Stoneybridge is a small town on the west coast of Ireland where all the families know one another. 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), Chicky is finally ready to welcome the first guests to Stone House’s big warm kitchen, log fires, and understated elegant bedrooms. John, the American movie star, thinks he has arrived incognito; Winnie and Lillian are forced into taking a holiday together; Nicola and Henry, husband and wife, have been shaken by seeing too much death practicing medicine; Anders hates his father’s business, but has a real talent for music; Miss Nell Howe, a retired schoolteacher, criticizes everything and leaves a day early, much to everyone’s relief; the Walls are disappointed to have won this second-prize holiday in a contest where first prize was Paris; and Freda, the librarian, is afraid of her own psychic visions.
Sharing a week with this unlikely cast of characters is pure joy, full of Maeve’s trademark warmth and humor. Once again, she embraces us with her grand storytelling.
This ebook edition includes photos from the landscape of A WEEK IN WINTER and a Reading Group Guide.
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This was my first Maeve Binchy book (which I sadly discovered was her last). I had no idea what to expect, and at first, I was disappointed. Chapter one, about Chicky, was really superficial — it was a shallow look at 30+ years of her life. There was no real connection and I didn’t think I’d keep going. It’s an omniscient point of view that I don’t usually care for because most contemporary writers don’t do it well.
Then I started chapter two, about Rigger, and realized Binchy knows how to write omniscient! It was another superficial look at a character’s life, but it works. In most contemporary novels, you get to know all of the intimate details of a few characters over a short period of time. In Binchy’s book, however, she paints broad, general pictures for many characters, then brings them all together.
I’ll be honest — I don’t usually care for omniscient POV. Classical omniscient includes so much description that I forget what’s happening. Most contemporary omniscient is just badly written third person that’s hard to connect with. Binchy, however, knows what she’s doing and I found myself not only enjoying the book but anticipating each new character’s story.
I’m not really sure who to compare this to because I haven’t read other books like hers, so I’ll say this: if you enjoy big-picture stories (instead of books that focus on one event) and if you’re looking for a clean read (a couple of swear words, but nothing gratuitous), I highly recommend this book.
The writer tells a good story. An enjoyable read. Loved the description of the Atlantic coast in Ireland.
Haven’t read a Maeve Binchey book that I haven’t enjoyed.
I read this book with a class of people who love Irish authors. Several folks had been to Ireland and described even more fully the places in the novel. Maeve Binchy always delivers a slice of social and cultural events that bring memorable characters to life. A view of the Irish right here in Illinois. Hauntingly wonderfully written.
During this pandemic, with few opportunities to meet people or go places, I savored meeting the cast of characters in this book. It also helped to be transported to an inn on the rugged coast of Ireland. All in all, it was like this book took me for a vacation.
Classic Binchey
Loved the imagery of Coastal Ireland. Can’t wait to visit someday
Love all Maeve Binchy books…always leave you with a happy feeling.
This book is warm, wonderful, and will leave you wanting more time with these characters.
Great read, hated when it ended. I read it was Maeve Binchey’s last book so i know there will never be a sequel.
Cant go wrong with this author!
A wonderful book!!
Enjoyed it..
Loved every second I wish the characters lived near me Wonderful
Makes you feel like you are there in amongst the characters. Great read.
As always, Mave Binchy’s are the best read-at-night books. They are sweet, colorful and end happily.
I liked some of the stories about individual characters but mainly I was bored.
Loved it!
Enjoyed this quick read book! Never disappointed by Maeve Binchey
The characters in the book are very well developed and realistic. Not everyone was a hero, and some had flaws that didn’t get “fixed”. A good mix of realistic people.