Silver Wedding

This book was on my TBR shelf. I don't remember buying it; it either came out of the freebie pile in my building's laundry room, or I picked it up for a buck or less at some sale. I wasn't overly excited about it, but this is the year for my to clear my TBR shelf... er, bookcase... so when it came up, I read it.

I remembered why I do like Maeve Binchy almost instantly: she is able to tell the reader a lot about her characters with an enviable economy, to propel a story without melodrama, and she forces the reader to decide how to interpret each character. Binchy gives you what you need to know about each of them; it's up to you what you think of them and their actions.

My biggest problem with this book is that the resolution felt forced. show more Some of these people were coming around to where they wound up. But some of them were still a long way off from it when we last left them, before the final chapter. The growth is appreciated, but it's just not authentic for many of them.

So if you like Maeve Binchy, this won't be your favorite, but there's enough to recommend it. If this is your first effort with her, it probably won't be enough to impress you to read more. show less

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 show more 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! show less

In Silver Wedding, by Maeve Binchy, Desmond and Deidre are the unlikely couple who are about to celebrate the 25th anniversary of their wedding; their eldest daughter Anna takes upon herself the task of organizing a party. She insists on having the family there, although her brother Brendan is practically a recluse living on the tiny family farm in the west of Ireland and her sister Helen, an aspiring nun, is a complete wreck pretty much all the time. Still, Anna is determined to go through with it, and in addition to her siblings, she contacts Father Hurley, who performed the wedding ceremony so many years ago; Maureen, Deidre's "best friend"; and Frank, Desmond's "best friend." Now the only question is, will they all survive the show more anniversary?.... Having discovered Maeve Binchy last year, I am slowly (or rather quickly, actually) making my way through her books; this one, published in 1988, is the first that I've read that is not set in Ireland (most of the back stories take place in Ireland, but the family is living in London now) and it's the first that doesn't include previously-met characters in at least walk-on roles. She uses her usual technique of giving each character a chapter, which slowly reveals each of their stories and their relationships with each other, and as usual there are good and bad traits in each of them. I wouldn't put this among her very best work, but nevertheless I quite enjoyed it, so recommended. show less

The plot surrounds the planning for the upcoming 25th wedding anniversary celebration of Desmond and Deidre Doyle, natives of Ireland who have resided in London since their shotgun wedding. Throughout the story, the mystery lingers as to why they quickly had to marry when there was no child born within the 8-9 months afterwards. Anna the eldest child was born 14 months after so why the shotgun wedding – only the parish priest, Father Hurley knows.
They have raised two girls and a boy, all of whom "have turned out to be disappointments" according to Deidre’s sense of what society expects and sees. Deidre (nee O Hagan) came from middle class whereas Desmond working class, poor farmer and viewed by many of the family as a poor choice show more for the dashing young Deidre to marry.
The burden of planning the party falls on Anna, the eldest, who works in a bookshop and supports an out-of-work actor who she ends up getting rid of because she discovers inadvertently that he is also a womanizer. Anna is methodical, anxious and likes everything ‘just so’ that it is safe and there is no concern for things to go wrong.
Brendan (the son) left the family long ago to live with his uncle Vincent (Desmond’s brother) on the family farm in west Ireland for a simpler life without judgement and having to put on appearances for the sake of his mother Deidre.
The youngest sister, Helen, who is constantly getting into trouble as she tries to be accepted as a nun, she is no help at all as everything she does turns awry.
As the novel unfolds, each character confronts a personal crisis and must find ways to deal with their challenges. Desmond and Deidre, too, individually grapple with doubts and misgivings about their life choices.
The novel further explores the lives of other significant people who attended the Doyles' wedding 25 years before: the bridesmaid Maureen Barry, a fashion designer and once Deidre’s best friend, who learns after her mother's death that her father never really died. He was exiled by her mother so as to save shame that he had in fact found another love and no longer wanted the responsibility of a wife and child.
The bestman Frank Quigley, who has loved many women in his life, starting with the bridesmaid; Maureen Barry, the daughter (Helen) of his best friend Desmond and Joy East (designer for Palazzo Foods). His character is interesting as part of you loathes him and his conniving ways and yet you feel a bit of sympathy at the end when it is realized that he will not be a part of his son’s life due to his lover Joy choosing to keep the child but move away. This part of the novel is thought provoking, you feel sorry for Frank’s wife Renata (nee Palazzo) and realise how manipulative people can be to get what they want.
The parish priest, Father Hurley, a well-meaning man who struggles with his decision to protect his nephew (a spoilt brat of a boy) from being identified as a hit and run driver.
Each chapter focuses on the personal story of one character, and all the chapters interlink to weave the complete tale. It is well written with lots of intertwined plots that make for enjoyable reading. show less

Silver Wedding follows the silver wedding anniversary of Deirdre and Desmond Doyle. All of the characters in this story are linked to them some way. I liked some of the characters and despised others. And the ending did not really work, you have to pretty much just guess what is going to come next.

