A Week in Winter Mass Market Paperback – November 29, 2016

Maeve Binchy is predictably comforting in her stories. This is more like a collection of short stories but it all comes together in a way typical of the authors other books.

Charming, thoughtful, warm, loving, and friendly. A lovely way to spend a “Week in Winter.” Definitely recommend highly. Would have liked to spend another week, or more, there.

Love books about Ireland and reading about people’s lives.This was hard to put down…families with secrets and finding ways to cope. Could just see the beautiful scenery and follow each character as they solved their own dilemma.

I have been reading Maeve Binchy since her first novel, "Light a Penny Candle," appeared in the old Redbook Magazine (when it published new fiction). I think I have read almost every book Ms Binchy wrote during her productive years as an author of what has become to be called "women's fiction." Generally, her books have always caught my interest immediately, but this was not the case with "A Week in Winter." I found the story of Chicky to be somewhat improbable, although it is possible that things like this happened to some who left their native land for America. "Chicky" was the nickname of Geraldine Ryan, who as a young girl on her parents farm tended to the chickens, hence the nickname. Personally, I thought the nickname sounded patronizing to be used for a mature woman -- it made her sound like a giddy and irresponsible young girl, which she wasn't, although she initially made some very poor choices. Her biggest error was in trusting a young man visiting from America, who promised her the moon and the stars in exchange for her virginity. She accompanied him to America, writing lie after lie after lie to her parents back home in Ireland. Fortunately for Chicky, the family swallowed all her lies whole, and the young Irish girl ended up landing on her feet. She returned to Ireland as a mature woman, able to purchase an decaying mansion in the town of Stonybridge and turn it into a hotel.Besides the rather improbable story of Chicky's success after such a poor start in life, I had issues with the alternating chapters told from the point of view of various characters. There were too many characters to have to keep track of, and most of them were not terribly interesting, at least not to me. Ms Binchy wrote other books in this style, with the alternating chapters and the multiple points of view, and many were highly successful --- one of my favorites was "Silver Wedding." In this case, I just never got caught up in the book because the story of Chicky never grabbed me the way it was supposed to -- I never believed it, and I think to truly enjoy this book one needs to be able to get past the improbabilty of Chicky's backstory with her feckless lover and what happened next in America. For the most part, I was glad as each chapter ended and I found myself closer to the conclusion of the book. This was the first time this happened to me with a book by Ms Binchy. Although for me the book was more of a 2 star, I gave it a 3 star rating because even though it did not appeal to me I know there is a big fan base out there that will truly enjoy this book. I just wish that her final book had more meat in it.

I've read quite a few of Ms. Binchy's books, and while I've enjoyed them all, I think this is one of her best. Her characters are living, breathing, likeable people. It was so nice to meet them all.

I had covid so I was in bed and looking for good books to read.This book is so good!!! I could not stop reading it!!!!I loved it from the first chapter.Maeve is the best story teller.

This book was even better than some reviews, I did not want it to end. Upon finishing the book, I was left with surprise, wonder and awe of the human depth that Binchy writes about the characters and their human complexity and frailty, in both individuals and couples.The story starts off simply enough, on a farm in Ireland, of a family of parents, and five children-three girls and two brothers. Chicky, the youngest daughter, 19, works in a factory and deeply enjoys taking long walks along the Atlantic coast, but she is young and restless. She is the main character throughout, evolving this story and title, who ultimately learns resilience, learning, and then knowing about, keeping secrets, for she has a very big one of her own, and lifelong,She came to this after having met a handsome tourist, Walter Starr, one day, who stayed longer, because of her, and soon they fell in love. Shortly thereafter, with visions and thoughts of grandeur, naive to the larger world, she left her homeland and headed for New York to live with him; however, he was a carefree soul who left her just 6 months later. And then, suddenly, reality introduced itself in the way of shock, pain, struggle of keeping something together yet nevertheless, to loss, and realization.She eventually gets a full time job in a boarding house, and over the course of twenty years, she learns how to run such a place and how to deal with many people who come and go, and save a little money. Meanwhile, she has written home to tell tales of a good life with "Walter" but soon, to quell their questions, tells them he died in a car crash. One day she becomes homesick for those long walks on the coast and finally, with each visit back home, secret entrenched, becomes more sure that she wants to stay, but where, and what would she do with her new life.The answer comes in a small, old house, with 7 bedrooms, large kitchen and garden out back. It sits on a small hill, surrounded by open rugged land and ocean, on the Atlantic side) and an immense array of varied wildlife. It needs many repairs yet in it she sees a realistic vision of a B and B. And after 18 months, it is time to open, and who Binchy includes as guests, is just fascinatingly interesting. During the renovations, she enlists and gets, some family and friends to help out. The descriptive details in this book, at least to me, are strong, a result of Binchy's strong vivid imagination and writing skill.I was moved by this writing. Binchy's descriptions of these characters, (seemingly familar of human reality), their complexities, differences and the way she brings them together, though separate, for dinner each night, wishing only, possible hope for some of them, left me with a sense of richness, fullness. Her revealing the lives and thoughts of all who work, live and retreat, at the house, is involving and engaging, as if one is there, or not far away. The descriptions of the surrounding landscape was also imaginatively vivid and then the pictures after the last chapter filled in the imagination.This is a truly wonderful, wanting not to let go, book, if descriptive details and character complexity is for you. If so, I highly recommend this book.

