Maeve's Times
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3.3 • 7 Ratings
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- $11.99
Publisher Description
'Maeve's Times is funny and clever and kind, which are excellent qualities in both books and people' Irish Times
'As someone who fell off a chair not long ago trying to hear what they were saying at the next table in a restaurant, I suppose I am obsessively interested in what some might consider the trivia of other people's lives.'
Maeve Binchy is well known for her bestselling novels, but for many years Maeve was a journalist. From 'The Student Train' to 'Plane Bores' and 'Bathroom Joggers' to 'When Beckett met Binchy', these articles have all the warmth, wit and humanity of her fiction. Arranged in decades, from the 1960s to the 2000s, and including Maeve's first and last ever piece of writing for the Irish Times, the columns also give a fascinating insight into the author herself.
With an introduction written by her husband, the writer Gordon Snell, this collection of timeless writing reminds us of why the leading Irish writer was so universally loved.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Binchy's trademark warmth, humor, and humanity characterize this volume, which collects five decades of her reporting for the Irish Times (1960s 2000s). The wide-ranging topics reveal a journalist far more interested in people than places or events, though quiet references to IRA bombings, Thatcher's Britain, the conflict in Cyprus, and second-wave feminism prove Binchy (Circle of Friends) was as savvy about politics she was about character. Wit, sarcasm, and big-heartedness emerge as hallmarks of Binchy's "direct and uncluttered style." Additionally, readers will enjoy her avid and unrestrained curiosity, the "wish to enter into other people's lives," which inspires her to eavesdrop on fellow diners, travelers, and passersby. "Wouldn't you want to follow almost everyone home?" she remarks while observing people at a beach. While the collection makes an enjoyable read on the merit of humor alone, editor Ingle's selections capture Binchy's journalistic apprenticeship, record an intelligent woman's perspective on a changing world, and offer entertaining glimpses of biography that Binchy fans will adore.
