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A Week in Winter  By  cover art

A Week in Winter

By: Maeve Binchy
Narrated by: Rosalyn Landor
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Publisher's summary

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.

©2013 Maeve Binchy (P)2013 Random House Audio

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What listeners say about A Week in Winter

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Didn't want it to end.....

I have been a Maeve Binchy fan for over 20 years.Her books transport me to Ireland and I "meet" people that I would love to include in my own life. I have both read and listened to her books, and by far, listening is the best way to enjoy her books. The narration makes the characters come alive. Maeve Binchy passed away last year, so this is her last book. It felt like such a loss when the book ended. I look forward to going back and listening to some of my favorites again. If you have never listened to one of her books before, you are in for a treat.

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82 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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Bought it because of the narrator...

Bought it because of the narrator stayed because of the story!
One evening I decided that I love Rosalyn Landor’s narrations and I will try to choose a book that Rosalyn has narrated but that was from a different genre than my usual listens.

This book seemed as good as any and it was on sale so I went for it – WOW what a gem.

Unlike most folks that commented on here I never read/listened to this author so I had no expectations especially since I knew this was not the usual type of story I would go for.

I loved the book, it was a great heartwarming story that had within it many short stories about each character and all the stories smartly intertwined. I would recommend this story in a heartbeat. I didn't want it to end!
I will even admit that I’ve shed a tear or two during the listen. The narrator as always was amazing and so was the book.

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54 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars

Disappointed!

I have been a fan of Maeve Binchy since "Light a Penny Candle" and have read all of her books. This one did not meet the mark. I found it more like a series of vignettes rather than a novel. Too many characters to keep me engaged for any length of time. I enjoyed the narrator and the book had some lighthearted moments but not like any of her other novels.

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22 people found this helpful

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    3 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Warm and fuzzy

Back in the day, Maeve Binchy's book, Circle of Friends, was one of my favorites. I'm discovering that these days I prefer something with more action. That said, this book is a charming, heartfelt solid Binchy offering. She definitely knew a thing or two about human nature.

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20 people found this helpful

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    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Pleasant listen but doesn't captivate.

Good concept for a story, excellent narration. Having said that, the book felt just a little disjointed to me. Story jumped from character to character leading up to all meeting for the opening week at Stone House. Difficult to bond w/characters. I expected a little more in the descriptions of Ireland and felt that area was a little lacking. Don't want to be "negative" as it was a pleasant, easy listen.

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17 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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Great final book from a terrific author!!

I have really enjoyed all of Maeve Binchy's books, and was eagerly sentimental when I began reading her final book, A WEEK IN WINTER. Once again she did not disappoint. I will definitely miss Binchy's Irish tales of different people and all of their intricate relationships. In this book, she has actually written what are essentially short stories combined to make one story about the first guests to spend a week in a new bed and breakfast retreat on the Irish coast in Stoneybridge.

Chicky Starr ran off to America with her first true love. A few years later, she has returned, alone, to Ireland, to redo an old stone mansion into a restful retreat for visitors to the beautiful western coast of Ireland. She finds helpers in a bad boy turned good, and a wandering niece with a great business sense. Then a cast of interesting characters with issues of their own, come to spend a week in this new venture.

Each character comes alive with Maeve Binchy's expressive writing. I felt like I had also been a guest during that extremely restful, yet very eventful grand opening. A very fitting combination of characters for the final story for this terrific Irish author. Light , but emotionally fulfilling tale!

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14 people found this helpful

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    4 out of 5 stars
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more like short stories, but binchy a pleasure!

When reading Maeve Binchy's books, it's a question of whether what you have picked up is very good or terrific. This one is on the very good side, but still wonderful. Reads a bit like loosely tied short stories, however once you come to expect this the listening is relaxing and satisfying in the Binchy way. Narration is excellent. Well worth the audible credit.

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13 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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A Nice Light Read

Any additional comments?

I'm so sad that this is the last we will be graced with from Maeve Binchy. My mother in law turned me on to her years ago. Tara Road was the first book I read of hers. Maeve was a beautiful story teller. During an extremely busy/hectic time at my work, to be able to climb in the car and be entertained by this book was a real treat. It's one of those books that I'm really missing now that its done.

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12 people found this helpful

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    4 out of 5 stars
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Sweet Tidy Story

This book mainly about a woman who renovates a small older hotel in the northern coast of Ireland will hold your interest with its vignettes about the guests who arrive during the opening week as well as the owner and her life story. Each guest has his or her own story, a sadness, disappointment or loss. The guests are in this lovely place and interact with one another and of course there is redemption for most and all is well in the end. So yes a tidy, dear book.

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8 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Great Read

Would you listen to A Week in Winter again? Why?

Maeve Binchy does not disappoint with this last It is a gem.

What did you like best about this story?

More of all of my favorite characters.

Which scene was your favorite?

Every one!

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

I could not help but cry at the end knowing this was Binchy's last book. She will be missed.

Any additional comments?

Absolutely loved this book!

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8 people found this helpful