A Week in Winter

By: Maeve Binchy

Narrated by: Rosalyn Landor

Length: 10 hrs and 57 mins

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

What a pleasant surprise.

I didn't know what I was getting into when I started this book.
First, I will state the narrator was absolutely superb. This book wouldn't have risen to that "other level" without her. She nailed the characters voices and nuances with scalpel-like precision. I could actually picture the characters unfolding the scenes around them they were THAT real.
The writng was very dialogue driven and the push and pull between the characters was delicious. There were parts I physically recoiled because I felt the sting to a character after he received a well placed verbal blow. The writing personified these characters with the reader becoming the audience as the author directed the scene allowing the reader some wiggle room to interpret and take in the scene.
I will definitely be following this author.

A Wonderful Surprise

Like L.M. Montgomery's Anne of Green Gables, this book is a perfect balance of light and serious, whimsy and reality.
Maeve Binchy did a brilliant job making each and every main character easy to love and care about. Rosalyn Landor elevated the book, bringing it to life with her calm, easy manor.
A Week in Winter was delightful.
I highly, highly recommend you pull up a mug of tea and have a listen.

Slow and hard to get through

I’m not familiar with the author and I bought this because it was on sale. Too many characters and they lacked depth. Not much of a plot. There was some nice scenery description but it was repetitive.

I went back and noted many good reviews and people expressing sadness that this was the author’s final book. I wonder if it was unfinished and thrown together by someone else. I may try one of her earlier novels just to see if there’s more depth to her other work to earn so many fans and followers.

Awesome to the last word!

I loved the voice and tone of the reader. It really was a wonderful story. Each character’s story was wonderfully portrayed and I could certainly imagine myself right there in Stone House. Chickie’s character was especially heartwarming and such a delight as she welcomed each guest and made their stay wonderfully different, catering to each of their personalities and wants and needs. I loved it!

Many interesting characters.

A chapter is devoted to every character in the book including their back stories. So clever the way they were all woven together. I sometimes had to think hard about who was who but really enjoyed the book.

relaxing & hopefully book fictional,not fanciful

an easy read/listen. listener feeling many ups and downs of each character, emotions. at first, I was taken back by the reader/actor, not know if I wanted to continue listening, but mid chapter 1, I fell in love with her voice. i can't imagine anyone else presenting this book! Kudos to her.... and the book.

Lovely story

Great story telling and characters. Makes me want to plan a trip to Ireland

So good

This is my first book by this author but I’ll listen to just about anything Rosalyn Landor reads, so I gave it a try. It started a bit slow for me, but once I got into the rhythm of her writing, I was hooked. I’m sad it’s over. It’s like I had to say goodbye to friends.

Soothing to My Nervous System

Despite addressing some serious themes (content warnings: several suicides, an attempted suicide, and murders), I find Maeve Binchy's books very pleasant, satisfying, and soothing. What she would call "restful." And it's fun to spot the little crossovers with the characters and locations mentioned in her other books. The narrator is also very skilled and enjoyable to listen to.

sweet story

perhaps a bit predictable, but a nice story the same. enjoyed the performance of the narrator.