A Week in Winter by Maeve Binchy Maeve was born in County Dublin in 1939 and was educated in Catholic schools. She graduated from the University School of Dublin. She was a teacher for a short time and then wrote for The Irish Times. Her first novel Light a Penny Candle was published in 1982. She has written twenty bestsellers and her writing has appeared in Gourmet Magazine, O Magazine, Modern Maturity and Good Housekeeping. Her awards include a Lifetime Achievement Award at the British Book Awards in 1999 and the Irish PEN/A.T. Cross Award in 2007.Mary McAleese, President of Ireland, gave her the Bob Hughes Lifetime Achievement Award in 2010. She was married to Gordon Snell, a fellow writer and broadcaster, for thirty-five years. She died in 2012 shortly after finishing A Week in Winter. At the time of her death she was acclaimed one of Ireland's greatest writers and had sold more books than James Joyce. Questions: In our last novel author Camron Wright stated that “there is meaning in everything in a novel.” With that thought in mind, consider these questions as you read. Why is Chicky attracted to Walter? Why does she defy her mother and move to New York with him? How do her romantic ideals about New York perhaps lead her to a misguided view of the world? After Chicky's relationship with Walter ends, why does she vow to never return to Stoneybridge? How does she bridge the gap of her periodic visits home and her life in New York? What character traits help Chicky succeed? How does Mrs. Cassidy help? How long does Chicky spend in New York before returning to Stoneybridge? Will she be a good innkeeper? Why or why not? One pair of visitors to the new hotel are Winnie and Lillian. What is at the root of their antagonistic relationship? Did they want to be together? What changes their relationship? In another segment, John ends up by accident staying at Stoneybridge. How did he end up there and why does he want to hide his identity? How has his career taken a toil on his life? Does he represent a majority of celebrities? Henry and Nicola are doctors who have seen too much death and need a break from their careers. What is ironic about the outcome of their visit to Stoneybridge? Anders is another character at a seemingly difficult point in life. He is faced with a conflict between duty and desire. How do his mother's and Erika's actions and advice influence him? How would you describe his relationship with his father? How does he finally experience enough life to make the decision between duty and desire? What were your impression of the Walls and their obsession with contests? Why is it both humorous and touching? How do they enrich themselves and the others at Stoneybridge? Only one character does not have a pleasant stay at Stoneybridge. Who is it? Why does this happen? What do you think the person's life will be like from now on? Freda has visions. She tries to hide these from others, but ultimately is coaxed by Chicky to take control of these visions. What visions have been harmful and how does ignoring the visions create a problem for Freda? Besides the hotel guests themselves, the staff has its own set of problems. Who is Rigger and what does he have to overcome in life? Who is Miss Queenie? How is her life changed by Stoneybridge? Is it for the better or worse? Who is Orla? What is her reason for coming to the hotel and what impact does she have on the group? Who is Carmel? What role does she play? How does her influence on Rigger change their lives? Binchy is well known for describing her characters in depth so that the reader feels that she knows them. She is also known for making the landscape of rural Ireland as vital as her characters. How does she accomplish this in your opinion? What mood does the setting set? Binchy wrote twenty novels and one non-fiction book. If you have read her books before, what ones have been your favorites? Were there any reminders of them in A Week in Winter? Other novels: Echoes, London Transports, The Lilac Bus, Firefly Summer, Silver Wedding, Circle of Friends (made into a popular movie), The Copper Beech, This Year It Will Be Different, Evening Class, The Return Journey, Tara Road, Scarlet Feather, Quentins, Nights of Rain and Stars, Whitethorn Woods, Heart and Soul, and Minding Frankie. Her non-fiction title was called Aches and Pains about her own health issues. .