The Lilac Bus

1984 short story collection

The Lilac Bus

First edition

Author| Maeve Binchy
Country| Ireland
Language| English
Publisher| Ward River Press

Publication date

| 1984
Media type| Print (hardback & paperback)
Preceded by| London Transports (1983)
Followed by| Echoes (1985)

The Lilac Bus is a collection of eight interrelated short stories by the writer Maeve Binchy, first published in 1984. The stories were republished by Delacorte Press in 1991 together with the earlier 4-story collection, Dublin 4, under the title The Lilac Bus: Stories.

## Plot summary[edit]

Set in the 1960s and 1970s,[1] the book follows a group of seven people from the fictional village of Rathdoon in West Ireland, who all live in Dublin and return home each weekend on a lilac-colored minibus.[2] Each chapter focuses on a different character, with events described in a previous chapter making their reappearance with new repercussions.[2]

## Themes[edit]

The book explores how 20th-century characters with strong Roman Catholic values cope with problems such as alcoholism, homosexuality, unwanted pregnancy, infidelity, drug use, divorce, birth control, and abortion.[2]

## TV movie[edit]

The book was made into a television movie in 1990, directed by Giles Foster and starring Con O'Neill, Stephanie Beacham, and Beatie Edney.[3]

## References[edit]

1. ^ "The Lilac Bus Book Review Summary". allreaders.com. Retrieved 24 April 2017.
2. ^ a b c Kane, John Kenny (8 December 1991). "Dublin in the Rear-View Mirror". The New York Times. Retrieved 9 May 2010.
3. ^ "The Lilac Bus (1990)". Internet Movie Database. 2017. Retrieved 24 April 2017.

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Maeve Binchy

Plays|

Deeply Regretted By... (1978)

Selected short fiction|

* The Lilac Bus (1984)
* Chestnut Street (2014)

Selected novels|

* Light a Penny Candle (1982)
* Echoes (1985)
* Firefly Summer (1987)
* Silver Wedding (1988)
* Circle of Friends (1990)
* The Copper Beech (1992)
* The Glass Lake (1994)
* Evening Class (1996)
* Tara Road (1998)
* Scarlet Feather (2000)
* Quentins (2002)
* Nights of Rain and Stars (2004)
* Whitethorn Woods (2006)
* Heart and Soul (2008)
* Minding Frankie (2010)
* A Week in Winter (2012)

Selected non-fiction|

* Aches and Pains (1999)

Related|

* Gordon Snell (husband)
* William Binchy (brother)

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