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The Reunion: An emotional, uplifting story about sisters, secrets and second chances Kindle Edition

4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 4,612 ratings

'A thoughtful, engrossing read. Warm and insightful. Roisin Meaney is a skillful storyteller' - Sheila O'Flanagan

It's their twenty-year school reunion but the Plunkett sisters have their own reasons for not wanting to attend ...

Caroline, now a successful designer, spends her time flying between her business in England and her lover in Italy. As far as she's concerned, her school days, and what happened to her the year she left, should stay in the past.

Eleanor, meanwhile, is unrecognisable from the fun-loving girl she was in school. With a son who is barely speaking to her, and a husband keeping a secret from her, revisiting the past is the last thing on her mind.

But when an unexpected letter arrives for Caroline in the weeks before the reunion, memories are stirred.

Will the sisters find the courage to return to the town where they grew up and face what they've been running from all these years?

The Reunion is a moving story about secrets, sisters and finding a way to open your heart.

Product description

Review

A cracking yarn ... Meaney can excavate the core of our human failings and present it to us, mirror-like, on the page ... Too much of a grown-up for the happy-ever-after, Meaney gives us an ending that's hopeful, that's getting better, that's finding its own fragile solutions. Which makes her utterly credible, utterly authentic, utterly irresistible. ― Irish Independent

About the Author

Roisin Meaney was born in Listowel, Co Kerry, She has lived in the US, Canada, Africa and Europe but is now based in Limerick, Ireland. This Number One bestselling author is a consistent presence on the Irish bestseller list and she is the author of fifteen novels including three stand alone novels set in the fictional island off the west coast of Ireland: One Summer, After the Wedding and I'll Be Home for Christmas. Her other bestsellers include: The Last Week of May, The People Next Door, Half Seven on a Thursday, Love in the Making, The Things We Do For Love, Something in Common, Two Fridays in April, The Reunion, The Anniversary, The Restaurant and It's that Time of Year.

She has also written books for children. Connect with Roisin Meaney on
@roisinmeaney
www.roisinmeaney.com

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B01DT6GUZK
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Hachette Books Ireland (1 July 2016)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 2614 KB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 347 pages
  • Customer reviews:
    4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 4,612 ratings

About the author

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Roisin Meaney
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In 1977 Roisin Meaney finished a sentence and won a car. The sentence was 'I would like to win a Ford Fiesta because ...my father won't let me drive his.' Over the years that followed she wrote a lot more sentences and won a lot more prizes. In 2001 she finally decided to keep writing sentences until she filled a book, and in 2008, with three published novels under her belt, she gave up her teaching job to become a fulltime writer. Since 2001 she's written twenty-one adult novels and three children's books. Her work has been translated into German, Spanish, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Dutch, Italian, Russian, Polish and Slovenian. Two of her books have also been published in the US: Semi-Sweet (Irish title Love in the Making) and Life Drawing for Beginners (Irish title The Things We Do for Love), and several books have been distributed in Australia and New Zealand by Hachette Australia.

All of Roisin's novels have made it into the Irish bestseller list. Four of them, One Summer (2012), After the Wedding (2014), I'll Be Home for Christmas (2015) and The Birthday Party (2019) form a series; all are set on Roone, a small make-believe island (but strongly inspired by the very real Valentia Island) located off the west coast of Ireland.

Roisin was shortlisted in the 2022 Irish Book Awards in the Library Association of Ireland Author of the Year category. Her next book, Moving On, will publish in Ireland on Feb 6th, and in the UK on July 31. She is currently working on a novel that's earmarked for a Spring 2026 publication. She lives in a West of Ireland cottage with three greedy cats. For more information follow her on Twitter or Bluesky.

Customer reviews

4.5 out of 5 stars
4,612 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers enjoy the book's readability, story quality, and emotional content. They find the storytelling clear, concise, and the plot moves along nicely. The characters are praised for their great development and relatable qualities.

AI-generated from the text of customer reviews

61 customers mention ‘Readability’61 positive0 negative

Customers enjoy the book. They find it engaging and say it's a timely read.

"...Well done Roisin, I have come away with more enjoyment/sadness and memory from your novel ( the 1st I've read of yours) than I thought I would...." Read more

"...But it was still a novel to be savoured." Read more

"This book makes you think. Makes you laugh, cry and look at you're own family. I love Irish writers , there such depth to their writing..." Read more

"I absolutely adored this book. Read it in a few days. Don’t let the title put you off. It’s not about a school reunion at all really...." Read more

26 customers mention ‘Story quality’26 positive0 negative

Customers enjoy the engaging story with its interwoven plotlines. They appreciate the author's storytelling style and the mix of family life. The book has a happy ending and keeps readers hooked from the first chapter.

