Maeve Binchy Popular Books
Maeve Binchy Biography & Facts
Anne Maeve Binchy Snell (28 May 1939 – 30 July 2012) was an Irish novelist, playwright, short story writer, columnist, and speaker. Her novels were characterised by a sympathetic and often humorous portrayal of small-town life in Ireland, and surprise endings. Her novels, which were translated into 37 languages, sold more than 40 million copies worldwide. Her death at age 73, announced by Vincent Browne on Irish television late on 30 July 2012, was mourned as the death of one of Ireland's best-loved and most recognisable writers. She appeared in the US market, featuring on The New York Times Best Seller list and in Oprah's Book Club. Recognised for her "total absence of malice" and generosity to other writers, she finished third in a 2000 poll for World Book Day, ahead of Jane Austen, Charles Dickens, and Stephen King. Biography Overview Early life and family Anne Maeve Binchy was born on 28 May 1939 in Dalkey, Dublin, the oldest of the four children of William and Maureen (née Blackmore) Binchy. Her siblings include one brother, William Binchy, Regius Professor of Laws at Trinity College Dublin, and two sisters: Irene "Renie" (who predeceased Binchy), and Joan, Mrs Ryan. Her uncle was the historian D. A. Binchy (1899–1989). Educated at St Anne's (then located at No 35 Clarinda Park East), Dún Laoghaire, and later at Holy Child Killiney, she went on to study at University College Dublin (where she earned a bachelor's degree in history), she worked as a teacher of French, Latin, and history at various girls' schools, then a journalist at The Irish Times, and later became a writer of novels, short stories, and dramatic works. In 1968, her mother died of cancer aged 57. After Binchy's father died in 1971, she sold the family house and moved to a bedsit in Dublin. Israel/Faith Her parents were Catholics and Binchy attended a convent school. However, a trip to Israel profoundly affected both her career and her faith. She later said to Vulture: In 1963, I worked in a Jewish school in Dublin, teaching French with an Irish accent to kids, primarily Lithuanians. The parents there gave me a trip to Israel as a present. I had no money, so I went and worked in a kibbutz – plucking chickens, picking oranges. My parents were very nervous; here I was going out to the Middle East by myself. I wrote to them regularly, telling them about the kibbutz. My father and mother sent my letters to a newspaper, which published them. So I thought, It's not so hard to be a writer. Just write a letter home. After that, I started writing other travel articles. One Sunday, attempting to locate where the Last Supper is supposed to have occurred, she climbed a mountainside to a cavern guarded by a Brooklyn-born Israeli soldier. She wept with despair. The soldier asked, "What'ya expect, ma'am – a Renaissance table set for 13?" She replied, "Yes! That's just what I did expect." This experience caused her to renounce her Catholic faith, and eventually become agnostic. Marriage Binchy, described as "six feet tall, rather stout, and garrulous", although she actually grew to 6'1", said in an interview with Gay Byrne of The Late Late Show that, growing up in Dalkey, she never felt herself to be attractive; "as a plump girl I didn't start on an even footing to everyone else". After her mother's death, she expected to lead a life of spinsterhood, saying "I expected I would live at home, as I always did." She continued, "I felt very lonely, the others all had a love waiting for them and I didn't." However, when recording a piece for Woman's Hour in London she met children's author Gordon Snell, then a freelance producer with the BBC. Their friendship blossomed into a cross-border romance, with her in Ireland and him in London, until she eventually secured a job in London through The Irish Times. She and Snell married in 1977 and, after living in London for a time, moved to Ireland. They lived together in Dalkey, not far from where she had grown up, until Binchy's death. She said of him that he was a "writer, a man I loved and he loved me and we got married and it was great and is still great. He believed I could do anything, just as my parents had believed all those years ago, and I started to write fiction and that took off fine. And he loved Ireland, and the fax was invented so we writers could live anywhere we liked, instead of living in London near publishers. Letter to the president Files in Ireland's National Archives, released to the public in 2006, feature a request from Maeve Binchy to President Cearbhall Ó Dálaigh asking if he could "receive" her. She wrote, "I know you are extremely busy but I often see in the paper that you 'received' so-and-so and was wondering very simply could I be received