Forty-seven Roses

With his trademark wit and honesty, Peter Sheridan has written an enthralling account of his parents' relationship, from their first encounter over a poker game in a Dundalk canteen to their final, happy days together in retirement. But all was not as straightforward as it appeared for when Peter's father died suddenly, it became painfully evident that an awkward situation needed to be resolved. Since the 1940s, Peter's father had maintained a relationship with another woman, Doris. Their correspondence spanned five decades and Doris had long harboured the secret hope that Peter's father would one day be hers. Someone would have to tell her about the death of her old friend . . . At turns humorous and heartbreaking, Forty-Seven Roses is the unforgettable tale of a love that can transcend even overpowering odds. It's the account of a marriage dogged by a shadowy third partner, of fierce family pride and of how sometimes the pain of grief can re-ignite the vital spark of love.

'Sheridan's writing is in a class of its own . . . this is a memoir to make you laugh and cry' - Sunday Express