The Copper Beech cover art

The Copper Beech

Wonderful, nostalgic fiction from the No.1 bestselling author

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The Copper Beech

By: Maeve Binchy
Narrated by: Kate Binchy
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Summary
 By the school house at Shancarrig stands a copper beech, its bark scarred with the names and dreams of the pupils who have grown up under its branches.

Under Junior Assistant Mistress Maddy Ross's careful gaze the children play, but out of school Maddy's gaze lingers where it shouldn't. Maura Brennan, a bundle of fun from the rough end of town, plays with her pals: leap year baby Eddie Barton, the apple of his mother's eye, and Nessa Ryan, who little realises as she carves his name at the roots of the copper beech on the very last day of school that she'll get a lot more from one of her schoolmates than her first shy kiss.

The copper beech is the gateway to Maeve Binchy's marvellous portrait of a small Irish town whose untroubled surface conceals the passions, rivalries, friendships, ambitions and jealousies beneath.

Read by Kate Binchy

(p) 1993 Audible Ltd©1992 Maeve Binchy Contemporary Romance Family Life Fiction Friendship Genre Fiction Small Town & Rural Romance

Critic Reviews

Maeve Binchy is a master storyteller
You want to read Maeve Binchy's books as fast as she seems to have written them. This one fairly gallops along because her apparently spontaneous and casual manner covers masterly plotting ... It is all very satisfactory
THE COPPER BEECH is as soothing as a cup of tea
Binchy makes you laugh, cry, and care. Her warmth and sympathy render the daily struggles of ordinary people heroic and turn storytelling into art
Maeve Binchy's marvellous portrait of a small Irish town whose untroubled surface conceals the passions, rivalries, friendships, ambitions and jealousies beneath
Binchy is a consummate storyteller who involves the reader in the world she creates ... Binchy is a Dickens: she writes about the dilemmas of human beings with a backdrop which describes the manners and morals of a society ... the Binchy public will not be disappointed at story line or resolution
Binchy ... is a class act
Maeve Binchy's novels are just the kind of comforting companions so many women can't wait to take to bed. ...Binchy's prose flows as naturally as conversation with a good friend
Maeve Binchy's work continues to inspire ... thought-provoking, warm and funny in equal measure
This is Binchy at her very best, telling stories with charm, humour and pathos and giving us one of the most stunning feel-good endings I can remember
A book with a difference ... You'll take it home to lend to your best friend
All stars
Most relevant
The small-town atmosphere felt warm, familiar and very real, and I enjoyed how the book followed ordinary people and their lives over time. Maeve Binchy has a lovely way of making simple moments feel meaningful, and the time period added a nostalgic charm that made the story even more enjoyable. It felt like stepping into another world and quietly watching the lives of the characters unfold.

What I loved most was the setting and the everyday way of life woven through the story

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I just love my Mauve Binchy’s stories, I wish she hadn’t of gone as early as she did. We could’ve still been enjoying more. This is just another classic in amongst all of her books. It was great to hear it again on Audible after reading it many years ago.

Old fashioned Storyline

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