WRITER

Maeve Binchy

1939 - 2012

Photo of Maeve Binchy

Icon of person Maeve Binchy

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. Read more on Wikipedia

Since 2007, the English Wikipedia page of Maeve Binchy has received more than 803,741 page views. Her biography is available in 36 different languages on Wikipedia (up from 34 in 2019). Maeve Binchy is the 4,290th most popular writer (down from 4,186th in 2019), the 178th most popular biography from Ireland (down from 176th in 2019) and the 28th most popular Irish Writer.

Memorability Metrics

  • 800k

    Page Views (PV)

  • 49.51

    Historical Popularity Index (HPI)

  • 36

    Languages Editions (L)

  • 2.79

    Effective Languages (L*)

  • 4.65

    Coefficient of Variation (CV)

Notable Works

The lilac bus
Fiction, Country life, Social life and customs
1984
Circle of friends
Friendship in fiction, Fiction, Young women in fiction
It began with Benny Hogan and Eve Malone, growing up, inseparable, in the village of Knockglen. Benny--the only child, yearning to break free from her adoring parents...Eve--the orphaned offspring of a convent handyman and a rebellious blueblood, abandoned by her mother's wealthy family to be raised by nuns. Eve and Benny--they knew the sins and secrets behind every villager's lace curtains...except their own. It widened at Dublin, at the university where Benny and Eve met beautiful Nan Mahlon and Jack Foley, a doctor's handsome son. But heartbreak and betrayal would bring the worlds of Knockglen and Dublin into explosive collision. Long-hidden lies would emerge to test the meaning of love and the strength of ties held within the fragile gold bands of a...Circle Of Friends. From the Paperback edition.
1990
Echoes
Fiction, Community life, Ireland in fiction
1985
1984
Firefly Summer
Fiction, Hotelkeepers, Country life
It was a summer of warmth.... Kate Ryan and her husband, John, have a rollicking pub in the Irish village of Mountfern... lovely twelve-year-old twins... and such wonderful dreams.... It was a summer of innocence... but all that is about to change this fateful summer of 1962 when American millionaire Patrick O'Neill comes to town with his irresistible charm and a pocketful of money... when love and hate vie for a town's quiet heart and old traditions begin to crumble away.... It was a summer of love that would never come again.... A time that has been captured forever in Maeve Binchy's compelling family drama... a novel you will never forget.From the Paperback edition.
1987
Light a penny candle
Fiction, Friendship, Domestic fiction
As a child, Elizabeth White was sent from her war-torn London home to a safer life in the small Irish town of Kilgarret. It was there, in the crowded, chaotic O'Connor household, that she met Aisling-who would become her very best friend, sharing her pet kitten and secretly teaching her the intricacies of Catholicism. Aisling's boldness brought Elizabeth out of her proper shell; later, her support carried Elizabeth through the painful end of her parents' chilly marriage. In return, Elizabeth's friendship helped Aisling endure her own unsatisfying marriage to a raging alcoholic. Through the years, they always believed they could survive anything, as long as they had each other. Now they're about to find out if they were right...
1983

Among WRITERS

Among writers, Maeve Binchy ranks 4,290 out of 7,302. Before her are Jakob Hurt, Benoîte Groult, Leopold Staff, Veijo Meri, Florbela Espanca, and Ibrahim Tuqan. After her are Gervase of Tilbury, Iwan Bloch, William Trevor, František Langer, Vincenzo Cerami, and Colm Tóibín.

Most Popular Writers in Wikipedia

Go to all Rankings
Load previousLoad previous

Contemporaries

Among people born in 1939, Maeve Binchy ranks 337. Before her are Sushil Koirala, Michael Gothard, Robert Darnton, Basil van Rooyen, Jimmie Nicol, and Vladimír Weiss. After her are Edwin Frederick O'Brien, Raymond J. Barry, Christodoulos of Athens, Ferdinand Bracke, Vivi Bach, and Richard Posner. Among people deceased in 2012, Maeve Binchy ranks 250. Before her are Sergio Livingstone, Paul Kurtz, John Keegan, Isuzu Yamada, Txillardegi, and Vladimir Krutov. After her are Carmen Basilio, Rafael Lesmes, Florence Green, Vadim Glowna, Andy Griffith, and Edvard Mirzoyan.

Others Born in 1939

Go to all Rankings
Load previousLoad previous

Others Deceased in 2012

Go to all Rankings
Load previousLoad previous

In Ireland

Among people born in Ireland, Maeve Binchy ranks 178 out of 549. Before her are Patrick Hillery (1923), Enda Kenny (1951), Elizabeth Bowen (1899), Catald (700), Pat McDonald (1878), and Seán O'Casey (1880). After her are William Trevor (1928), Colm Tóibín (1955), Luke Kelly (1940), Jason O'Mara (1972), Richard Kirwan (1733), and Joshua Pim (1869).

Others born in Ireland

Go to all Rankings
Load previousLoad previous

Among WRITERS In Ireland

Among writers born in Ireland, Maeve Binchy ranks 28. Before her are John Boyne (1971), Edna O'Brien (1930), Brendan Behan (1923), Jane Wilde (1821), Elizabeth Bowen (1899), and Seán O'Casey (1880). After her are William Trevor (1928), Colm Tóibín (1955), Richard Steele (1672), Cecil Day-Lewis (1904), Augusta, Lady Gregory (1852), and George Moore (1852).

Irish born Writers

Go to all Rankings
Load previousLoad previous