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
I've read several of Maeve Binchy's novels and Minding Frankie was just as good as I remember her others being.
If you've never read any of Binchy's books, I highly recommend them. In Minding Frankie, the cast of characters is wide and diverse. She sets up each character so well that I was sure I knew who the main characters would be but was surprised.
The background and history of each character makes them memorable and important to the story even though many became minor characters, who were mostly in the background for most of the book.
Charles and Josie Lynch live a quiet, religious life in Dublin. Their grown son Noel lives with them but is not a part of their lives. With the arrival of Emily, Charles's niece from America, the small community where they live is never quite the same.
Plenty of problems plague the characters and keep the book interesting, but like her other books, Binchy brings them together for a realistic (not too sappy) but happy ending.
Book Read: Minding Frankie
Author: Maeve Binchy
