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Maeve Binchy is one of Britain’s most popular and bestselling authors, and this collection of four stories from the BBC Radio 4 archive shows her at her most insightful and imaginative.
In 'The Garden Party', Helen envies her neighbour Debbie Kennedy’s garden – and her life – but discovers that things are not always as they seem; while 'The Special Sale' sees lonely Yvonne arranging a special lunch for her friend Frank and his children on the day after Christmas.
'The Sensible Celebration' finds Lorna about to throw a small party to celebrate the decade gone by: but as she plans, she starts to think about her life, and her marriage. Finally, in 'Dolly’s Mother', the beauty, grace and efficiency of her perfect parent have always made Dolly feel inferior – until the day of her sixteenth birthday.
These four stories, never collected together in book form and unique to audio, are read by acclaimed actors Niamh Cusack, Dervla Kirwan, Doreen Hepburn and Stella McCusker.
The Garden Party & Other Short Stories is a BBC drama available on CD audiobook and MP3 download that was originally penned by charming Irish writer Maeve Binchy. BBC Radio 4 specially commissioned this collection of short stories written by Binchy, who is famed for her imagination and ability to make her readers feel like part of each and every character. The Garden Party is no exception as we delve into the life of Helen, who finds out that things are not always as they seem as her envy for her neighbour’s glorious garden grows and unveils a shocking secret.
Binchy’s imagination runs wild in the Dolly’s Mother as we learn more about a relationship between Dolly and her mother as her 16th birthday approaches. Being the perfect parent has never been harder as the pedestal Dolly once placed her mother on begins to shake as secrets become unearthed. The Special Sale and The Sensible Celebration finish off this delightful collection of short stories that show Binchy at her very best as she explores human nature in its rawest forms.
Specially made into a CD audiobook for the BBC, these four captivating short stories are read by celebrated actors Doreen Hepburn, Niamh Cusack, Dervla Kirwan and Stella McCusker.
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