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Maeve Binchy: Three Complete Books: The Lilac Bus; Firefly Summer; Silver Wedding
Beloved on both sides of the Atlantic, bestselling Irish writer Maeve Binchy has been acclaimed by critics and readers alike for her heartwarming, beautifully crafted takes celebrating Ireland, its people, and the journey of life itself. Now three of her finest, most memorable works have been brought together for the first time in an outstanding collection that shines with the luminescent storytelling that has earned the author international renown.
THE LILAC BUS
Featuring two novellas, The Lilac Bus and Dublin 4 , this national bestseller showcases Binchy's talents at their finest. In The Lilac Bus, Binchy masterfully and poignantly interweaves the lives and fates of eight very different individuals who travel from Dublin to the Irish country town of Rathdoon every Friday night in a lilac-colored minibus. In Dublin 4 , a quartet of stories vividly portrays the quiet desperation and everyday heroism of ordinary people living ordinary lives in contemporary Ireland.
FIREFLY SUMMER
When American millionaire Patrick O'Neill comes to Mountfern in the fateful summer of 1962 to convert a dilapidated manor house into a luxury hotel, his intrusion turns life in the small Irish village upside down. The ensuing conflict between new money and old traditions, which strains families and friendships to the breaking point, is brilliantly explored in this truly unforgettable family drama that will live in your heart long after the last page is turned.
SILVER WEDDING
Guilty secrets from the past and plaguing fears in the present surface when sons and daughters, sisters and brothers, and friends and lovers reunite to celebrate Desmond and Deirdre Doyle's twenty-fifth wedding anniversary. Among the difficulties the Doyles must come to terms with: the daughter struggling to become a nun, the son who prefers the dreary farm in Ireland to life in London, and the enviable successes of their best man and bridesmaid.
THE LILAC BUS
Featuring two novellas, The Lilac Bus and Dublin 4 , this national bestseller showcases Binchy's talents at their finest. In The Lilac Bus, Binchy masterfully and poignantly interweaves the lives and fates of eight very different individuals who travel from Dublin to the Irish country town of Rathdoon every Friday night in a lilac-colored minibus. In Dublin 4 , a quartet of stories vividly portrays the quiet desperation and everyday heroism of ordinary people living ordinary lives in contemporary Ireland.
FIREFLY SUMMER
When American millionaire Patrick O'Neill comes to Mountfern in the fateful summer of 1962 to convert a dilapidated manor house into a luxury hotel, his intrusion turns life in the small Irish village upside down. The ensuing conflict between new money and old traditions, which strains families and friendships to the breaking point, is brilliantly explored in this truly unforgettable family drama that will live in your heart long after the last page is turned.
SILVER WEDDING
Guilty secrets from the past and plaguing fears in the present surface when sons and daughters, sisters and brothers, and friends and lovers reunite to celebrate Desmond and Deirdre Doyle's twenty-fifth wedding anniversary. Among the difficulties the Doyles must come to terms with: the daughter struggling to become a nun, the son who prefers the dreary farm in Ireland to life in London, and the enviable successes of their best man and bridesmaid.
864 pages, Hardcover
First published September 24, 1995
7 people are currently reading
252 people want to read
About the author
Maeve Binchy
258 books5,027 followersAnne Maeve Binchy Snell was an Irish novelist, playwright, short story writer, columnist, and speaker. Her novels were characterised by a sympathetic and often humorous portrayal of small-town life in Ireland, and surprise endings. Her novels, which were translated into 37 languages, sold more than 40 million copies worldwide. Her death at age 73, announced by Vincent Browne on Irish television late on 30 July 2012, was mourned as the death of one of Ireland's best-loved and most recognisable writers.
She appeared in the US market, featuring on The New York Times Best Seller list and in Oprah's Book Club. Recognised for her "total absence of malice" and generosity to other writers, she finished third in a 2000 poll for World Book Day, ahead of Jane Austen, Charles Dickens, and Stephen King.
She appeared in the US market, featuring on The New York Times Best Seller list and in Oprah's Book Club. Recognised for her "total absence of malice" and generosity to other writers, she finished third in a 2000 poll for World Book Day, ahead of Jane Austen, Charles Dickens, and Stephen King.
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Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews
July 2, 2013
Love Binchy & these novels delivered but it's time to set this tome free. Clearing bookshelves for move.
July 4, 2018
This one took me awhile to read, partly because of the stories, and partly because we were busy and on vacation and I didn't get a lot of reading time.
