Summary

In “Love in the Suburbs” by Maeve Binchy, Bonnie, a 15-year-old teenage girl, is envied by her schoolmates because she lives in Dublin. In fact, Bonnie lives a few miles away from the capital of Ireland, as her house is in the suburbs.

Bonnie invites Justine, one of the girls at her boarding school, to spend the half-term holiday with her, but Justine is very disappointed that Bonnie lives in the suburbs, as she had expected her to live in the city centre. Back at school, Justine reveals that Bonnie does not actually live in the city but in the suburbs. According to Justine, this is worse than living in the countryside, and Bonnie starts to be ashamed of the suburbs.

The following year, Bonnie invites Sheila, another girl from her boarding school, to spend the holiday with her. Sheila, who imagines Bonnie is living in the picturesque countryside,...