A Week in Winter (2013) (edit title/settings)

Ridiculously Simplified Synopsis edit

Write a ridiculously simplified synopsis.

Characters/People edit see section history

• Geraldine "Chicky" Ryan Starr: Youngest of the Ryan daughters who cared for the chickens and played in the Miss Sheedys Stone House and gardens as a child. works in office of knitting factory until she meets and goes to America with Walter Starr. She worked in a diner and then aboarding house, became a patisserie chef. Returns to western Ireland to buy Stone House and set it up as a hotel.
• Kathleen Ryan: Geraldine's older sister who fed the calves, became a nurse, married Mikey and mother of Orla and Rory
• Mikey: Kathleen's husband, father of Orla and Rory
• Mary Ryan: Geraldine's older sister who baked the bread, worked in an insrance office and married J.P an older farmer
• Brian Ryan: Geraldine's brother who works the farm with his father. Had a crush on one of the O'Hara girls.
• Nuala: Chicky's friend who worked for the three Miss Sheedy sister and then went to Dublin. Youngest of a big, poor family in Stoneybridge: two sisters in America, a brother in Birmingham, and another, Nasey.in Dublin.
• Peggy O'Connor: Chicky's friend who worked in the knitting factory
• Walter Starr: Roving American law student who takes Chicky Ryan to America and then deserts her there.
• Mrs Cassidy: Close-mouthed woman who runs a a NYC boarding house, Select Accomodation, in Queens, NY with eight Irish boarders, where Chicky works
• Orla: Older daughter of kathleen and Mikey. She and her friend Brigid O'Hara had hoped to visit Geraldine and Walter in NYC. Works in London.
• Rory: Younger daughter of Kathleen and Mikey
• Brigid O'Hara: Orla's best friend in Stoneybridge and then London
• Miss Queenie Sheedy: Last surviving of the three old Sheedy sisters, Miss Jessica, Miss Beatrice, and Miss Queenie, who owned Stone House. Geraldine buys Stone house from her and and Miss Queenie has life residency and care.
• Miss Beatrice Sheedy: Deceased Sheedy sister of Stone House
• Miss Jessica Sheedy: Deceased Sheedy sister of Stone House in Stoneybridge
• Richard Anthony, aka "Rigger": Nuala's natural son by Andrew, a Dublin friend of the O'Haras. Gets in with the wrong crowd in Dublin. Goes to work for Chicky at Stone House
• Signora: An Italian teacher in Dublin who befriends Nuala and helps her find jobs and a playschool for Rigger
• Gloria: The white kitten with black ears and tail that arrives at Stone House the same night that Rigger does.
• Nasey, Ignatius: Nuala's eldest brother who works for a butcher, Mr. Malone, in Dublin. Nasey is a bachelor, a man of few words, but a wonderful uncle.
• Dingo: A nephew of Nasey and Nuala in Dublin - a good ad who made deliveries in his own van.
• Irene O'Connor: Cheerful, friendly secretary to Miss Howe at Wood Park School. She takes care of her invalid mother, and dead sister's son, Kenny. She is the Dublin lady Nasey marries
• Father Johnson: Priest in Stoneybridge
• Dr. Dai Morgan: Welsh doctor who had come to Stoneybridge with his wife, Annie, as a "locum" (interum) thirty years before and stayed on. Their daughter Bethan is now a doctor as well.
• Annie Morgan: Dr. Dai Morgan's wife. Dying of cancer. Their daughter Bath is now a doctor too.
• Carmel Hickey: Rigger's girlfriend, who is determined to do bookkeeping and commercial studies
• Macken: Twin son of Rigger and Carmel
• Rosemarie "Rosie": Twin daughyter of Rigger and Carmel
• Miss Daly: Orla's inspiring red-haired, bike riding teacher at the Convent when Orla was ten She challenged her girls to study and learn English, history, computers. Orla stays in touch with her through the years
• Shane: a Kerry garden center owner, twelve years younger than Miss Daly with whom he takes up.
• Simon: one of two workaholic men who run a company that organizes exhibitions and trade fairs, that Orla works for in London
• James: one of two workaholic men who run a company that organizes exhibitions and trade fairs, that Orla works for in London
• Foxy Farrell: Loud, confident man with big car, big sheepskin jacket, big bank job, big opinion of himself - who is besotted with Brigit O'Hara
• Conor: Foxy Farrell's vulgar best man who hits on Orla
• Marty Green: Big business prospect of James and Simon
• Howard and Barbara: Pair of professional decorators, married couple, recommended to Orla and Chicky by Brigid
• Winnie: A 34 year old nurse doing agency work in Dublin hospitals. An optimist and positive person.
• Teddy Hennessy: Dairyman and cheese maker, 32, from Rossmore. Lives with his widowed mother Lillian Hennessy.
• Lillian Hennessy: Teddy's 55 year old widowed mother, the "dragon lady" who slaved to earn the money to give her son the best after her husband died in a farm accident. Lovely, lonely, protective and dictatorial.
• Peter: A hotelier from Rossmore and friend of Teddy Hennessy. Peter's wife Gretta enjoys theater with Teddy's mother, Lillian Hennessy.
• Gretta: Peter's wife. Hoteliers in Rossmore. Enjoys theater going with Teddy's mother Lillian Hennessy. Takes Winnie under her wing.
• Fiona Carroll: Married nurse friend of Winnie's - works in a heart clinic where Irene O'Connor's mother, Peggy O'Connor is a patient. Husband Declan.