The book is broken up looking at Deirdre and Desmond's three children (Anna, Brendan and Helen). Then we go into Desmond. After him we follow Father Hurley (he married Desmond and Deirdre). Then we follow Maureen and Frank (maid of honor and best man at Desmond and Deirdre's wedding) and finally Deirdre. The last portion is on the silver wedding celebration itself.

So my favorite character chapters were definitely Anna, Desmond, Father Hurley, show more and Maureen.

Anna is the eldest of the children and you get to read about her romance that is not everything she hopes it to be. But a chance ride with a long time customer she knows opens her eyes to her parents and to her own relationship. A few times I was surprised by things Anna was hiding from her parents, but this book takes place during the 1980s, so I had to recall a few times that things today would not be acceptable to people back then.

Desmond we get to see how tired he is by what his life has become. He works at a store that his best friend runs (Frank) and realizes that he is going to keep getting shuffled around and is trying to figure out what his dream is. He's a really good guy, and when you read the parts with Deirdre you wonder at how they work as a husband/wife.

Father Hurley we find out is puzzled about being asked to be there to officiate between Desmond and Deirdre, and even hints at knowing why the two of them had a rushed wedding (rhymes with wegancy). But he is pretty content and happy with his family and his nephew Gregory. But this whole chapter was a cautionary tale against staying silent when you know someone has done something wrong. I really did want to follow up with Father Hurley and see what happened to him and his family.

Maureen is a successful business woman who has the wind knocked out of her when she realizes her mother who she has long admired, was not who she thought she was. I didn't really care for Maureen when we get to the silvery wedding portion because she seemed hell-bent on trying to tempt Frank away from his wife. We find out these two used to date, but Maureen dumped him due to her mother's influence.

I felt sort of meh towards Brendan's whole story-line. You find out he is pretty selfish and seems to think less of his family for trying to hide things from others. I guess because I grew up in a family like that, ie you keep family business to family, don't go out running your mouth, I thought his dislike of his family was not that intriguing.

Helen's story-line was infuriating and sad at the same time. You realize that her running away to join a convent was due to an incident that occurred between her and her father's best friend Frank. Helen keeps messing up every step of the way and you realize why a nun would be tempted to smother her when you read about all of her messes she keeps getting into.

I despised Frank's whole story-line. Finding out what kind of man he is just made me ill, I think that Binchy tried to paint him as some noble guy, but based on the silver wedding chapter we know that he is going to get up to something that will involve Helen that I am sure is going to end poorly.

Deirdre you quickly find out is so worried about what others think she has become paralyzed by it. After meeting up with her widowed mother she has her eyes opened about her long held beliefs about people. But you realize that Deirdre felt and still feels forced to pretend to be happy even when she's not.

Usually Binchy is better at tying things up, but a lot of things are left at loose ends when the book finishes. I can imagine though that some people Anna and Desmond are going to be happy in the future based on decisions that they made.

A really nice look into a family. The writing was typical Binchy (not a bad thing) and the flow was actually really good. I think that Binchy lined up the stories for a reason like this and it actually works not having all of the family stories first and then others. show less

Desmond and Deirdre Doyle are about to celebrate their 25th wedding anniversary. Binchy's novel profiles each of the important people involved in the original wedding and the couple's three children. The groom, bride, each of the adult offspring, the best man and the maid of honor all have individual chapters telling their story.

I've always had a soft spot for Binchy. I love her character-driven tales and have read almost everything she's written. This is definitely not one of my favorites. It's a quick read with some interesting aspects, but I won't remember the characters. If you want to try her out I would recommend Evening Class, Circle of Friends or Tara Road.

Another charming collection of Irish stories from Maeve Binchy. These ones deal with the celebration of the O'Hagans twenty-fifth anniversary. I truly think Binchy does short stories better than novels.