ken. But I‘d like to know how Helen made out babysitting Alexander. 😊 6y
10 likes8 comments
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Andrew65
Silver Wedding | Maeve Binchy
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#MaeveBinchyBuddyRead
#SilverWedding

Final Discussion

Question 4 of 5

JacqMac She was so self centered and he was so detached. Not ideal. I think they stayed together just because it looked good and was easier than separating. 6y
Andrew65 Didn‘t feel any love here. They seemed to stay together out of habit, and because where the wife was concerned for appearance sake! He seemed unwilling to do anything that might upset the apple cart (until the shop). Could be a different relationship going forward and could become rocky! 6y
cobwebmoth Their relationship just felt sad to me. I hope they can be happier in the future. 6y
Andrew65 @cobwebmoth I am not sure Deirdre has it in her to be happy. Too worried about other people and what they think. 6y
rubyslippersreads I think they stayed together (as they did most things) for the sake of appearances. 6y
8 likes5 comments
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Andrew65
Silver Wedding | Maeve Binchy
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#MaeveBinchyBuddyRead
#SilverWedding

Final Discussion

Question 3 of 5

EadieB Lots of people do it but I don‘t think it‘s necessary. A vow is a promise or an oath and does not need to be repeated unless the vow was broken and you want to renew it. 6y
JacqMac I don‘t think it‘s necessary either @EadieB It‘s nice to have a celebration though, with everyone you love. 6y
Andrew65 This seems strange. Why do you need to renew them, almost makes it seem as if you haven‘t been keeping those vows and want to start over! @EadieB @JacqMac The Silver Wedding celebration didn‘t need this renewal of vows. 6y
cobwebmoth I think it's a little strange. I would think you would just work to live up to the vow you made in the first place. 6y
rubyslippersreads I agree with everyone else; no vow renewal, just have a party. 6y
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Andrew65
Silver Wedding | Maeve Binchy
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#MaeveBinchyBuddyRead
#SilverWedding

Final Discussion

Question 2 of 5

EadieB I thought they were both losers. Joy got her baby but the baby will never know its father! Can you call that loving your baby if you are depriving them of a real father? 6y
JacqMac I agree @EadieB There were no winners. And that poor baby now has no father. 6y
Andrew65 Certain no winners in this situation. A baby without a father, a father without its baby and losing Joy too. Although could say Frank had won to some extent as Joy didn‘t reveal the relationship to Frank‘s Wife. Although looked as if she really knew what was going on as had thought Frank was the father. 6y
cobwebmoth I didn't feel like either side won. 6y
rubyslippersreads No winners. I think after that dinner where Joy made a big deal out of Frank not being the father, Renata would have known the truth. 6y
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Andrew65
Silver Wedding | Maeve Binchy
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#MaeveBinchyBuddyRead
#SilverWedding

Final Discussion

Question 1 of 5

EadieB I thought their relationship was shallow. No love, no caring, just using one another! 6y
JacqMac I think Joy wanted more from the relationship. But Frank doesn‘t seem to care about anyone but himself. 6y
Andrew65 Frank does seem VERY self-centred. It appears Joy was happy with the relationship at first but then wanted more which Frank didn‘t want to give and couldn‘t understand Joy‘s change of attitude. 6y
cobwebmoth I agree. Their relationship seemed empty and selfish to me. 6y
rubyslippersreads I think Joy was doing a bit of pretending as far as liking the “no strings” relationship. 6y
8 likes5 comments
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Andrew65
Silver Wedding | Maeve Binchy
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#MaeveBinchyBuddyRead #SilverWedding

I will shortly post the questions for the final discussion of Silver Wedding

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Andrew65
Silver Wedding | Maeve Binchy
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Finished my fourth book during the #24B4Monday #Readathon.

Currently up to 18 hours 16 minutes, going well!

BeansPage Going VERY well if I do say so myself! 🤩 6y
wanderinglynn 😮 that‘s incredible! 6y
Andrew65 @TheReadingMermaid @wanderinglynn Been a good couple of days, helped by the weather! #Storm24B4Monday Never got to this time this early in the weekend! 6y
See All 6 Comments
BeansPage Hahahaha 😂 6y
SconsinBookyBadger Doing well with that time! 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻 6y
Andrew65 @AnansiGirl Thanks 😊 6y
60 likes6 comments
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Andrew65
Silver Wedding | Maeve Binchy
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Next up for me on the #24B4Monday #Readathon is the last section of the #MaeveBinchyBuddyRead

So far at 16 hours and 5 minutes on the Readathon.