too." This request came while she was working for The Irish Times in London in 1975. Health In 2002, Binchy suffered health problems related to a heart condition, which inspired her to write Heart and Soul. The book, about what Binchy terms "a heart failure clinic" in Dublin and the people involved with it, reflects many of her own experiences and observations in the hospital. Towards the end of her life, Binchy's website stated "My health isn't so good these days and I can't travel around to meet people the way I used to. But I'm always delighted to hear from readers, even if it takes me a while to reply." Death Binchy died on 30 July 2012. She was 72 and had suffered from various maladies, including painful osteoarthritis. As a result of the arthritis she had a hip operation. A month before her death she suffered a severe spinal infection (acute discitis), and finally succumbed to a heart attack. Gordon was by her side when she died in a Dublin hospital. Just ahead of that evening's Tonight with Vincent Browne and TV3's late evening news, Vincent Browne and then Alan Cantwell, who respectively anchor these shows, announced to Irish television viewers that Binchy had died earlier that evening. Immediate media reports described Binchy as "beloved", "Ireland's most well-known novelist" and the "best-loved writer of her generation". Fellow writers mourned their loss, including Ian Rankin, Jilly Cooper, Anne Rice, and Jeffrey Archer. Politicians also paid tribute. President Michael D. Higgins stated: "Our country mourns." Taoiseach Enda Kenny said, "Today we have lost a national treasure." Minister of State at the Department of Health Kathleen Lynch, appearing as a guest on Tonight with Vincent Browne, said Binchy was, for her [Lynch's] money, as worthy an Irish writer as James Joyce or Oscar Wilde, and praised her for selling so many more books than they managed. In the days after her death tributes were published from such writers as John Banville, Roddy Doyle, and Colm Tóibín. Banville contrasted Binchy with Gore Vidal, who died the day after her, observing that Vidal "used to say that it was not enough for him to succeed, but others must fail. Maeve wanted everyone to be a success." Numerous trib.... Discover the Maeve Binchy popular books. Find the top 100 most popular Maeve Binchy books.
Best Seller Maeve Binchy Books of 2024
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Sea of Lost Love
Santa MontefioreFrom the author of The Gypsy Madonna and The Last Voyage of the Valentina, a breathless novel that sweeps its heroine from the Cornish coast to the rugged beauty of Puglia Italy, w...
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City Girl
Patricia ScanlanTHE NUMBER ONE BESTSELLING AUTHOR Whatever life holds, friends come first... Devlin: Blonde, beautiful, rich and spoilt. The world is hers for the taking until she encounters the ...
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Foreign Affairs
Patricia ScanlanWhen four friends take a trip to Greece, they’ll learn how strong their friendship truly is in this heartwarming novel from internationally bestselling author Patricia Scanlan.When...
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Daughters Of The Moon
Susan SallisLose yourself in this moving story of a sanguine bond between sisters. Perfect for fans of Maeve Binchy, Rosamunde Pilcher and Fiona Valpy; you won't be able to put it down.'Full o...
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The Way We Were
Marcia WillettMarcia Willett captured the hearts of Rosamunde Pilcher and Maeve Binchy fans across the nation with her previous heartwarming stories of family devotion and abiding compassion. No...
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Nights Of Rain And Stars
Maeve BinchyThe lives of four strangers are forever altered when they meet in a Greek seaside village in this compelling novel from #1 New York Times bestselling author Maeve Binchy....
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Love and Marriage
Patricia ScanlanWhen love flies out the window, married life can be hell in this heartfelt love story that “captures the demands, rewards, and frustrations of matrimony” (Irish Sunday Independent)...
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The Light In The Window
June Goulding'I promised that I would one day write a book and tell the world about the home for unmarried mothers. I have at last kept my promise.'In Ireland, 1951, the young June Goulding to...
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Heart and Soul
Maeve BinchyNEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER A story of patients and staff, family, and friends who are part of a heart clinic in a community caught between the old Ireland and the new. "...