"...It’s not about a school reunion at all really. It’s a wonderful story about two sisters, Caroline and Eleanor Plunkett...." Read more

"...Its about two sisters and family lies and secrets . All told in a totally believable way. I am now onto another of this authours books ." Read more

"...The writing is clear, concise and propels the plot along nicely but there are no surprises here, no real revelations about the characters of the..." Read more

"...A heart warming story with a happy ending ." Read more

15 customers mention ‘Emotional content’15 positive0 negative

Customers enjoy the emotional content of the book. They find it heartwarming, poignant, and moving. The story is described as an enjoyable read that reflects real struggles and how people behaved in the past 25 years.

"...Well done Roisin, I have come away with more enjoyment/sadness and memory from your novel ( the 1st I've read of yours) than I thought I would...." Read more

"I enjoyed this book because it was ssuch an emotional story reminding people of the struggles the Irish people had when becoming pregnant, out of..." Read more

"Easy to read , heartwarming made me cry made me smile , enjoyed it . Easy to pick up and drop back into an escapism of the nicest sort ." Read more

"A very enjoyable read. A true reflection of the real struggles and how people behaved 25 years ago. I could relate to tge characters in the book." Read more

13 customers mention ‘Writing quality’13 positive0 negative

Customers find the writing clear, concise, and touching. They describe the book as an easy, brilliant read that propels the plot nicely. The writing style is believable and the characters are well-developed.

"...It is written thoughtfully and, I feel with a personal touch. It is ( rather surprisingly) a story I won't forget...." Read more

"...Makes you laugh, cry and look at you're own family. I love Irish writers , there such depth to their writing This was much more..." Read more

"...Its about two sisters and family lies and secrets . All told in a totally believable way. I am now onto another of this authours books ." Read more

"...The writing is clear, concise and propels the plot along nicely but there are no surprises here, no real revelations about the characters of the..." Read more

12 customers mention ‘Character development’12 positive0 negative

Customers enjoy the book's characters. They find the story engaging and can't put it down.

"...Whilst the characters are as rounded as I have come to expect from the author they just felt a little cookie cutter - the mother who is so..." Read more

"...How true the characters are. This was truly a wonderful read. 😊..." Read more

"...I could relate to tge characters in the book." Read more

"I very much enjoyed this book, I felt the characters were real and believeable...." Read more

Thoughtful and insightful read
4 out of 5 stars
Thoughtful and insightful read
A book that is thought provoking and has engaging characters. The Plunkett sisters have received an invitation to their 20 year school reunion but so much has changed over the years and they both have their reasons for not wishing to dredge up the past. Caroline and Eleanor have taken much different paths than what they first intended and so much hurt has occurred in the family. You can’t help but become involved in their lives and the characters around them and quite a few emotional bits to read. Strength and resilience is what is required to move forward and Caroline receives a letter a few weeks before the reunion and events of the past come to mind. The book is sectioned into years and we go on the journey with the two sisters and how they have lived their lives to become the people the are. A lovely heartwarming but emotional read.
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Top reviews from United Kingdom

  • Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 25 November 2021
    Well, I'm 75% into this book, but I felt moved to write a review.
    Many people have summed up the plot, so I will do no more than to write about how the book affected me.

    I loved the fact that, to all intents and purposes, one was led to believe this was about a school reunion.
    It is not, and I appreciated that so much.

    There are quite a few character stereotypes in the novel, the Irish mother of Eleanor and Caroline, for one.
    Aunt Florence, another ( am I alone or too old to think there are resonances of "Great Aunt Dymphna" from Noel Streatfeild's, The Growing Summer"?)

    However, it's easy to forget that prejudice, fear and entrenched beliefs about choice still exist and certainly did in Ireland in the 1990s.

    This novel is well written, and more poignantly, has made my chest tighten and tears well up more than once.
    It is written thoughtfully and, I feel with a personal touch.
    It is ( rather surprisingly) a story I won't forget. There are some very human desperations, ( the utter hopelessness but driven need of Eleanor, to bake a cake, each year, and then put it straight in the bin. ( Sorry, would be a spoiler if I spoke more of this).
    I feel, despite the stereotypes I spoke of earlier (and these do not exist with all the characters) that this is really quite multi-layered and complex and these little (or large) human acts carry on happening in a way we might easily dismiss.
    Well done Roisin, I have come away with more enjoyment/sadness and memory from your novel ( the 1st I've read of yours) than I thought I would.
    5 stars from me
    2 people found this helpful
    Report
  • Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 7 January 2023
    Sadly I think this is my least favourite Roisin Meaney book, but I would add that the bar is high … all her books are fantastic. I just felt this didn’t have quite the warmth of previous novels … it was more unrelentingly sad and lacking the usual warmth. Apart from Florence and her friends, and their kindness to Caroline, I didn’t feel there was the usual cast of characters that helped to broaden out the story. But it was still a novel to be savoured.
  • Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 20 January 2025
    This book makes you think. Makes you laugh, cry and look at you're own family.
    I love Irish writers , there such depth to their writing
    This was much more
    I was starting uni in England the year Caroline gave her boy up..
    I since had two daughters.
    My mum is amazing..
    This book gives everyone the will to crack on,
    A beautiful book I have no words to describe properly xxx .
  • Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 21 October 2020
    I absolutely adored this book. Read it in a few days. Don’t let the title put you off. It’s not about a school reunion at all really. It’s a wonderful story about two sisters, Caroline and Eleanor Plunkett. It’s the first book I’ve read by this author but I intend to read many more ... and I put her way up there with my favourite author Carole Matthews now. Five stars for this one.
  • Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 17 November 2018
    Really enjoyed. The invite to the reunion is what sets of this book but it isnt about the reunion at all. Its about two sisters and family lies and secrets . All told in a totally believable way. I am now onto another of this authours books .
  • Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 5 December 2020
    The Reunion is supposed to be about a 30 year school reunion. Instead you meet 2 very different sisters. Caroline the eldest and her younger more confident sister Eleanor. It starts in 1993. In some parts it's very difficult to read. It brings you up to 2015. You find out what happens to both sisters in that time. It's just a book you can't put down. Amazing thank you Roisin another brilliant book.
  • Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 14 September 2018
    3.5 Stars

