I’ve
always felt that reading a story written by the Irish author, Maeve Binchy, was
like sitting in front of a fire on a rainy afternoon, enjoying a home-made bowl
of soup. The comfort she provided in her
books was incomparable.
I had
been reading her novels and short stories for years before I actually had the privilege
of getting to know the woman herself. When I was losing my husband, Rick, to cancer
nearly ten years ago my world was shattering and I anticipated needing all the
comfort I could get. Something compelled
me to write to Maeve. I explained that
though I’d purchased a copy of her latest book, I planned on putting off
reading it. I thought that I’d leave it
for a time down the line when I needed even more comfort.
I never
expected a response to my letter but one day I found a postcard from her in my
mailbox. She had written to tell me how
sorry she was for what I was going through and that began a correspondence that
continued for many years. When I
mentioned to Maeve that I was a writer, she asked me to send her copies of what
I’d written. I sent her a copy of my
first novel, Groomed for Murder (GFM
is presently available as an e-book but at that time it was not.)
After
Rick passed away Maeve sent me a copy of her play, Deeply Regretted By, which she felt would resonate with me. It was excellent as was all her work. When my sister and I visited Ireland in 2006,
I thought I’d be able to meet Maeve in person but unfortunately neither of our
schedules allowed for that to happen.
Maeve
Binchy was beloved to her readers, a national treasure in Ireland and deservedly
so. Her books were translated into 37 languages and she sold upwards of 40
million copies worldwide. Maeve’s earlier novels, like Light a Penny Candle , dealt with small-town Ireland but as Ireland
changed and became more sophisticated, her stories reflected that change. Her characters were all well developed and
sometimes flawed but always real. And
the endings to her books were always, always satisfying.
Two of
her books were turned into films: Tara
Road and Circle of Friends. If you’ve never read one of her novels, I
highly recommend that you start now.
Maeve was
devoted to Gordon Snell, her husband of many years, and though she suffered
from health problems as she got older, by her own account she had a rich, rewarding
life.
I’m
glad to have called her my friend.
On
another note…this is the first blog I’ve posted in a while because I’ve been
busy with other writing but I intend to do so more frequently now. I am in the process of editing (with the
incredible assistance of my daughter, Allie) the second draft of a new suspense
novel I’ve written and will be blogging to let you know how it is progressing.
Thank
you for following me on RHODES LESS TRAVELED
Vivian
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