Firefly Summer cover art

Firefly Summer

 Preview
Try Premium Plus free
1 credit a month to buy any audiobook in our entire collection.
Access to thousands of additional audiobooks and Originals from the Plus Catalogue.
Member-only deals & discounts.
Auto-renews at $16.45/mo after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Firefly Summer

By: Maeve Binchy
Narrated by: Kate Binchy
Try Premium Plus free

Auto-renews at $16.45/mo after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy Now for $28.99

Buy Now for $28.99

About this listen

 "Firefly Summer is warm, humorous, sad and happy. Reading it is a joy" ( Irish Independent )

In the summer of 1962, an American millionaire arrives in a small, sleepy Irish town with far-reaching consequences.

For the children of the Ryan family, the long hot summers are usually spent playing in the ruins of a large, abandoned house. But when the American, Patrick O'Neill, buys the ruins, dreams are made and broken and secrets which should never be revealed are betrayed.

Firefly Summer tells interlocking stories of love lost and won during four fateful years in the life of a close-knit Irish community.

©1987 Maeve Binchy (P)2010 Audible Ltd Family Life Fiction Genre Fiction Literary Fiction Women's Fiction Witty

Critic Reviews

"Totally engrossing....Unforgettable....An absolutely grand story....A lyrical and compelling family drama....Mountfern and its residents come vibrantly alive." (The 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 the people....One of those good, old-fashioned stories that are as comfortable and comforting as home itself." (The Philadelphia Inquirer)
All stars
Most relevant  
Fabulous story. I laughed and gasped at the good and the bad. Eddie Ryan was my favourite character. Great reading, it was like a cast of thousands.

loved it

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Another enjoyable book by a great author. So easy to get totally involved in the story.

Another great book

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Fantastic and cleverly written with amazing dialogue and beautiful humour. Brilliantly narrated. Loved it all.

Pure joy

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
I really enjoyed this book & loved all the characters. Was very disappointed with the end.

Not a happy ending

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Sorry I’m finished this book. I’ll miss the characters who are so familiar as to be friends. Story wasn’t predictable and kept me curious as to where it was going. I loved the performance. Best ever.

A wonderful read

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Maeve Binchy was a fabulous writer who brought life in small Irish villages in the 1960s alive with her stories. This one is told beautifully and keeps the listener wonderfully engaged

A great audible story of 1960s Ireland

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
i found this book enjoyable despite the fact it didn't seem to have a real hook or edge to it, it was just a story that you wanted to keep listening to. The narrator was marvelous.

Enjoyable

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Beautiful story, wish it had a happier ending, would have loved a sequel. I love Maeve Binchy’s novels, and I have read most of her books, now I am listening to her novels on audible

Love Mae e Binchy

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
This author develops characters so beautifully. She reveals the inner most thoughts and feelings of each characters (regardless of age or gender) and presents them in a wonderful story. She must have amazing observation skills.

Loved it. Beautifully written.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Regrettably, Firefly Summer is not one of Maeve's better novels -- it's too long and poorly paced, often feeling slow. Having said that, it's a typical Maeve story of real, engaging people who are complex and interesting. The rural setting is unusual for Maeve's work, and the historical timeframe (covering the period 1962-65) offers interesting insights into Irish society of that generation, when the civil war was a living memory and the Church still ran the country. This novel also contains Maeve's only thoroughly 'bad' character (as far as I'm aware...) -- Kerry O'Neill is a true narcissist with no empathy and no redeeming features.

There are a few problems with the recording -- bits of text repeated without warning (1-2 minutes' worth), and some static interference , presumably from converting an old recording into digital format.

A comfortable listen, but not one of Maeve's best

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
In the spirit of reconciliation, Audible acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of country throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea and community. We pay our respect to their elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today.