Forty-Seven Roses - Hardcover

Sheridan, Peter

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0333902351 ISBN 13: 9780333902356

Publisher: Macmillan, 2001

Synopsis

When Peter Sheridans father died unexpectedly, the loss devastated his close-knit family but, in the midst of their grief, it soon became apparent that an awkward situation would have to be resolved. For many more than forty-seven years, Peters father had maintained a relationshipmainly on paperwith another woman, Doris. She had first met him in the 1940s and determinedly kept up a correspondence that would span five decades, secretly hoping that eventually Peters father would be hers. Doris would need to be told about the death of her old friend.

About this title

About the Author

Peter Sheridan is the author of 44: Dublin Made Me. A leading figure in Irish theater, he has served as director of the Abbey Theatre in Dublin, the Irish Arts Center and Irish Repertory Theater in New York, and the Los Angeles Theater Center.

From Publishers Weekly

Irish playwright Sheridan returns to the same themes of his debut memoir, 44: Dublin Made Me, further exploring his childhood, family and city. The plot focuses on a complex m‚nage ... trois between his parents and a British woman named Doris, a relationship that spanned 47 years and two countries. Intriguingly, this plot is never resolved: the deeper Sheridan explores, the more elusive the characters and their motivations become. He does not unearth Doris's intentions nor does he delve into why his mother, Anna, allowed another woman in her marriage. Sheridan approaches these mysteries with a combination of temerity and timidity: he'll ask Doris why she used contraceptives when she slept with his father yet shy away from confronting his mother with similar personal questions. Sheridan thus creates a joyfully uneven experience, leaving readers to discover the small details gradually, the entire story never revealed until the very end. The narrative proceeds primarily through Sheridan's own flashbacks or through long, italicized segments delivered in first person by Anna or Doris. These segments, though sometimes cumbersome and detached from the main narrative, provide the reader not only with shifting points of view, but also with rich Irish and British vernacular. Sheridan's secondary characters are the members of his extended family, including his alcoholic aunt and uncle from Australia. Another key character is the city of Dublin, with its songs, customs and politics. Although at times burdened by excessive sentimentality, Sheridan does succeed in conveying an Irish atmosphere and the more worldly issues of fidelity, betrayal and unrequited love.
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

Edition details

• Publisher: Macmillan
• Publication date: 2001
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0333902351
• ISBN 13: 9780333902356
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 224