The Lilac Bus I liked, it was a quick story and easy to read. It showed how you never know what is going on in someone else'e life, and you shouldn't be quick to judge others. I also liked the 4 short stories, although I did get confused in Dinner in Donnybrook as to what actually happened.
Firefly Summer took me awhile to get into, and even once I was into it quite a few hundred pages, it still took me a bit to really get into the characters and story. It seemed drawn out, but not in a bad way. I figured something would happen to cause Patrick to go home. I felt bad for Rachel, giving all her time, love and life for Patrick. I was very sad when Maggie died.
Silver Wedding was ok. I really didn't care for Helen at all, she was a mess. the whole family seemed to be a bit of a disaster.
I gave it 3 stars instead of 4, just because I only liked 2 of the stories and didn't love them like I usually do with Maeve Binchy's books.
The Lilac Bus I liked, it was a quick story and easy to read. It showed how you never know what is going on in someone else'e life, and you shouldn't be quick to judge others. I also liked the 4 short stories, although I did get confused in Dinner in Donnybrook as to what actually happened.
Firefly Summer took me awhile to get into, and even once I was into it quite a few hundred pages, it still took me a bit to really get into the characters and story. It seemed drawn out, but not in a bad way. I figured something would happen to cause Patrick to go home. I felt bad for Rachel, giving all her time, love and life for Patrick. I was very sad when Maggie died.
Silver Wedding was ok. I really didn't care for Helen at all, she was a mess. the whole family seemed to be a bit of a disaster.
I gave it 3 stars instead of 4, just because I only liked 2 of the stories and didn't love them like I usually do with Maeve Binchy's books.
September 6, 2025
Ryanna is a 12 girl that lives with her Dad and his girlfriend. She receives an invite to spend the summer with her Grams and Gramps on her Mom's side who she barely knows about. She spent the last 9 years being raised by her Dad after her passed away at age 3. She decides to spend the summer at Camp Van Camp where she learns about her Mom and her aunts and uncles and Cousins. In order to save her family's camp, she must explore a treasure hunt her mom created decades earlier.
The vibe of summer was strong however I would have appreciated more description about the camp and moments of the summer. This was a good book but would not read it again.
The vibe of summer was strong however I would have appreciated more description about the camp and moments of the summer. This was a good book but would not read it again.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 28, 2019
Didn't finish. I read the first book, Lilac Bus, and the first short story, and didn't care for either. The other stories may be better, but if they follow the same pattern as the start of this book I'm not going to waste my time.
December 30, 2022
Love Maeve Binchy’s books!!!
I first read them as individual books then got them as HB 3 book edition
I first read them as individual books then got them as HB 3 book edition
July 30, 2023
Irish stories.
September 5, 2013
A friend gave me this "3 books in one"(all 854 pages!) of stories by Maeve Binchy -- a writer I admire for her way of presenting characters as real people with real lives and real life issues. All three stories are set in Ireland, as are most of Binchy's books. I am rating each book individually and including the inside cover info:
The Lilac Bus: ***
“The Journey... Every Friday night a lilac-colored minibus leaves Dublin for the Irish country town of Rathdoon with seven weekend commuters on board. All of them, from the joking bank porter to the rich doctor's daughter, have their reasons for making the journey.
The Destination...Rathdoon is the kind of Irish village where family histories are shared and scandals don't stay secret for long. And this weekend, when the bus pulls in, the riders find the unexpected waiting for them...as each of their private lives unfolds to reveal a sharp betrayal of the heart, a young man's crime, and a chance for new dreams among the eight intriguing men and women on.”
Firefly Summer: ****
“Kate and John Ryan have four children, of whom the eldest are Michael and Dara. Their small town is peaceful and friendly, an unchanging background for a golden childhood. In long, hot summers Michael and Dara and their friends fish and swim or play in the ivy-clad ruins of Fernscourt, the great house burned down during the Troubles...
No one in Mountfern has the slightest inkling of what it will mean when the ruins are bought by Patrick O'Neill, an Irish American with a dream in his heart and a great deal of money in his pocket. It is not until the very end of this drama, with its interlocking stories of love lost and won, ambitions nurtured and secrets betrayed, that Patrick O'Neill will understand the irony and the significance of his great dream for Mountfern.
Silver Wedding: ***
Desmond and Deirdre Doyle will have been married for twenty-five years in October. It falls to the Doyles' eldest daughter, Anna, to decide how best to commemorate her parents' Silver Wedding. No use asking her sister Helen, living in her London convent, or her brother Brendan, who has chosen another form of exile on a bleak farm in the West of Ireland.
