Maeve Binchy was born in County Dublin and attended University College Dublin and the Holy Child convent in Killiney. She joined the Irish Times after a stint as a teacher. Light a Penny Candle, her first novel, was released in 1982. Minding Frankie, Heart and Soul, Whitethorn Woods, Circle of Friends, and Tara Road, which was chosen for Oprah's Book Club, were among her many bestsellers. She also contributed to periodicals such as Gourmet, O, The Oprah Magazine, Modern Maturity, and Good Housekeeping.

In 1999, Maeve Binchy earned the British Book Awards' Lifetime Achievement Award, as well as the Irish PEN/A.T. In 2007, he received the Cross Award. She was married to Gordon Snell, a writer and broadcaster, for 35 years and died in 2012, just as she was finishing this book.