Maeve Binchy dies at 72 on July, 30. I'm so lightheaded as I stare at those words on my laptop screen. I need to splash water on my face, but I'm too unsteady to stand. I can't believe I'm experiencing this loss of a woman I've never met, but know her through her storytelling.
I must be dreaming. This can't be happening. To say my heart is heavy, is putting it lightly. I'm devastated. I want this to be a nightmare that I'll wake up from.
And when I do wake up from this nightmare, I'll check the Web and see when your next book will be out. No, it just can't be your last. How is that possible? We weren't prepared. I wasn't prepared.
"Though weeping may endureth for a night, joy cometh in the morning." Psalm 30:5
Miracles and Blessings, Kiki here ... this special text-webisode is dedicated to the storytelling memory of Maeve Binchy. I bring you greetings with a heavy heart, but also a joyful heart. Our beloved Writer, Maeve Binchy is in Paradise now, our celestial home, Heaven. Can you imagine the stories she's spinning now among the celestial crowd with her ever-present smile shining brighter than ever?
You'll be missed by so many readers who willed you to write faster, because they couldn't stand to wait a minute longer for your next novel. I can't believe the next one, due in November, will be your last.
Rationally, I know your novels will continue for years to come, and that makes me happy. Next generations will enter Tara Road and see what it's like to switch lives with a stranger from across the globe like Ria and Marilyn.
They'll drop by Scarlet Feather's kitchen and enjoy the aromas for the day's catering job, or hop a ride in Cathy and Tom's catering van.
They'll get the best table at Quentins and maybe bump into a nervous Noel dining with a social worker who is determined to remove his infant daughter, Frankie, from his home.
New readers will also arrive in time to get a good seat in the Evening Class, and what a class that'll be.
Yes, generations to come ... you're in for a treat!
However, what will become of your readers today. Emotionally, we'll miss living with your characters ...Fiona, Signora and Aidan, etc. and watching them pop up in new scenarios. And we'll miss experiencing the new chapters in their lives.
We'll miss curling up with a Maeve Binchy adventure and losing track of time as we read, read and read some more. How many times have you seen the sun come up, because you had to see what happened next?
I blink back tears as her passing hits me again. I almost feel like I've lost a family member. I have. Her characters embodied her spirit in each word.
How do we go on without those wonderful moments around the Aga, sipping a cup of tea as the kettle simmers--and eating a raisin scone as our favorite character sort out a pressing matter? Believe me when I say, the matter will be sorted out.
I can't count how many times I've sat down with you and enjoyed an Irish breakfast of rashers and bangers, black and white pudding and oatmeal porridge with a container of thick cream.
Who will mind us, like the village folks did in Minding Frankie? Will we ever meet baby Frankie again in adulthood, as we did with so many of your characters?
How will we get on without a stop at Quentins for a heaping bowl of Irish stew? Yes, their menu is upscale, but I'm sure they can rustle up this Irish staple. I'll even miss the fictional pints and a friendly game of darts at a days end--and the wonderful personalities that made up each closely knit community.
I didn't know you were one of the patients at a heart center that inspired Heart and Soul. Was it a well-kept secret? Or did you leave fictional bread crumbs in the form of clues that I totally missed?
Heart and Soul
What will we do without your secrets to unravel and your mysteries to uncover? I've spent time in Ireland (Killarney, Carlow, Limerick and Dublin) and understand its rhythm. It has always been my dream to return, one day, and meet you.
(Enjoy this walking tour through Killarney. I remember walking on some of the streets-YouTube)
It doesn't matter that we come from different cultures--we speak the same language of fiction. Ms. Maeve Binchy, you inspired me as a writer and soon-to-be author to weave my stories through family sagas. I'm on my way. But I so hoped to share it with you, one day. That's okay, because one day lives inside each page of your books.
One more thing comes to mind as I say goodbye to you, my literary angel. Will I ever experience Greece the same way I did in the Nights of Rain and Stars? Time will tell.
We love you, Maeve Binchy. See you when we get there. Let's all enjoy a nice brewed cuppa tea and an Irish Raisin Tea Scone in her honor.
The Maeve Binchy Writers' Club
"The most important thing to realize is that everyone's capable of telling a story." Maeve Binchy
A Collection of Maeve Binchy Novels
- Light a Penny Candle (1982)
- Echoes (1985)
- Firefly Summer (1987)
- Silver Wedding (1988)
- Circle of Friends (1990)
- The Copper Beech (1992)
- The Glass Lake (1994)
- Evening Class (1996)
- Tara Road (1998)
- Scarlet Feather (2000)
- Quentins (2002)
- Nights of Rain and Stars (2004)
- Whitethorn Woods (2006)
- Heart and Soul (2008)
- Minding Frankie (2010)
