February 25, 2013

“A Week in Winter” by Maeve Binchy – Seven Days in Purgatory

Jean-Paul Sartre famously concluded in one of his stories, Huis Clos (No Exit), with the line “L’enfer, c’est les autres,”, which translated to English means “Hell is other people”. Naturally, it wasn’t meant to be taken in as literal a sense as the story portrayed it, but he was unto something: in most cases, our suffering comes from the actions of other men, whether direct or indirect, and being stuck together with others is one of the worst kinds of punishment one could be forced to endure.

Where am I going with this? I am going to the novel titled A Week in Winter by Maeve Binchy. In this novel, a woman by the name of Chicky Starr, along with the help of Rigger (a bad boy turned good handyman) and Orla (Chicky’s niece and accountant extraordinaire), decides to renovate an old and decaying mansion in the small town of Stoneybridge, turning it into a holiday house.

Everything goes according to plan, and though everyone else in the town thought her to be crazy, the house soon gets packed with guests of all kinds. They include an American star who tries to pass of incognito, a husband and wife traumatized by all the death they saw in their medical practice, a talented musician who is pressured by his father to get into the family business, and others. All of these people are then metaphorically locked together during one week in winter, a time during which they will all get to know each other all too well.

While it may seem like the novel is a premise for a deep character study or a whodunit murder mystery, it never really drifts off from comedy and/or drama territory. This looks like a very interesting experiment from the author, putting a bunch of bizarre and idiosyncratic misfits together for a week in a confined place to see how things unfold. 

A Week in Winter by Maeve Binchy (Book cover)
Let me assure you, this book is filled laughs and joy, and even though there are more serious moments, the humorous atmosphere never dies down. Each and every character has something to contribute to the story, whether it’s by setting off some important events or by the mere virtue of their presence. 

Regardless of what you thought of each character, I guarantee that you are going to forget them for a little while after finishing the book. All in all, if you’re looking to fill your day with a few laughs and forget about all of your troubles for a little while then I recommend you have a look at this book.


Maeve Binchy (28 May 1940 – 30 July 2012)

Maeve Binchy 

(28 May 1940 – 30 July 2012)


Personal site

Maeve Binchy Snell, known as Maeve Binchy was a very renowned literary figure who tried different venues within the domain, being a novelist, short story writer, columnist, playwright and even speaker. Her humor never failed to entertain the masses, with some of her best works including A Week in Winter and The Glass Lake.



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