Maeve's Times
In Her Own Words
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4.5 • 4 Ratings
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- $8.99
Publisher Description
Five decades of selected writings from the Irish Times by the beloved and best-selling author, filled with her hallmark humor, candor, and wisdom-a timeless gift to her legion of fans.
Maeve Binchy once confessed: "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." She was an accidental journalist, yet from the beginning, her writings reflected the warmth, wit, and keen human interest that readers would come to love in her fiction. From the royal wedding to boring airplane companions, Samuel Beckett to Margaret Thatcher, "senior moments" to life as a waitress, Maeve's Times gives us wonderful insight into a changing Ireland as it celebrates the work of one of our best-loved writers in all its diversity-revealing her characteristic directness, laugh-out-loud humor, and unswerving gaze into the true heart of a matter.
“Binchy’s wry, self-effacing style reminds one of a Celtic Nora Ephron. . . . [She] throws a spotlight on strong, imperfect women confronting complicated challenges.” —The Christian Science Monitor
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.
