Firefly Summer
A Novel
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4.3 • 120 Ratings
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- $4.99
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- $4.99
Publisher Description
Kate Ryan and her husband, John, have a rollicking pub in the Irish village of Mountfern . . . four lovely children . . . and such wonderful dreams. But all that is about to change one fateful summer when American millionaire Patrick O'Neill comes to town with his irresistible charm, and money to burn. As love and hate vie for a town's quiet heart, old traditions begin to crumble away. . . .
Patrick O'Neill builds the grand hotel of his dreams, with its promise of wealth and change. Loyalties are challenged, jealousies ignited, and tragedy strikes before the foundation is laid. Suddenly Kate and John Ryan's lives and family are bound up with the newcomer in ways they can never imagine. And Patrick O'Neill faces his own crisis of conscience and heart as the events he sets in motion take on a life of their own in a town that will never be the same again.
Praise for Firefly Summer
“The best Binchy yet.”—The New York Times Book Review
“Totally engrossing . . . unforgettable . . . an absolutely grand story . . . a lyrical and compelling family drama . . . Mountfern and its residents come vibrantly alive.”—Cleveland Plain Dealer
“The secrets hidden behind lace curtains, a young girl's first kiss, children's summer games, unexpected pregnancies, sudden deaths. She makes us feel as if we also know the place and its people. . . . One of those good old-fashioned stories that are as comfortable and comforting as home itself.”—Philadelphia Inquirer
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Binchy's latest novel (after Light a Penny Candle ) is set in the tiny Irish backwater of Mountfern, home to a handful of families and typical of hundreds of similar hamlets in the British Isles where life is lived to the rhythm of the seasons. Mountfern is the ancestral home of Patrick O`Neill, a rough, rich American whose wealth comes from bars and restaurants, and whose dream is to build a grand hotel in Mountfern. The consequences of Patrick's arrival there early in the '60s are often hilarious: the local aristocracyespecially the widows and spinstersvies for his attentions, while the villagers are beguiled by his largesse and by thoughts of the prosperity the hotel will bring. But tragedy strikes when a bulldozer working on the hotel site crushes Kate Ryan's spine; her adaptation to life in a wheelchair is brave and touching. Kate (Binchy's most splendid character) and her husband own a pub that is bound to suffer when the hotel opens. Other charactersall memorably portrayedcome to be resentful of the ``Yank's'' money while they reveal their own cupidity. Patrick's joy at his homecoming is slowly eroded, and his teenage son Kerry breaks hearts, including his father's. Binchy's lyrical prose has a lilt and musicality that makes it a joy to read. With a strong narrative drive that never flags, the story engages all the reader's emotions.
Customer Reviews
Fireflies
Another satisfying book from Maeve Binchy.
Outstanding!
Excellent story. Written so well that you just didn’t want to put it down. Believable characters living out realistic lives. Relationships between people appropriate for the country and time period. Interesting and complicated at times but an outstanding book!
Firefly Summer
I love Maeve Binchey’s books. They always have a good ending. Her characters are so real.