Did You Know Maeve Binchy Died?

Okay, I picked up Maeve Binchy's latest (and last) book only to find out, yes, she died soon after she finished writing it! Who knew? Not me. And this was last summer.

 
I've read several of Maeve Binchy's novels and always liked them. This one was no different, though I have to say, it seemed a bit off in places. I liked the premise (character sketches of people, for the most part, down on the their luck in one way or another) who come together to spend A Week in Winter at a Western Ireland "little big house," as she refers to the private home that is turned into a guest house/small hotel.

I liked how with each new chapter, another character or two were revealed helping piece together the story. But since each chapter dealt with a new character, the story seemed to be a bit disjointed and not as finely tuned as some of her other novels.

I was sad to read the dust jacket about Ms. Binchy's passing:  "...she lived in Dalkey, Ireland, until her death in July 2012 at the age of seventy-two, shortly after finishing this book."


Book Read:  A Week in Winter
Author: Maeve Binchy

The Longest Way Home: One Man's Quest for the Courage to Settle Down by Andrew McCarthy

I finished reading The Longest Way Home:  One Man's Quest for the Courage to Settle Down by Andrew McCarthy last night, and I have mixed feelings about this book. On one hand, this actor, writer, director, whatever seems very self involved and frankly, selfish. On the other hand, I could totally relate to his wanting to be alone, feeling most like himself when he's by himself.

So, like most all of us, Andrew McCarthy is an enigma wrapped in a mystery.

This book mainly deals with his issues of getting married (for a second time). The first time, he dated his wife for 20 years then they married and divorced within a few years. 

Leading up to his second marriage, he traveled to far flung places as a travel writer and was gone for, what sounded like, long stretches at a time leaving his fiance to care for their daughter and his son. McCarthy doesn't come across as a very sympathetic guy but an honest one.

Book Read: The Longest Way Home:  One Man's Quest for the Courage to Settle Down

Author:  Andrew McCarthy
ISBN:  978-1-4516-6748-6