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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Generally gentle, but each character intro. was rather abrupt. That made the movement of the storyline a bit awkward to follow. And yet, I enjoyed the book.
Beautifully written. So many different points of view. I felt I got to know each of the people in the book.
Just a pleasennt book to read. Character development was excellent.Story was entertaining and easy to follow. I enjoy her book .
The last book of Maeve Binchy…sad, yet so glad tbey publushed it. A wonderful story line and an indepth exploration of the characters! Wish we could follow more people to Chickys Hotel at all times of the year!
This is a week in winter that is years in the making. A group of strangers converge on the opening of a charming, rebuilt, historic bed and breakfast on the west coast of Ireland for a week’s vacation. Each guest carries their own baggage in hand and in heart. They blend together, coming from all over and from all ages, for a moment in time. They share a joyful opportunity to pause, and to reflect on their life trajectories, each pondering whether they are on the path they really desire. Change is in the air.
The author artfully weaves the individual stories for each of the characters, and then tells how those stories intersect during this magical week. The book begins with the tale of Chicky Starr, and what takes her away from Ireland to New York. Then you’ll learn what drives Chicky to restore an old, decaying mansion back in her home town in Ireland. The ripples of Chicky’s decision lead to the restoration of other peoples’ lives, especially friends and staff at her B and B. That is when we are treated to the stories of each of the other characters. This wintry tale about people taking the time to care, and to seek joy, is blanketed by the vivid personality of rugged Ireland with its customs, traditions and music.
Maeve Binchy was an Irish novelist, playwright, short story writer, columnist and speaker. A Week in Winter was her final novel, published posthumously in 2012. Her love for small town Ireland came naturally from her own life experience. Her childhood home was 10 miles from Dublin, where she grew up with sisters and brothers and parents who loved their children. She described her parents as people who “thought all their geese were swans. It was a gift greater than beauty or riches, the feeling that you were as fine as anyone else.” After extensive traveling, she married a writer and moved into a house in a little town in Ireland called Dalkey, just a few hundred yards from her childhood home. She wrote many heartwarming books and short stories, and said about her life’s work, “I’d like people to think I was a good friend and a reasonable story-teller and to know that thanks to all the great people, family and friends that I met, I was very, very happy when I was here.”
A very enjoyable read as are all Maeve Binchy books.
Typical Maeve Binche, which is a great thing. It was above-turner meeting each character and learning how they fit into the story. I love her style of writing and his book along with others just keep me captivated! Highly recommend this book!
I really enjoyed the book. Most of the characters were endearing.
In this world of turmoil and stress this book was a breath of fresh air. It took the reader into the lives of people just like you or your family and spin a tale of warm human kindness and subtle humor. Problems solved and lives changed.
I loved this book, but truthfully, I love anything written by Maeve Binchy!
I love anything by this author. Her characters are so real and so engaging, her story lines deal with every day issues and her stories are just so entertaining.
Maeve’s Greece book… not only did she inspire me to see Ireland but this romantic piece sent me to Greece also. Wonderful book !
Loved this book and the development of the characters.
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She’s simply the best writer
Not so much wonderful characters as interesting characters.
I would recommend this book, delightful read.
One of Maeve’s best….such wonderful characters. I wish she were still with us and writing more books, for I am running out of titles.;
Irish daily life shines with warmth and a certain coziness, but not trite or cloying. Entertaining.
I knew it would be a good book because the author is one of the best.