47 Roses: A Story of Family Secrets and Enduring Love

by Peter Sheridan

The author of 44: Dublin Made Me recounts his discovery of his late father's fifty-year affair with another woman, describing his search for answers despite his dying mother's wishes and the woman's impact on the author's beliefs about conventional marriage. Reprint.

Genres: Memoir

224 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2001

Reviews

[Patricia Malone · Rating 5 out of 5]

Saw a performance of the book by Peter Sheridan in Bewley's cafe, Dublin today. It is truly a captivating and touching piece and all the more special that it is a sharing of a tender part of the author's life experience. A magnetic performance and my new shared favourite along with Ruth Negga in Seamus Heaney's version of Antigone in Burial at Thebes. The main thread of the play explores the 47 year love affair his father shared with an English woman, Doris, whom he met just prior to his marriage to Hannah. I found this theme of particular interest as my own father now 83yrs has held a torch for and contact with his former girlfriend over a similar span of time. Peter's sad yet very beautiful story of his young 10 year old brother, Frankie's untimely tragic death from a brain tumour; is a very moving tribute by the author to his brother by planting his essence and memory in the hearts of his listeners and readers; which is a special gift to the reader and no greater honour to the unique life that was his brother's.

[Janellyn51 · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought this was a lovely memoir. I really liked Ma. We call our mother Ma...my friend Michael Patrick MacDonald's mother is Ma...good strong women who kept their families to rights...sort of! It's got it's funny bits, but it's for the most part sad, and some stuff got me choked up. The Ma, Da, Doris thing...I don't know how Ma didn't punch the woman, or her husband. I can't imagine living like that. It's nicely written, I'm glad I read it.

[Catherine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Interesting account of the choices one makes in life and the sometimes difficult lifelong consequences of those decisions, not just for yourself, but others in your life.

[R.L. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Κριτική στα Ελληνικά πιο κάτω...

I found this book at work after finishing what I was reading. While judging by the blurb it didn't seem much my kind of book, I decided to give it a try.

Some of the opening scenes were extremely funny and then some were quite moving. Afterwards, it went rather neutral or boring to me most of the time. This is because I couldn't quite picture why or how the author's mother or the other woman become so attached to his father. I couldn't get into their logic, their mentallity was alient to me and the author left many gaps on the narration on crucial points.
Furthermore, the writting got a bit too blunt or sober with very little hints of the humor shown on the opening chapters. The book had its interesting, mostly bittersweet moments here and there and it featured some moving scenes towards the end, but I think I enjoyed mostly all other things and scenes rather than those related to what was supposed to be the main subject of the book.

Not necessarily a bad book, just something I couldn't relate to and that didn't make much an impression to me...


Βρήκα αυτό το βιβλίο στη δουλειά αφού τελείωσα το βιβλίο που διάβαζα. Κρίνοντας από την περιγραφή στο οπισθόφυλλο, δεν μου φάνηκε πολύ του γούστου μου, ωστόσο αποφάσισα να το δοκιμάσω.

Μερικές από τις αρχικές σκηνές ήταν εξαιρετικά αστείες και στη συνέχεια κάποιες ήταν αρκετά συγκινητικές. Μετά, μου έμοιζε μάλλον ουδέτερο ή βαρετό τις περισσότερες φορές. Αυτό οφείλεται στο ότι δεν μπορούσα να φανταστώ γιατί ή πώς η μητέρα του συγγραφέα ή η άλλη γυναίκα δέθηκαν τόσο πολύ με τον πατέρα του. Δεν μπορούσα να μπω στη λογική τους, η νοοτροπία τους μου ήταν ξένη και ο συγγραφέας άφησε πολλά κενά στην αφήγηση σε κρίσιμα σημεία.
Επιπλέον, η γραφή έγινε κάπως χλιαρή με πολύ λίγες εκλάμψεις του χιούμορ που είχα δει στα αρχικά κεφάλαια. Το βιβλίο είχε τις ενδιαφέρουσες στιγμές του εδώ κι εκεί και κάποιες συγκινητικές σκηνές προς το τέλος, αλλά νομίζω ότι μου άρεσαν πιο πολύ τα σημεία που διαπραγματεύονταν ή περιέγραφαν άσχετα θέματα, παρά εκείνα τα σημεία που σχετίζονται με αυτό που υποτίθεται ότι ήταν το κύριο θέμα του βιβλίου.

