Synopsis
A unique family occasion is looming for the O'Hagans. Desmond and Deirdre will have been married for twenty-five years in October. Naturally there must be a celebration. But who is going to arrange it, and will the right people come? It is unthinkable not to have a party, but do Desmond and Deirdre O'Hagan really want one? The past secrets and present fears of the family and their close friends are gradually unveiled in this collection of stories which culminate in the last revealing drama – the Silver Wedding party itself.
Publishers Weekly
The arrangements for celebrating Desmond and Deirdre Doyle's forthcoming silver wedding anniversary fall to Anna, their eldest daughter, who works in a pretentious London bookshop. Anna proceeds to make a list of guests, most important of whom, besides her parents and herself, are her sister Helen, brother Brendan, and three other participants in the wedding ceremony: the best man, Frank Quigley; Maureen Barry, the maid of honor; and Father Hurley. Each leisurely chapter deals with one of these characters, detailing their lives in the 25 years since the Doyle's marriage. Binchy (Firefly Summer) exhibits her gift for astute and loving characterization as she examines the way relationships and families work. She engagingly delineates the pressures, both stated and unstated, that repel or attract, the striving for approval from parents and lovers. At the silver wedding celebration, when the obligatory photograph is taken for the family album, the reader knows well what fears and doubts, secrets and achievements lie behind the happy smiles.