BeansPage You are doing fantastic Sir keep it up! 6y
Andrew65 @TheReadingMermaid Thanks, very pleased with my time. 👍 6y
54 likes2 comments
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Andrew65
Silver Wedding | Maeve Binchy
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#MaeveBinchyBudfyRead
#SilverWedding

Discussion 2 : Desmond, Father Hurley, Maureen

Question 6 of 6

JacqMac She was right. Frank isn‘t a nice guy. I‘m interested to see how it plays out. 6y
EadieB I agree with @JacqMac I think Maureen will be reconfirmed that she made the right decision last time. 6y
cobwebmoth I agree. 6y
rubyslippersreads Definitely the right decision. Maureen is better off 6y
8 likes4 comments
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Andrew65
Silver Wedding | Maeve Binchy
This post contains spoilers
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#MaeveBinchyBudfyRead
#SilverWedding

Discussion 2 : Desmond, Father Hurley, Maureen

Question 5 of 6

JacqMac I think she did the right thing. She seemed happy with her decision. I think her mom was very wrong in lying to her. And her dad was wrong to agree to it. He should have fought for her. There sure is a lot of lying in this book. 6y
EadieB I agree with @JacqMac Lying must be the theme! 6y
cobwebmoth Yes, I think she did the right thing in looking for him. The lengths they went to with their lies is a bit crazy. 6y
rubyslippersreads I think she was right to find her father-—it‘s making them both happy. Her parents did have a pretty bizarre agreement, but I can see that it would have been tough to be married to Maureen‘s mother. 6y
8 likes4 comments
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Andrew65
Silver Wedding | Maeve Binchy
This post contains spoilers
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#MaeveBinchyBudfyRead
#SilverWedding

Discussion 2 : Desmond, Father Hurley, Maureen

Question 4 of 6

JacqMac Hopefully, he sees the mistake he made the first time and doesn‘t repeat it. 6y
EadieB I think he will tell the truth this time. 6y
cobwebmoth I don't think he could live with the guilt of covering things up a second time. 6y
rubyslippersreads I think this time he‘s going to let Gregory faced the consequences. 6y
7 likes4 comments
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Andrew65
Silver Wedding | Maeve Binchy
This post contains spoilers
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#MaeveBinchyBudfyRead
#SilverWedding

Discussion 2 : Desmond, Father Hurley, Maureen

Question 3 of 6

JacqMac Nope. I think he should have told the truth from the very start. Maybe the truth would have made a difference. 6y
EadieB I always believe that ‘the truth will set you free!‘ 6y
cobwebmoth No. Gregory should have had to deal with the consequences of his actions. 6y
rubyslippersreads I think it was a mistake. Does Gregory remind anyone else of Kerry in 6y
6 likes4 comments
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Andrew65
Silver Wedding | Maeve Binchy
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#MaeveBinchyBudfyRead
#SilverWedding

Discussion 2 : Desmond, Father Hurley, Maureen

Question 2 of 6

JacqMac Very surprising. But he seems happier already. My guess is his wife isn‘t going to like how it looks. 6y
EadieB It was a surprise but his wife will wonder what the neighbors think! 6y
cobwebmoth @JacqMac @EadieB I agree. She's not going to be happy. 6y
rubyslippersreads I think Desmond is finally doing something he wants to do for a change. (edited) 6y
6 likes4 comments
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Andrew65
Silver Wedding | Maeve Binchy
This post contains spoilers
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#MaeveBinchyBudfyRead
#SilverWedding

Discussion 2 : Desmond, Father Hurley, Maureen

Question 1 of 6

JacqMac Desmond seems so unhappy. Having a guaranteed job is great, but I think he feels trapped in it. 6y
EadieB I think he expected to progress in his job much sooner but now he seems to be moving backwards. 6y
cobwebmoth He seems sad, like he's just given up on anything that would make himself happy. 6y
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Andrew65
Silver Wedding | Maeve Binchy
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#MaeveBinchyBudfyRead
#SilverWedding

Discussion 2 : Desmond, Father Hurley, Maureen

I will shortly post the questions for discussion point 2.

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Andrew65
Silver Wedding | Maeve Binchy
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#MaeveBinchyBuddyRead
#SilverWedding

Anna, Brendan, Helen Chapters

Question 5 of 5

EadieB I think Helen may be encouraged to leave the nuns as they know she is hiding from the world. I also think she may get into trouble for taking the baby. 6y
cobwebmoth I'm not sure. I do think she needs to deal with some of her own issues before she makes any kind of lifelong commitments. 6y
JacqMac I don‘t know. I think she needs a safe place to fall. 6y
Andrew65 Helen needs help in a big way if she is not to be taken advantage of, or get herself into big trouble. I worry significantly for her. @EadieB @cobwebmoth @JacqMac (edited) 6y
rubyslippersreads I can‘t imagine what will happen to her. 6y
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Andrew65
Silver Wedding | Maeve Binchy
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#MaeveBinchyBuddyRead
#SilverWedding

Anna, Brendan, Helen Chapters

Question 4 of 5

cobwebmoth I think she is hiding, at least to a certain degree. But I can't say that I completely blame her for wanting to hide. 6y
EadieB I think Helen is hiding as Frank took advantage of her and she is afraid it will happen again. 6y
JacqMac She‘s hiding. But I don‘t blame her either. I also think she needs to be protected. She doesn‘t seem to read other people very well and she isn‘t very mature. 6y
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Andrew65 @EadieB That was strange with Frank, went in there very brash, even sat on his desk and knew to remove her blazer. But so so naive and look what happened. What a B.... he was. 😡 6y
Andrew65 She‘s very naive, very immature and not ready for life. She makes some awful decisions. The baby incident was beyond belief. She is hiding but needs someone to protect her. I worry for her. @EadieB @cobwebmoth @JacqMac 6y
rubyslippersreads She makes me very uneasy, for her and people around her (like the baby). I wonder if Helen, with her inability to “read” other people‘s behavior, would now be considered to be on the autism spectrum? 6y
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Andrew65
Silver Wedding | Maeve Binchy
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#MaeveBinchyBuddyRead
#SilverWedding

Anna, Brendan, Helen Chapters

Question 3 of 5

cobwebmoth I completely understood his desire to move away. I think he'll probably go because it's just one special occasion. I think it would be nice of him to attend, although I understand his reluctance about getting drawn into all of his family's drama. 6y
EadieB Brendan does not seem too ambitious and just wants a nice life working with Vincent on his farm. I do think he will attend the Silver Anniversary party. 6y
JacqMac I agree with @cobwebmoth I think he will go, but I also understand why he wants to be away. 6y
Andrew65 He seems the happiest of them. I was a bit surprised that he made the decision to go. Hopefully this is the right decision for him but I‘m not convinced it is. He wanted to get away from that life. @cobwebmoth @JacqMac @EadieB 6y
rubyslippersreads I think he‘ll go, and I think part of the reason is that Vincent leaves him to make up his own mind. 6y
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Andrew65
Silver Wedding | Maeve Binchy
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#MaeveBinchyBuddyRead
#SilverWedding

Anna, Brendan, Helen Chapters

Question 2 of 5

cobwebmoth I was not a fan of Joe. I felt like he was very likely to stray from Anna since he seemed to have that track record. I think she would be better off without him. 6y
EadieB I didn‘t like Joe either and I think Anna did the right thing by asking him to leave. 6y
JacqMac I was so happy that she asked him to leave. I was a bit worried that she would just keep letting him use her. I hope he‘s gone for good. 6y
Andrew65 Never a fan of Joe either. I was surprised how strong that she was in her reaction to him and very pleased. She made the right decision. @JacqMac @EadieB @cobwebmoth (edited) 6y
rubyslippersreads I loved the way Anna handled Joe. 6y
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Andrew65
Silver Wedding | Maeve Binchy
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#MaeveBinchyBuddyRead
#SilverWedding

Anna, Brendan, Helen Chapters

Question 1 of 5

cobwebmoth Her mother seems a bit overbearing. And they're definitely concerned about how their family appears to others. 6y
EadieB I agree with @cobwebmoth that as Joe told Anna they were rather ‘tense‘ and didn‘t want others knowing anything about what was going on in their household. 6y
JacqMac @EadieB @cobwebmoth They seem more concerned about what other people think than they are about their children. That would have been a hard way to grow up. 6y
See All 11 Comments
Andrew65 She reminds me so much of my mother in law, what neighbours or other people think is the only important thing. I think the word tense describes this sort of situation so well. @cobwebmoth @EadieB @JacqMac 6y
EadieB @Andrew65 My dad was like that too. I would say ‘who cares what the neighbors think, they have their own family to worry about!‘ 6y
JacqMac @EadieB @Andrew65 My in-laws are similar. Great show on the outside. Nice and dysfunctional on the inside. 6y
Andrew65 @EadieB @JacqMac Shows that this attitude is quite prevalent. I wonder if it is previous generations and is dying out? 6y
EadieB @Andrew65 @JacqMac The older generation had a hard time with people living together that were not married which became prevalent in the 60‘s. It was very hard for them to accept as their generation believed marriage before sex. 6y
JacqMac @Andrew65 @EadieB I hope it‘s dying out. 6y
Andrew65 @JacqMac I hope so too, it leads to lives half-lived! @EadieB 6y
rubyslippersreads I think people used to be much more private, but some of the things they felt they had to hide are things that are no longer considered shocking. 6y
6 likes11 comments
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Andrew65
Silver Wedding | Maeve Binchy
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#MaeveBinchyBuddyRead
#SilverWedding

