A Special Edition of The Copper Beech by Maeve Binchy to celebrate Orion's 20th anniversary.

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

Comparison: Victoria Henry, Amanda Brookfield, Rosamunde Pilcher
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Synopsis

Below is a video of Ben Twiston-Davies discussing the sculptures he made for the 20th anniversay edtions of the Orion classics, specifically The Reader by Bernhard Schlink.

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.

Celebrating Orion's 20th Anniversary in chronological order by original publication date are:

1992    The Copper Beech by Maeve Binchy
The first novel published by Orion. A million copy seller from the world’s favourite storyteller.
1992    The Six Wives of Henry VIII by Antonia Fraser
Narrative non-fiction from one of our leading historians. This ground-breaking title is still the definitive book on the subject.
1993    The Black Ice by Michael Connelly
The first Michael Connelly title published by Orion, showcasing our ability to build quality commercial crime brands.
1994     Horrid Henry by Francesca Simon
The original Horrid Henry book was the start of a massive multi-platform entertainment brand demonstrating the breadth of our Children’s list.
1995     Sophie’s World by Jostein Gaarder
A publishing sensation which brought translated literary fiction to the mass market and formed the kernel of the W&N literary fiction list.
1997     Black and Blue by Ian Rankin

Winner of the CWA Gold Dagger, this novel cemented Ian Rankin’s status as the gold standard of British crime.
1997    The Reader by Bernhard Schlink
Translated fiction which sold a million copies and became an award-winning film release, bringing recent history into sharp and unforgettable focus.
2000    A Child Called It by Dave Pelzer
The original Misery memoir, Dave Pelzer’s story was shocking and controversial and founded a genre.
2000    Revelation Space by Alastair Reynolds
Science fiction on the grandest and most commercial scale from Gollancz, redefining space opera for the new century.
2001     Tell No One by Harlan Coben

The event publication which made SUNDAY TIMES No.1 bestseller Harlan Coben a household name and cemented Orion’s ability to create commercial brands.
2003     Stalin by Simon Sebag Montefiore
Winner of the Best History Book at the British Book Awards 2004, this narrative character-based history broke new ground.
2004     The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon
A massive million plus bestseller in the UK and one of the bestselling books of all time in Spain – making translated fiction truly accessible.
2004     Himalaya by Michael Palin
Selling over half a million copies in hardback and staying at No.1 for 11 consecutive weeks, this is the book that proved Michael Palin was not only a beloved television and film personality, he was a formidable travel writer as well.
2004     Wolf Brother by Michelle Paver
Selling over half a million copies at the height of the Harry Potter years and with massive rights sales internationally, this title is one of the stars of our impressive Children’s list.
2005     Labyrinth by Kate Mosse
A huge SUNDAY TIMES No.1 bestseller, this engrossing ‘time-slip’ novel combines brilliant storytelling and strong characters with a puzzle that has obsessed men for centuries: the secret of the Grail.
2007     Salmon Fishing in the Yemen by Paul Torday
Winner of the PG Wodehouse Award, Torday is a unique and indefinable author whose debut won him a substantial, dedicated fan base.
2008    No Time for Goodbye by Linwood Barclay
A true must-read and a Richard and Judy favourite, this title announced the arrival of an exciting new thriller bestseller from Orion.
2009     Dead Until Dark by Charlaine Harris
The first True Blood TV tie-in novel showing the diversity and commercial potential of the Gollancz list.
2010     Life by Keith Richards
This once-in-a-generation memoir of a true rock legend was a formidable No. 1 SUNDAY TIMES bestseller.
2011     The Tiger’s Wife by Téa Obreht
Winner of the 2011 Orange Prize for Fiction, this debut novel has been almost universally praised as a triumph of modern literature and introduced a star of the future.

About the Author

Maeve Binchy was born in Dublin and came to fame first as London Correspondent for the Irish Times. Her first novel, Light A Penny Candle made her famous in the UK and USA.   She says of her upbringing. ‘My memory of my home was that it was very happy, and that there was more fun and life there than there was anywhere else. My mother could do all kinds of things, like take a bone out of your throat if it got stuck and you were choking, or clean out a turkey on Christmas Eve when it arrived far from oven-ready. She could take out splinters and cure headaches and get the grocer to deliver her a packet of Gold Flake by giving a list of other items as well and asking if it could be brought up to the house soon because she was in a hurry for the cornflour. Our house was ten miles from Dublin City where we all went to University and then to work. Ten miles is near enough to live at home, and just a little too near to get a flat unless there was some bad feeling. And there was no bad feeling.’   She says of herself. “I was the big bossy older sister, full of enthusiasms, mad fantasies, desperate urges to be famous and anxious to be a saint. A settled sort of saint, not one who might have to suffer or die for her faith. I was terrified that I might see a Vision like St Bernadette or the Children at Fatima and be a martyr instead. My school friends accused me of making this up but I never looked up into trees in case I saw Our Lady beckoning to me.” She lives in Dublin with her husband, Gordon Snell.   Fellow novelist SOPHIE KING on MAEVE BINCHY I was only a teenager when I discovered Maeve and I've always loved her books but the one that sticks out in my mind is Evening Class. It's told from the point of view of different characters - which is what I do in my own books. It's a wonderful way of getting into the characters' heads and also to move the plot along. More books by this author Author 'Like for Like' recommendation