Όχι απαραίτητα κακό βιβλίο, απλά κάτι με το οποίο δεν μπορούσα να σχετιστώ και δεν μου έκανε ιδιαίτερη εντύπωση...

[Helen O'Toole · Rating 5 out of 5]

There were parts of this book where I laughed out loud. What stories he tells of his Da and his mother, Anna. Yet the incredible thing is that his father maintained a relationship for over 47 years with an English woman he had met prior to his marriage. So many questions to be answered and Peter Sheridan was the son who bravely went and met Doris. I was intrigued and at time angry that Anna had been forced to “ put up” with this second love. Such love shown for both his parents in this truly unique memoir. If it was fiction, you would say it was too far fetched. Must read his first book, 44.

[Henry Jefferies · Rating 5 out of 5]

I finished the second half of this book after taking forever with the first half, intermittently, over the past couple of years. Don’t ask why! It is a marvellous biography of Sheridan’s mother and father, and his father’s other love. Told with Irish wit and fluency. An entertaining book, and a moving one as the reader delves ever deeper.

[Caitlin · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very very good read.

[Kari · Rating 3 out of 5]

An enjoyable memoir on the challenges of family life, seeing your parents as adults through our own adult eyes, and what it means to make a lifelong commitment.

[Bettina Lippenberger · Rating 4 out of 5]

Inhalt:
Als Peters Vater eines Tages während der Rennergebnisse vom Stuhl fällt und stirbt, beginnt Peter Sheridan das Leben seines Vaters aufzuschreiben. Verwundert über 47 Rosen in rot und weiß die Doris auf sein Grab legt, beginnt er nachzuforschen, was es damit auf sich hat. Er besucht sie daraufhin und erfährt von einer anderen Seite, einem Teil des Lebens seines Vaters, von dem er nichts wusste. Sein Vater den alle in der Familie liebevoll "Da" nennen hatte ein Geheimnis, von dem nur Ma, Doris und eben Da wussten.

Meine Meinung:

Leider ist "47 Rosen" der 2. Teil der Irischen Erinnerung von Peter Sheridan. Man kann es auch gut gesondert lesen und genießen. Trotzdem werde ich mir noch Teil 1 besorgen.

Zuerst wusste ich nicht was ich von der Geschichte halten sollte, dann aber nach nur wenigen Seiten, begann ich zu begreifen was für ein unglaubliches Buch ich in den Händen hielt. Mit viel Humor aber auch ernsthaft, beleuchtet Peter Sheridan die Tage und Vergangenheit seiner Eltern, Doris und seiner Geschwister. Er findet Dinge heraus und erzählt Einzelheiten die einen zum Staunen, Lachen aber auch Weinen bringen. Eine Lebensgeschichte die vielschichtiger nicht sein kann. Mit viel Gefühl und einem Schreibstil der mir persönlich zuerst ein paar Schwierigkeiten bereitet hat, wollte ich so immer mehr erfahren von den Begebenheiten rund um die Familie. Der Schluss selbst ist sehr traurig, aber hat auch was abschließendes mit einem leichten Schimmer der Hoffnung.

Fazit:

Liebe kann vieles ertragen.

Ein Buch das mich fasziniert, aber auch bedrückt zurück ließ..

Das Taschentuch für das Ende bitte bereit legen.

[Thart2002 · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Irish Independent states 47 Roses is "A rich compelling book about ordinary people's extraodinary capacity for love, obsession, tolerance and forgiveness". That describes this book perfectly. Peter Sheridan has a good writing style. The story is fluid, the characters all likeable. The story, given it is based on truth incredible.

[Lizzie · Rating 4 out of 5]

A memoir of his Irish family and his parents' marriage, and a woman his father had courted before marrying his mother. She carried a torch for him all her life, visiting the family regularly, which his mother grudgingly tolerated. A great study of people.

[Trish · Rating 2 out of 5]

Somewhat comical, being a memoir, but I was not sad when this book was over.

[Angela · Rating 3 out of 5]

The back cover of the book got me very excited to read. Actually reading was a disappointment though.

[Lorena · Rating 5 out of 5]

Marvelous book set in Northern Ireland during the troubles, about a father's secret, and how his grown son discovers it after his death.

[Rita · Rating 3 out of 5]

very Irish story...