But it is unthinkable not to have a party, even though for the Doyles, family occasions are more difficult than for most. For each of them is keeping up a front, nursing a secret wound, or smarting over a hidden betrayal. And as the day draws nearer, so the tension mounts, until finally the guests gather at the party itself.
The Lilac Bus: ***
“The Journey... Every Friday night a lilac-colored minibus leaves Dublin for the Irish country town of Rathdoon with seven weekend commuters on board. All of them, from the joking bank porter to the rich doctor's daughter, have their reasons for making the journey.
The Destination...Rathdoon is the kind of Irish village where family histories are shared and scandals don't stay secret for long. And this weekend, when the bus pulls in, the riders find the unexpected waiting for them...as each of their private lives unfolds to reveal a sharp betrayal of the heart, a young man's crime, and a chance for new dreams among the eight intriguing men and women on.”
Firefly Summer: ****
“Kate and John Ryan have four children, of whom the eldest are Michael and Dara. Their small town is peaceful and friendly, an unchanging background for a golden childhood. In long, hot summers Michael and Dara and their friends fish and swim or play in the ivy-clad ruins of Fernscourt, the great house burned down during the Troubles...
No one in Mountfern has the slightest inkling of what it will mean when the ruins are bought by Patrick O'Neill, an Irish American with a dream in his heart and a great deal of money in his pocket. It is not until the very end of this drama, with its interlocking stories of love lost and won, ambitions nurtured and secrets betrayed, that Patrick O'Neill will understand the irony and the significance of his great dream for Mountfern.
Silver Wedding: ***
Desmond and Deirdre Doyle will have been married for twenty-five years in October. It falls to the Doyles' eldest daughter, Anna, to decide how best to commemorate her parents' Silver Wedding. No use asking her sister Helen, living in her London convent, or her brother Brendan, who has chosen another form of exile on a bleak farm in the West of Ireland.
But it is unthinkable not to have a party, even though for the Doyles, family occasions are more difficult than for most. For each of them is keeping up a front, nursing a secret wound, or smarting over a hidden betrayal. And as the day draws nearer, so the tension mounts, until finally the guests gather at the party itself.
June 11, 2010
I have read two of Maeve Binchy's books so far and was highly impressed by both. However, I was extremely disappointed with her three novellas, The Lilac Bus; Firefly Summer; and Silver Wedding. Neither one of these stories had a plot or a point to the story. It definitely was a waste of time.
July 3, 2012
Maeve Binchy is a wonderful author who holds your attention with her tales of characters living everyday lives in Ireland. You follow these characters through twists and turns, disappointments and happy events as they muddle their way through life.
July 29, 2014
If you like Maeve Binchy, this is a delightful collection of three of her novels. 854 pages all told, so it's a pretty hefty book to carry around, but I loved it. As always, she provides an escape into the Irish countryside and the glimpse of the lives of her inhabitants.
January 1, 2008
Another great set of stories by Maeve Binchy. She can tell a story like no one else.
March 27, 2008
THese three books are great! Once again they are about people in Ireland and how they interact w/ each other and their trials. Gives you a feel for the Irish people!
June 3, 2008
I love her books but this one left me hanging and wanting a more satisfying ending.
August 9, 2008
More good stuff with great characters
April 14, 2016
"Silver Wedding" is the most comforting book to read. I don't know why.
Currently reading
June 13, 2009maeve binchy is just a wonderful story teller She brings the ordinary irish people to life in a vivid and unputdownable way
May 26, 2010
I liked the Lilac Bus story - always interesting to me to figure out what people's lives are really about who we see every day commuting to work.
March 25, 2011
on page 79...so far delightful easy read. m
Read
April 29, 2011a woman and her children they all grew up to have secert lives in their own way everybody in the town had secerts from the preist on down the line
March 30, 2012
Not my favorite book.
Read
July 25, 2012I loved the stories and the short stories. Pure Maeve Binchy characters, very relatable.
October 15, 2012
I finished The Lilac Bus and really didn't enjoy it. It wasn't typical Maeve Binchy.
May 23, 2015
Well-written, and interesting stories, though they were a bit hard for me to get into -- didn't pull me in, so took a long while to finish.
Want to read
February 11, 20145/3/03. Tavares.
April 9, 2014
Enjoyed all three, especially The Lilac Bus.
Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews