Helpful Score: 7
This was sadly Maeve Binchy's last novel before her death. And what a wonderful book it was. Full of rich characters with assorted life problems that were somehow sorted out when they visited a special inn on the west coast of Ireland in winter.
Helpful Score: 5
Review first published on my blog: http://memoriesfrombooks.blogspot.com/2013/03/a-week-in-winter.html
A Week in Winter is the latest book by Maeve Binchy. Unfortunately, it was her last book. Maeve Binchy passed away in July 2012. Over the course of her career, her work was translated into 30 different languages and sold over 40 million copies.
This book has all the elements of what I expect from her books - a beautiful setting in Ireland, a motley cast of characters each with their own story, and a place or a situation that brings these diverse characters together in a cohesive whole.
Chicky Starr is a girl from the small town of Stonebridge in western Ireland. Life takes her on travels far away away, but eventually she returns to buy an old mansion and convert it into a hotel. Miss Queenie is the owner of the mansion. Rigger is a friend's son who ends up their to get away from some troubles. Orla is her niece who returns from London to help. The guests they host are as diverse ranging from a movie start to a musician.
They all come together for "a week in winter" at the hotel. Their stories intertwine and overlap. A classic Maeve Binchy book. Fun to read while curled up on the couch with a cup of tea.
A Week in Winter is the latest book by Maeve Binchy. Unfortunately, it was her last book. Maeve Binchy passed away in July 2012. Over the course of her career, her work was translated into 30 different languages and sold over 40 million copies.
This book has all the elements of what I expect from her books - a beautiful setting in Ireland, a motley cast of characters each with their own story, and a place or a situation that brings these diverse characters together in a cohesive whole.
Chicky Starr is a girl from the small town of Stonebridge in western Ireland. Life takes her on travels far away away, but eventually she returns to buy an old mansion and convert it into a hotel. Miss Queenie is the owner of the mansion. Rigger is a friend's son who ends up their to get away from some troubles. Orla is her niece who returns from London to help. The guests they host are as diverse ranging from a movie start to a musician.
They all come together for "a week in winter" at the hotel. Their stories intertwine and overlap. A classic Maeve Binchy book. Fun to read while curled up on the couch with a cup of tea.
Connie A. (jazzysmom) -
Helpful Score: 5
There are just some authors that have to be experienced at least once in a life time. Maeve Binchy is one of those. She has a way of dancing with words that lets you just fall in step. You live where the pages take you. I spent A Week In Winter on a lovely seascape and took in the most beautiful scenery. The Inn Ms. Binchy invites you to is cozy, warm and smells of home cooked meals. It also offers the most heartfelt service any of us would love to receive. The guests are charming, people you are happy to mingle with. I did not want to go home when this novel ended. As i have read all of her novels, i can truely say i shall be one that will miss looking forward to more new works from her.
Helpful Score: 4
I love the way Maeve Binchy could tell a story and make one feel as if they knew and cared about her characters. This book, sadly, was her last, as she died shortly after finishing it. This book delivered the same enjoyment that I have felt from all her books, introducing real human characters with problems one wants to help them solve, and feeling good about them when that happens. I will dearly miss her and her wonderful books.
Helpful Score: 1
Maeve Binchey's last book! Bummer! I am not normally a "novel" reader. I love mysteries, but Maeve's books are a delight. She is so adept at interweaving her characters' lives with wonderful results. And generally there is a nod to one or more of her previous stories. Like waving to an old friend.
Helpful Score: 1
I was too disconnected from this book to truly enjoy it. Each character's story tied into another character's story either intricately or loosely, all centered around the opening week of a getaway hotel in Ireland. I wanted to hear more of the stories of certain characters (Chicky, Rigger, Winnie) and much less of others but just as I became really involved, the snippet of their life abruptly ended. All of this totaled up to loose threads and an unraveled mess of what could have been a tapestry. The colors were there; the threads were there; I could see some embroidery. It just didn't come together for me like I feel it should have.
Helpful Score: 1
I loved this book, which really surprised me because this is not my normal genre. I originally picked it because every now and then I like changing things up from my usual crime/police procedural books and this sounded lighthearted and quaint, which is exactly what it turned out to be.
The author tells the stories of the lives of a group of vastly different people that happen to come together to spend a week at a newly-opened Inn/B&B in a small Irish town along the Atlantic coast. I found myself wishing the story would continue with the next group of guests! An excellent book when you don't want something heavy or deep.
The author tells the stories of the lives of a group of vastly different people that happen to come together to spend a week at a newly-opened Inn/B&B in a small Irish town along the Atlantic coast. I found myself wishing the story would continue with the next group of guests! An excellent book when you don't want something heavy or deep.
As with all Maeve Binchy books I've read, I loved this one.
As a lover of Maeve Binchy's brand of storytelling, I really wanted to love this book but I'm sorry to say that for me it was just so-so. Nothing special.
Each chapter introduced you to yet another new character and I grew bored with most of the later ones. Overall, I would recommend several of her other books over this last one: TARA ROAD, THE GLASS LAKE, HEART AND SOUL, to name a few.
I give A WEEK IN WINTER a C+.
Each chapter introduced you to yet another new character and I grew bored with most of the later ones. Overall, I would recommend several of her other books over this last one: TARA ROAD, THE GLASS LAKE, HEART AND SOUL, to name a few.
I give A WEEK IN WINTER a C+.
Another fantastic, difficult to put down, read by Ms. Binchy. She continues her excellent method of storytelling in this novel about a group of strangers who gather at Stone House for one week in the winter; their experiences and what brought them there; and how the sojourn changed their lives. Excellently done.
As if knowing that this would be her last book, mention of characters and places such as Quentin's from other favorites turn up to make you go, "Oh, yes."
I thoroughly enjoyed "A Week in Winter." RIP, Ms. Binchy.
As if knowing that this would be her last book, mention of characters and places such as Quentin's from other favorites turn up to make you go, "Oh, yes."
I thoroughly enjoyed "A Week in Winter." RIP, Ms. Binchy.
Eadie B. (eadieburke) -
I always enjoy a Maeve Binchy novel. Her characters are well-developed and very interesting. This was a heart-warming tale and does not disappoint. As this was Maeve Binchy's swan song, I will sorely miss her humour and entertaining novels. Looking forward to reading a couple more of her books in the near future.
Jamie D. (theotherjamie) reviewed A Week in Winter (Audio CD) (Unabridged) on + 20 more book reviews
Reading a Maeve Binchy book is just like slipping into a comfortable pair of jeans or sitting in front of a cozy fireplace drinking a hot chocolate that was your Nan's secret family recipe. This book will not disappoint. From the first chapter I slipped into a comfortable ease catching up with characters and a sleepy Irish village that seemed vaguely familiar and definitely welcoming. This is a great book. I am sorry that there will be no more to follow.
Stoneybridge is a small resort town on the west coast of Ireland where all the families know one another. During the summers, the picturesque town's beautiful beaches are filled with tourists and their families - all carrying buckets and spades to play in the sand; building towering sandcastles and searching the shore for seashells. In the winters, few people would venture out into the frigid wilderness; yet those who brave the cold weather to walk along the beach and look out over the exposed windswept cliffs that make up the Atlantic coastline can't help but notice the dilapidated house on the cliff known as Stone House.
Against the sage advice of many, Geraldine 'Chicky' Starr has bought Stone House and has begun renovations of the old decaying mansion. Her plan is to turn the ramshackled house into a thriving vacationer's paradise, specializing in restful holidays by the sea. Not everyone believes that Chicky is entirely capable of turning Stone House into a lucrative business, but she has a vision for the place and is certain that she can make it work.
Helped out by Rigger, a local bad boy turned good who is also handy around the house and Orla, her niece, a truly remarkable business whiz, Chicky is soon ready to open the opulent mansion to the public. As she and her household make final preparations to welcome their first guests into Stone House's large, warm kitchen, roaring log fires, and understated, yet elegant bedrooms, Chicky is delighted at the initial interest shown in her little venture. The guestbook is filling out nicely, and the visitors seem to be thoroughly delightful people...
There is John, the American movie star, who thinks he has arrived to Stone House totally incognito. Winnie and Lillian are taking their holiday together; forced into a seemingly intolerable situation not of their choosing: 'getting to know one another' under duress. Nicola and Henry, husband and wife, have seen so much death while practicing medicine; both doctors have been shaken by their views of mortality and are left feeling overwhelmed and depressed.
Anders hates his father's business, but has a real talent for music. Miss Nell Howe, a retired schoolteacher, is highly critical of everything and leaves a day early, much to everyone's immense relief. The Walls are disappointed with having won this second place holiday in a contest where the grand prize was a trip to Paris. And Freda, the librarian, is frightened by her own psychic visions. Sharing a week with such an unlikely cast of characters should be pure joy, to Chicky's way of thinking.