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Choices
Susan SallisA lifeenhancing and emotionally powerful novel from the Sunday Times bestselling author Susan Sallis, perfect for fans of Maeve Binchy, Fiona Valpy and Rosamunde Pilcher.READERS AR...
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Searching For Tilly
Susan SallisA delightfully touching and uplifting saga from the Sunday Times bestselling author Susan Sallis, perfect for fans of Maeve Binchy, Fiona Valpy and Rosamunde Pilcher.READERS ARE LO...
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A Week in Winter
Maeve Binchy#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER From the acclaimed author of Circle of Friends In a small town on the west coast of Ireland, an unlikely cast of characters come together at a n...
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Memories Of The Storm
Marcia WillettIt has been a house of secrets for over sixty years Bridge House on the edge of Exmoor, beautiful and remote, a wild place where the sound of the rushing stream is ever present.Cl...
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The Little Ship
Margaret MayhewFrom bestselling author Margaret Mayhew, an emotional and gripping wartime saga, full of the tension and adventure of World War Two. Perfect for fans of Katie Flynn, Donna Douglas ...
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Maeve Binchy
Piers Dudgeon‘I still think, as I did when I was twenty, that I could run everybody else’s life. Not my own of course, as my own is deep confusion to me.’ This uplifting biography, illust...
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The French Gardener
Santa MontefioreA neglected garden. A cottage that holds a secret. A mysterious and handsome Frenchman. Prepare to be “spellbound by the sheer charm” (Daily Express, UK) of Santa Montefiore’s tend...
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The Affair
Santa MontefiorePreviously published as The Perfect HappinessWonderfully wise Santa Montefiore will capture your heart with this "bittersweet and thoughtprovoking" novel about a modern wife who mu...
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An Ordinary Woman
Susan SallisFrom the Sunday Times bestselling author Susan Sallis comes a wonderfully evocative novel, perfect for fans of Maeve Binchy, Fiona Valpy and Rosamunde Pilcher.READERS ARE LOVING AN...
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The Path to the Lake
Susan SallisFrom the pen of multimillion copy seller and Sunday Times bestselling author Susan Sallis comes a heartwarming and emotional novel of secrets, loss and final redemption that will s...
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Consequences
Muriel BolgerWill what happens on holiday ... stay on holiday? And can they learn to live with the consequences?Every year, a closeknit group of friends spend two sunfilled weeks in a Spanish v...
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The Apple Barrel
Susan SallisReaders of Rosamunde Pilcher, Maeve Binchy and Fiona Valpy will simply love this utterly captivating, emotional and memorable novel from The Sunday Times bestselling author Susan S...
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Homecoming
Cathy KellyFrom #1 bestselling Irish author Cathy Kelly comes a witty, warmhearted novel about friendship, forgiveness, and second chances...They say you can’t go home again, and truth be tol...
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The House Of Flowers
Charlotte BinghamFans of Louise Douglas, Dinah Jefferies and Kristin Hannah will love this uplifting and moving wartime saga by the million copy and Sunday Times bestselling author Charlotte Bingha...
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Quentins
Maeve Binchy#1 New York Times bestselling author Maeve Binchy tells the story of a generation and a city through the history of a Dublin restaurant in this “warmhearted” (Boston Herald) enthra...
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The Kissing Gate
Susan SallisLet The Sunday Times bestselling author Susan Sallis sweep you away with this powerfully emotional, moving and uplifting novel. Perfect for fans of Maeve Binchy, Rosamunde Pilcher ...
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Light a Penny Candle
Maeve BinchyBeloved author Maeve Binchy's first published novel, an engrossing coming of age tale about the incredible bond of friendship.To escape the chaos of London during World War II...
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Scarlet Feather
Maeve BinchyTwo friends struggle to balance their personal and professional lives in this charming novel from acclaimed author Maeve Binchy.They met in cooking school and became fast friends w...
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Lessons in Heartbreak
Cathy KellyFrom #1 bestselling Irish novelist Cathy Kelly, one woman’s journey to truly know the family she’s always loved…Lessons in Heartbreak.Izzie Silvera warmhearted Irishwoman with a ma...