The first book that I ever remember actually wanting to read as a teenager was Light A Penny Candle by Maeve Binchy, and I, along with my fellow convent school friends, devoured it! After that, I simply had to read anything that she wrote, so I was thrilled to find a book of hers that I hadn't read!!A Week In Winter is set in the West Coast Of Ireland (which is where my family originate from) and so straight away, reading Maeve's descriptions, I could image the rugged coastline, and crashing waves of the Wild Atlantic Way. I knew immediately that I was going to love this book, and I didn't...I simply ADORED it!! It was better than anything I could imagine.As ever, Maeve weave's all the storylines together, like a seamstress with golden threads, and the end result is a beautiful patchwork quilt of a book. I don't think anyone can, or will stand up to her writing ability in my eyes, but it could be nostalgia talking.Chicky Starr is from a small village called Stoneybridge and when she is a young woman, and in love, she decides to follow her dreams (and her man) and go to America. When it all comes crashing down around her, she decides to return home, and along with an old spinster of the parish Miss Queenie they renovate an old mansion and turn it into a thriving B&B.The rest of the chapters in the book are like short stories, each telling the different tale of guests or employees of the B&B - Rigger, Orla, Winnie, John, Henry and Nicola, Anders, The Walls, Miss Howe and Freda, and they all intertwine to make up a magical story.On finishing this book, I found out that it was published posthumously following Maeve's death in 2012. It is hard to imagine that the world is now without such a wonderful story teller, however she leaves behind a spectacular legacy, and it seems fitting that every time I go to church, I light a penny candle for Maeve.

I’ve been a Maeve fan all my life, ever since I first read Light a Penny Candle. It was as if she had met my family and written about us. Since then I’ve been aware that her novels were becoming increasingly formulaic but it’s a formula I love and so I didn’t have a problem with that. Each new book was a treat to be anticipated and enjoyed. Until this. What an utter pile of tripe.As other reviewers have said it’s impossible to work out what year this was set in. Early in the book it refers to a failed divorce referendum which indicates 1986 but the attitudes and mores of the characters are more like 1936. Are we seriously supposed to believe that in 1986 NY was a remote, uncontactable outpost to people in the west of Ireland? My poor and unremarkable family certainly had more representatives working in NY then than living back home and gossip flew both ways very effectively. We even got,on planes and visited one another occasionally. This depiction of a tourist area in the west in 1986 being some sort of Disneyfied outpost of Glocca Mora is verging on the racist. I can understand why it was published posthumously, I’m sure Maeve wouldn’t have wanted to be associated with it.I read the first three chapters of this utter drivel and then asked Amazon to remove it from my Kindle account and refund me.

I have always enjoyed Maeve Binchey's books but was hugely disappointed by this one. The story was about a woman who returns to her home town in Ireland, buys an old mansion house and turns it into a hotel/guest house. So far so good. The book then descends into individual chapters about the different guests, each of whom find salvation by staying at the hotel for a week! Nowhere did I really enjoy the brief descriptions of the seaside town or the Irish countryside. The characters were unconnected and frankly, boring. The main storyline about Chicky, the owner, went nowhere and I was left feeling that the book had been written with little thought and published only because it bore Maeve Binchy's name.

This is the first of Maeve Binchy's novels that I've read. I saw all the 5-star rave reviews and thought I'd give it a go for my holiday. Unfortunately I couldn't finish it. The characters are so shallow and uninteresting, it's hard to become invested in what happens to them. The story has no depth. I don't really understand the need for irritating names like "Chicky" and "Rigger". Also, for a sizable part of the novel, it's really hard to determine what time period it is set in. When I discovered it was more modern than I originally thought, I was quite surprised, as judging by some of the characters' opinions and actions, you'd think it was the 1950's. Really bizarre and boring read which makes me want to avoid the author's other works.

Binchy weaves fascinating tales about Irish folk and this is no exception. By the end I can imagine myself being part of the plot. This is easy reading and a good way to relax without having to concentrate too much on the storyline. Makes a change to my usual book choice of thrillers/murders.Characters in this are beautifully drawn, captivating and believable; gathered together as visitors to the opening of a hotel in the west of Ireland. Each part of the book recounts why the person/people are at the hotel and their fascinating backgrounds.