The Irish writer Maeve Binchy passed through Dayton on book tour in 1999. Maeve and her husband Gordon Snell came out to Yellow Springs for a live interview in our studios. During that conversation she explained that she had never come to America before on a book tour because some health issues had been preventing it. The author was here to publicize the hardcover release of her novel "Tara Road." The following year after the paperback release of the novel Binchy, who was already a beloved figure in her native Ireland found many new readers in America after that book was chosen by Oprah Winfrey as an Oprah's Book Club selection. This was back when the Oprah stamp of approval could transform a writer into an instant celebrity and even an overnight millionaire.
Following her Oprah honor the author never returned to America again for a book tour. There were more health problems that kept her close to home. When she went to Dayton that had been a bit of a miracle. She was on a six city tour and five of the six cities were large metropolitan areas. And then there was Dayton. This was her only visit to SW Ohio and it was her only appearance on this program. Maeve Binchy died in 2012.
In this interview the author described how she had become a novelist after a long career as a journalist, how she approached her craft, and she talked quite a bit about her novel "Tara Road." In all the years I have been hosting this program I have never encountered a guest who could speak so quickly. Her words flowed forth and despite their velocity she was still very articulate.
The Book Nook on WYSO is made possible by five local library systems in southwest Ohio: the Greene County Public Library, Washington-Centerville Public Library, Clark County Public Library, Dayton Metro Library, and Wright Memorial Public Library.