• Barbara: Married nurse friend of Winnie's. Husband Davis is a potter.
• Ania: Married nurse friend of Winnie's. Polish girl with a toddler
• Lane: friend of Freda. Runs a theater.
• Freda O'Donovan: Assistant Librarian with innovative ideas to make her library more friendly and welcoming. Has psychic visions which frighten her.
• Corry Salinas aka "John": American film star, aging and not wanting to go to TV as his agent wants. Twice divorced. Has a grown daughter. Was orphaned as a young child.
• Monica: Corry Salinas's first wife, mother of Maria Rosa. In catering business. Happily remarried to a florist, Harvey.
• Maria Rosa: Daughter of Corry Salinas and Monica
• Sylvia: Corry Salinas' second wife - spoiled, selfish daughter of very wealthy society family
• Dr Henry: Married to Nicola. Based out of London they did locums until getting into cruise ship doctoring. Want children but have none/
• Dr. Nicola: Married to Henry. Both childless London based doctors who have been cruise ship doctors
• Heidi: Co-star of John Salinas who was cause of his first divorce.
• Trevor the Tireless: Corry Salinas's agent
• Frank Hanratty: More than half-blind, hard drinking old man who has painted his van bright pink so he could find it easily
• Anders Almkvist: Swedish accountant who works in his father's firm and loves playing the nyckalharpa, a Swedish keyed fiddle and its etherial sounds. Also is into Irish folk music
• Dinny: Orla's garageman in Stoneybrige
• Nell Howe: Retired schoolmistress of Wood Park School for girls. she's a strict, cold, lonely woman who is given the holiday at Stone House as retirement gift.
• Beata: Scandanavian line stewardess who tells Drs. Henry and Nicola about three passengers with health concerns
• Helen Morris: Woman taking her parents on a cruise - her father is blind, her mother has dementia.
• Deirdre: Patient of Dr/ Dai's who died from her husband's abuse.
• Shay O'Hara: A local boy, a bird-watching expert, but with severe depression problems
• Patrik Almkvist: Anders Almkvist's very proper father. Head of the accounting firm started by his grandfather
• Gunilla Almkvist: Anders Almkvist's mother. She leaves home, moving to London and with another man, William who makes her laugh, when Anders goes to college.
• Fru Karlsson: Housekeeper for the Almkvist family in Stockholm who taught Anders to play the nyckelharpa, a pegged swedish fiddle
• Erika: Anders Almkvist's girlfriend from Oslo works in textile and design
• Klara: Anders Almkvist's cousin who loves his father's accounting firm.
• Mats: Anders Almkvist's cousin who works at the family firm. Has drinking problem.
• John Paul: red-faced bus driver for tour or Ireland Anders takes - discovering their love of folk music. Uileann pipe playing John Paul has give up touring and go back and take care of his father and the farm at Rocky Ridge
• Martin: Miss Howe's younger brother who blames her for breaking up thier family
• The Walls, Ann and Charlie: Former teachers who now grade correspondance school papers, and enter competitions for the fun and profit of it. The win 2nd place week at Stone House. Two grown sons - a professional soccer player and a long-distance lorry (truck) driver
• Philip: Banker Freda's sister Laura thinks is going to propose to her
• Mrs Scully: One of Freda O'Donovan's mother's friends who read palms at parties, and Freda at ten knows it isn't true.
• Miss Duffy: Stuffy, cold librarian at inn Road Library under whom Freda works.
• Laura: One of Freda's two sisters who both look down on her. Martha is the other. They don't believe in her sights - including Laura's breakup with Phillip
• Mrs Williams: The new principal taking over from Miss Howe at Wood Park School. A warm, positive leader. A widow who had run a large English girls' school, nd is returning to Ireland to be closer to family.
• Andy: Lovely last book by Ms. Binchy
• Charlie: Add a description of this character.
• John
• Larry
• Aidan
• Mark Malone: Suave, debonaire gentleman who romances Freda. Working to turn old Miss Hollly's Hotel into a big leisyre complex and conference center
• Lionel: young poet who gives a reading at Freda's library
• Martha: One of Freda's two sisters who both look down on her
• William: English man with whom Ander's mother lives in London
• Joe Duggan: Computer expert Freda lines up to give a lecture and classes at the library
• Wayne: Nasey's friend and best man
• KennyO'Donovan: Son/nephew of Irene O'Donovan
• Mrs Flemming: Winner of the 1st prize Paris trip that the Walls felt they deserved to win.
• Kevin
• Eva O'Donovan: Flamboyant friend of Freda and Lane with a wild rambling garden at Chestnut Grove in Dublin. Writes a weekly bird-watching column. Freda's aunt.

Setting & Locations edit see section history

• Stone House: Big house on the cliffs of Stoneybridge where the three Sheedy sisters lived.
• New York City: Where Walter takes Geraldine

First Sentence edit see section history

Table of Contents edit see section history

Series & Lists edit see section history

Authors & Contributors edit see section history

1. Maeve Binchy (Author)

First Edition edit see section history

Subjects edit see section history

• Books › Literature & Fiction › Women's Fiction › Domestic Life
• Books › Literature & Fiction › Literary