Forty-seven Roses

When Peter Sheridan's father died unexpectedly, the loss devastated his close-knit family. It soon became apparent that, for over forty-seven years, Peter's father had maintained a relationship - mainly on paper - with another woman, Doris. She first met him in the 1940s and kept up a correspondence that would span five decades, secretly hoping against hope that eventually Peter's father would eventually be hers. Sheridan has written a moving account of his parents' relationship, from their first encounter over a poker game to their final, happy days in retirement. But he also tackles the difficult subject of Doris, a shadowy partner in their marriage.