Main content
Sorry, this episode is not currently available

Episode 3

Stella and Gerry are on holiday in Amsterdam. Rather than doing them good, the break is exposing rifts in their 40-year marriage. Frances Tomelty reads Bernard MacLaverty's novel.

The new novel by Bernard MacLaverty, his first in sixteen years, is a profound examination of human love, loss and faith.

A retired Northern Irish couple, Stella and Gerry Gilmore, fly from their home in Glasgow to Amsterdam for a long weekend: a holiday to refresh the senses, to do some sightseeing, to take stock.

Their relationship seems safe, easy, familiar but over the course of a few days it becomes clear that their growing differences may be too much for their 40-year marriage to withstand. Gerry, once an architect, is a heavy drinker who is set in his ways. Stella, a retired teacher, is tired of his lifestyle and angry at his constant undermining of her religious faith.

Reader: Frances Tomelty

Writer: Bernard MacLaverty

Abridger: Kirsteen Cameron

Producer: Kirsteen Cameron.

15 minutes

Last on

Thu 17 Aug 2017 22:45

Credits

Role Contributor
Reader Frances Tomelty
Author Bernard MacLaverty
Abridger Kirsteen Cameron
Producer Kirsteen Cameron

Broadcast

  • Thu 17 Aug 2017 22:45

Books

Celebrating reading and the 100 novels that have shaped our world.

How many of these 100 Novels have you read?

How many of these 100 Novels have you read?

After a passionate debate, our panel has come up with this surprising literary selection.

Finding Your Story

Finding Your Story

Ten remarkable novels about identity: Which one will help you discover yourself?

Short stories to keep

The fiction podcast featuring the best stories from the UK's finest writers