This was Maeve Binchy's final novel and was finished just before her untimely death in July of 2012. I absolutely loved reading this book; it was typical Maeve Binchy for me: poignant, warm, and filled with characters that I couldn't help but fall in love with. I give this book a definite A+!
Against the sage advice of many, Geraldine 'Chicky' Starr has bought Stone House and has begun renovations of the old decaying mansion. Her plan is to turn the ramshackled house into a thriving vacationer's paradise, specializing in restful holidays by the sea. Not everyone believes that Chicky is entirely capable of turning Stone House into a lucrative business, but she has a vision for the place and is certain that she can make it work.
Helped out by Rigger, a local bad boy turned good who is also handy around the house and Orla, her niece, a truly remarkable business whiz, Chicky is soon ready to open the opulent mansion to the public. As she and her household make final preparations to welcome their first guests into Stone House's large, warm kitchen, roaring log fires, and understated, yet elegant bedrooms, Chicky is delighted at the initial interest shown in her little venture. The guestbook is filling out nicely, and the visitors seem to be thoroughly delightful people...
There is John, the American movie star, who thinks he has arrived to Stone House totally incognito. Winnie and Lillian are taking their holiday together; forced into a seemingly intolerable situation not of their choosing: 'getting to know one another' under duress. Nicola and Henry, husband and wife, have seen so much death while practicing medicine; both doctors have been shaken by their views of mortality and are left feeling overwhelmed and depressed.
Anders hates his father's business, but has a real talent for music. Miss Nell Howe, a retired schoolteacher, is highly critical of everything and leaves a day early, much to everyone's immense relief. The Walls are disappointed with having won this second place holiday in a contest where the grand prize was a trip to Paris. And Freda, the librarian, is frightened by her own psychic visions. Sharing a week with such an unlikely cast of characters should be pure joy, to Chicky's way of thinking.
This was Maeve Binchy's final novel and was finished just before her untimely death in July of 2012. I absolutely loved reading this book; it was typical Maeve Binchy for me: poignant, warm, and filled with characters that I couldn't help but fall in love with. I give this book a definite A+!
Loved it. Read it over Christmas week. Get your hot chocolate and sit down with characters you will love.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Each one of the guests at the Irish Bed and Breakfast had an interesting personal story that was related and the characters were well drawn especially given the fact that they each occupied only a chapter. Certainly makes me want to read more of Maeve Binchy's work.
Beverly H. (GainesvilleGirl) -
I liked it a lot! I feel bad that Maeve Binchy is gone. I have enjoyed so many of her books. This one included.
I have always loved Maeve Binchy books. There is a main story here and five or six other shorter stories woven in. she also mentioned characters from her other books, which I love to read. it's sad to think that the world will have no more books by this author.
Great reading. A must for Maeve Binchy followers.
While I enjoyed A Week in Winter, this was probably my least favorite of Maeve Binchy's books. As always, great characters, but very slow moving.
Beautiful Gift Copy!
Stoneybridge is a small town on the west coast of Ireland where all the families know each other. When Chicky Starr decides to take an old, decaying mansion set high on the cliffs overlooking the windswept Atlantic Ocean and turn it into a restful place for a holiday by the sea, everyone thinks she is crazy. Helped by Rigger (a bad boy turned good who is handy around the house) and Orla, her niece (a whiz at business), Stone House is finally ready to welcome its first guests to the big warm kitchen, log fires, and understated elegant bedrooms. Laugh and cry with this unlikely group as they share their secrets andmaybeeven see some of their dreams come true. Full of Maeves trademark warmth and humor, once again, she embraces us with her grand storytelling.
Stoneybridge is a small town on the west coast of Ireland where all the families know each other. When Chicky Starr decides to take an old, decaying mansion set high on the cliffs overlooking the windswept Atlantic Ocean and turn it into a restful place for a holiday by the sea, everyone thinks she is crazy. Helped by Rigger (a bad boy turned good who is handy around the house) and Orla, her niece (a whiz at business), Stone House is finally ready to welcome its first guests to the big warm kitchen, log fires, and understated elegant bedrooms. Laugh and cry with this unlikely group as they share their secrets andmaybeeven see some of their dreams come true. Full of Maeves trademark warmth and humor, once again, she embraces us with her grand storytelling.
I guess the final sentence of hers that will be published is "Then the two of them went back into Stone House."