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A Time for Friends
Patricia ScanlanFrom the #1 internationally bestselling author comes her next heartwarming and comforting Irishset novel about the complexities of lifelong friendship, perfect for fans of Maeve Bi...
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The Bright One
Elvi RhodesIf you like Kitty Neale, Rosie Goodwin and Dilly Court, you'll love this emotional and powerful saga by multimillion copy seller Elvi Rhodes.READERS ARE LOVING THE BRIGHT ONE!"I ha...
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Stolen Beginnings
Susan LewisMarian Deacon has always been overshadowed by her cousin Madeleine, a glamorous, selfish model who will stop at nothing to reach the top. But their ordinary lives suddenly change w...
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The Summer House
Santa MontefiorePreviously published as The Woman from Paris“Superb storyteller” (Plum Sykes) Santa Montefiore’s sweeping and sophisticated international bestseller Summer House is “a feel good st...
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The Little Terrace by the Sea
Elizabeth GillFrom the bestselling author of Miss Appleby's Academy and Far From My Father's House comes a tale of love and sacrifice perfect for fans of Nadine Dorries, Anna Jacobs and Dilly Co...
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The Keys To The Garden
Susan SallisFrom the pen of bestselling author Susan Sallis comes a moving and heartwarming novel that will stay with you long after you finish the last page. Readers of Rosamunde Pilcher, Mae...
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The September Letters
Maeve BinchyA Vintage Shorts “Short Story Month” Original SelectionIt starts out like any other dull day in a busy airport bar. James, the bartender, would much rather serve regulars at a loca...
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Germinal
Roger Pearson & Émile ZolaConsidered by André Gide to be one of the ten greatest novels in the French language, Émile Zola's Germinal is a brutal depiction of the poverty of a mining community in northern F...
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Lights Out Liverpool
Maureen LeeNumber One bestseller Maureen Lee's first novel of the hugely popular Pearl Street series.'With her talent for storytelling, queen of sagawriting Maureen Lee weaves intrigue, love ...
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Secrets of the Lighthouse
Santa MontefioreSet in Ireland on the wild coast of Connemara, this hauntingly romantic novel tells the story of a young woman who goes in search of her family’s past and ends up discovering her f...
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The Gypsy Madonna
Santa MontefioreA beguiling new novel from the internationally bestselling author of Last Voyage of the Valentina When an elegant French antiques dealer dies in her adopted hometown of New York C...
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Other Women
Cathy KellyDon't miss the stunning new novel from Cathy Kelly about sisterhood, love & friendship The Wedding Party is available to preorder now!'A burst of warmth and wit, twists and tu...
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Rebel Sisters
Marita Conlon-McKennaThe No.1 bestselling novel from one of Ireland's most loved writers!With the threat of the First World War looming, tension simmers under the surface of Ireland. Bright, beautiful ...
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The Glass Lake
Maeve BinchyNEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER “Compulsively readable . . . Like all her exuberant fiction, The Glass Lake is large, generous, and full of life.”San Francisco Examiner & Chron...
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The Apple Tree
Elvi RhodesPerfect for fans of Maeve Binchy and Rosamunde Pilcher, this is an emotional and moving novel about fresh starts and new beginnings by multimillion copy seller Elvi Rhodes.READERS ...
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Debutantes
Charlotte BinghamFans of Louise Douglas, Dinah Jefferies and Bridgerton will love this wonderfully evocative and enthralling romantic saga by the million copy and Sunday Times bestselling author Ch...
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Five Farthings
Susan SallisIf you like Maeve Binchy, Fiona Valpy and Rosamunde Pilcher, you'll absolutely love this beautifully emotive and compelling novel of love and loss from The Sunday Times bestselling...
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Always You
Erin KayeA pair of starcrossed lovers offer each other a second chance at life and love. But will they have the courage to take it?An emotive and uplifting tale, guaranteed to pull at the h...
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Apartment 3B
Patricia ScanlanIn the tradition of Maeve Binchy, internationally bestselling author Patricia Scanlan takes readers on a dazzling ride where Dublin’s elite will stop at nothing to be the sole owne...