Anna, Brendan, Helen Chapters

Will shortly post the questions for the first discussion.

rubyslippersreads I‘d better catch up! 😄 6y
Andrew65 @rubyslippersreads It‘s quite a quick read so shouldn‘t take long to catch up. 😊 6y
60 likes2 comments
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JacqMac
Silver Wedding | Maeve Binchy
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My paperback copy from the 80s is a little delicate. I‘m a little afraid to open it. But, yay, the library has a copy! I‘m going in.
#MaeveBinchyBuddyRead @Andrew65

Andrew65 That was lucky. 😊 6y
53 likes1 comment
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Andrew65
Silver Wedding | Maeve Binchy
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#MaeveBinchyBuddyRead #SilverWedding

The first discussion point for the MaeveBinchyBuddyRead of Silver Wedding takes place tomorrow for the first three chapters in the book. If you‘ve not started or joined in before you can pick the book up for $1.99 from amazon.com or Q9.99 from Amazon.co.uk.

All are welcome.

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rubyslippersreads
Silver Wedding | Maeve Binchy
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For anyone participating in the #maevebinchybuddyread #silverwedding is a $1.99 #kindledeal today (at least in the U.S.)

Kaye Good deal for a Binchy book. I read the it years ago. 6y
Andrew65 That‘s a great price, thanks for posting about it. 👍 6y
Allthebookclubs I LOVE MB!!!! She‘s one of my favorite authors ❤️ 6y
66 likes3 comments
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LitsyHappenings
Silver Wedding | Maeve Binchy
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Repost for @Andrew65 :
The April #MaeveBinchyBuddyRead will be #SilverWedding.
This will start on Friday 19th April. This is a much shorter book than the chunksters we have read from her in previous months.

All welcome to join whether you have taken part previously or not. 😊👍

Andrew65 Thanks for reposting. 👍👏🙌😍 6y
37 likes1 comment
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Andrew65
Silver Wedding | Maeve Binchy
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#MaeveBinchyBuddyRead #SilverWedding

There are nine chapters in the book, all focusing on a different person (except for the last chapter). Thought, therefore, we‘d aim to read one chapter a day and discuss after every three chapters - Sunday, Wednesday and then finally on Saturday.

Anyone is welcome to join us. 😊👍

EadieB Sounds good! 6y
55 likes1 comment
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Tove_Reads
Silver Wedding | Maeve Binchy
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Started the buddy read a bit early, because I‘m trying to finish as many library books ASAP.

Andrew65 Enjoy! 👍 6y
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Andrew65
Silver Wedding | Maeve Binchy
post image

The April #MaeveBinchyBuddyRead will be #SilverWedding.
This will start on Friday 19th April. This is a much shorter book than the chunksters we have read from her in previous months.

All welcome to join whether you have taken part previously or not. 😊👍

cobwebmoth Oh good! I was just wondering what this month's book would be.☺ 6y
Andrew65 @cobwebmoth 👍 In May we will be doing The Copper Beech. 6y
cobwebmoth Thank you! 6y
See All 12 Comments
TheBookHippie Yay!!! Almost done firefly 🤣🤣🤣🤦🏽‍♀️🤷🏽‍♀️🤪🙄 6y
Andrew65 @TheBookHippie I think we‘ve both had a similar month! 😔 6y
TheBookHippie @Andrew65 seriously ...OYE. 6y
JacqMac I just gave up on Firefly. I felt too far behind. It would have helped if I had an ebook, I think. I was never at home this month. This one will be easier to carry around. Lol 6y
Andrew65 @JacqMac A lot easier! Firefly must be the largest of her books. 6y
Andrew65 @TheBookHippie Still trying to get over a bug that has been working it‘s way through my system for 11 days. Also work was impossible. One I think led to the other! 6y
rubyslippersreads I loved Firefly and couldn‘t resist reading ahead of schedule, which is why I‘m having trouble remembering well enough to discuss. 😄 6y
jb72 I just put this on hold. I‘m next up. Hope you feel better soon! 6y
Tove_Reads @rubyslippersreads I‘ve also read it. 6y
65 likes12 comments
review
Octoberwoman
Silver Wedding | Maeve Binchy
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Pickpick

Each chapter focuses on a different character, with the last chapter bringing them all together for a silver wedding anniversary celebration. It was almost more like a series of related short stories than one novel. I love a good character story, and in that Binchy definitely delivered.