    The Reunion is the story of one family, The Plunketts, really the story of their daughters Caroline and Eleanor and all the "disasters" that befall them between their Leaving Cert years of 1993/1994 and their school reunion in 2015. Caroline is the "good daughter", works hard at school and appears to have a glittering future and Eleanor is the "black sheep", never quite good enough at school and more interested in her love life with Andrew D'Arcy (yes really, D'Arcy!) than in her education.

    I wanted to love this book as much as I have previous Roisin Murphy books but somehow I found it to be particularly hard going for about 60% of the book. The later sections did redeem the book for me though but I was still left feeling slightly disappointed overall. Whilst the characters are as rounded as I have come to expect from the author they just felt a little cookie cutter - the mother who is so concerned about appearences she cannot support her daughter after she is assaulted by a local businessman. The slightly "odd" Aunt who has relocated to England and lives a rather enigmatic life - indeed, we learn little about Florence and she is probably the most interesting character in the whole book. The woman whose whole life falls apart at the death of her infant daughter and leads her to estrange herself from her friends and, most damningly, her family. All the way through you know it will all be resolved in the end - May to December relationships for both sisters and all - and it is.

    The writing is clear, concise and propels the plot along nicely but there are no surprises here, no real revelations about the characters of the women involved. All a little flatter than the author's usual output. I did find myself enjoying the later sections dealing with the older Plunkett sisters and found them both to be, ultimately, empathetic characters. With the current climate in Eire challenging laws around the right of a woman to choose it was quite a timely read, dealing as it does with ostracism because of pregnancy due to assault, but at least the author never hits you with her own views on the subject, she allows you to make up your own mind just as Caroline makes up hers.

    Not a bad book but not one of Ms Meaney's best.
    3 people found this helpful
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  • Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 3 June 2021
    I enjoyed this book because it was ssuch an emotional story reminding people of the struggles the Irish people had when becoming pregnant, out of marriage . A heart warming story with a happy ending .

Top reviews from other countries

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  • BC Brown
    4.0 out of 5 stars Easy reading with a happy ending
    Reviewed in Canada on 19 July 2021
    A great summer read with well defined Irish characters and a few simple twists. Some sadness but it turns out well.
  • Kindle Customer
    5.0 out of 5 stars A Wonderful Book!
    Reviewed in the United States on 10 November 2018
    I am so glad I took a chance on this book! It is such a good read for romance lovers. Reminds me somewhat of Catherine Cookson's books. Well written characters you can care about and sympathize with. Complicated plotlines that keep you guessing, keep you reading; making you sad, angry, outraged in turns, and maybe even laugh or cry unexpectedly. If you like modern romances with a cosmopolitan air, set in Ireland, England, and other European locales, this book is sure to appeal to you! KUDOS to Roisin Meaney, you have a gift for storytelling! Thanks for sharing it with the rest of us!
  • Paola
    4.0 out of 5 stars Scorrevole
    Reviewed in Italy on 26 August 2019
    Ho preso questo libro per incrementare Il mio inglese(B1)
    L’ho trovato carino e piacevole e soprattutto era scorrevole
    La trama è interessante ( è un romanzo rosa)
  • Diana from Spain
    5.0 out of 5 stars Cercano, lo he vivido.
    Reviewed in Spain on 16 August 2019
    Es una escritora excelente en describir sentimientos y situaciones. Me gustó en un libro anterior, pero creo que este libro supero mis expectativas. Me ha gustado mucho, vuelvo a incidir en ello, todo lo relacionado con los personajes. Me ha acercado a ellos. Hay libros que te hacen ver las cosas desde fuera, participando como mero observador. Este no. Lo he vivido. Por eso le pongo 5 estrellas.
  • Client d'Amazon
    5.0 out of 5 stars Bonne lecture
    Reviewed in France on 2 May 2018
    Bien écrit, intéressant, se lit d'une traite; Comme d'habitude dans les romans de Roisin Meaney, les personnages sont attachants. N'hésitez pas, si vous avez déjà lu un livre de Roisin Meaney, celui-là vous plaira.

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