Binchy had the incredible ability to weave a disparate group of characters and motivations, put them in gorgeous surroundings to make a coherent story where the reader cared about each person, and the outcome for everyone. On the cover, the publisher tells us
...follows the efforts of Chicky who, with the help of Rigger (a bad boy turned good who is handy around the place) and her niece Orla (a whiz at business), turns a coastal Ireland mansion into a holiday resort and receives an assortment of first guests who throughout the course of a week share laughter and the heartache of respective challenges. John, the American movie star thinks he has arrived incognito; Winnie and Lillian, forced into taking a holiday together; Nuala and Henry, husband and wife , both doctors who have been shaken by seeing too much death; Anders, the Swedish boy, hates his father's business, but has a real talent for music; Miss Nell Howe, a retired school teacher, who criticizes everything and leaves a day early, much to everyone's relief; the Walls who have entered in 200 contests (and won everything from a microwave oven to velvet curtains, including the week at Stone House); and Freda , the psychic who is afraid of her own visions.It's vintage Binchy, and a story I'll be able to return to again when I'm looking for a feel good read that doesn't sugar coat problems, but that provides a hopeful and positive slant. It's one I bought for my permanent personal library.
Title: A Week in Winter
Author: Maeve Binchy
Publisher:Anchor (2014), Edition: Reprint, Paperback, 416 pages
Genre: character based storytelling
Subject: life choices
Setting: Ireland
Source: originally from library, ultimately purchased for my e-reader.
Why did I read this book now? I'm a fan of the author.
Posts
0 comments:
Post a Comment
Welcome, thanks for stopping by. Now that you've heard our two cents, perhaps you have a few pennies to throw into the discussion. Due to a bunch more anonymous spam getting through, I've had to disallow anonymous comments. I try to respond to all comments posing a question, but may not always get to you right away.