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Operatic Divas and Naked Irishmen: An Innkeeper's Tale
In 1994, at the age of 64 with no business experience and very little start-up money, Nancy Hinchliff buys a turn-of-the-century mansion in Louisville, Kentucky and turns it into a charming Victorian Inn. Through sheer tenacity, she learns the business while successfully coping with one mishap after another. An admittedly asocial retired school teacher, she reinvents herself as an Inn keeper. The reader is drawn into this humorous and engaging tale as the author wields her way around cantankerous contractors, harrowing housekeepers, and no shortage of strange and interesting guests and events. Through her collected stories, Hinchliff gives readers a personal, in-depth, and honest look at what it's like to be an inn keeper as she candidly describes her twenty-year journey of self discovery.
- GenresMemoir
240 pages, Paperback
First published June 6, 2017
7 people are currently reading
580 people want to read
About the author
Nancy R. Hinchliff
3 books58 followersNancy Hinchliff was born in Detroit, but spent most of her life in Chicago. She was fortunate enough to earn undergraduate degrees in music and education and graduate degrees in music, science of education and special education before teaching in the Chicago Public schools for 30 years and in the school of education at the University of Illinois in Chicago.
Ms Hinchliff has been writing all of her adult life, mostly journal articles, essays, and creative non-fiction and has been published in newsletters, local magazines, and as a guest on many blogs. In 2008, she co-authored Room at the Table, a coffee-table cookbook written for the Bed and Breakfast Association of Kentucky which won their president's award.
In 1995, at the age of 65, she purchased a Victorian mansion in Old Louisville, Kentucky and turned it into a bed and breakfast.
She remained in business there until 2015, when she sold her inn and moved to Vermont to be close to her family and write full time. Her debut memoir, Operatic Divas and Naked Irishmen: An Innkeeper's Tale was published in June, 2017. and her second memoir Roxie and Alfred was published in Feb. of 2020. She recently finished a new novel titled . Check out her blog, where she is posting information about her books.
Ms Hinchliff has been writing all of her adult life, mostly journal articles, essays, and creative non-fiction and has been published in newsletters, local magazines, and as a guest on many blogs. In 2008, she co-authored Room at the Table, a coffee-table cookbook written for the Bed and Breakfast Association of Kentucky which won their president's award.
In 1995, at the age of 65, she purchased a Victorian mansion in Old Louisville, Kentucky and turned it into a bed and breakfast.
She remained in business there until 2015, when she sold her inn and moved to Vermont to be close to her family and write full time. Her debut memoir, Operatic Divas and Naked Irishmen: An Innkeeper's Tale was published in June, 2017. and her second memoir Roxie and Alfred was published in Feb. of 2020. She recently finished a new novel titled . Check out her blog, where she is posting information about her books.
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
October 12, 2017
I have a soft spot for memoirs and this book was such a great read. It is inspiring to say the least and why I recommend to anyone who thinks either age, money, or (insert excuse here) is keeping them from fulfilling their dreams.
Don't let the dismal cover dissuade you. I do admit that this cover is definitely lacking in appeal. In fact, I would have never picked it up if it wasn't recommended by a friend. Since it is about tales of a Bed & Breakfast owner, it should have a quaint Victorian house on the cover. With that aside, it is addicting.
At 64 years old, Nancy Hinchliff decides to turn a 100-year old Victorian mansion in Louisville, Kentucky, into a B&B. The author does a wonderful job of allowing us into her life during this time. Nancy is not an outgoing person so you can imagine opening a B&B can hold some struggles for her to overcome but she doesn't let anything stop her. She loves to cook and that shows in the mouth-watering recipes included at the end of each chapter. We see tidbits of her life prior to opening the B&B, why she is single, and why she continues a tumultuous friendship with Maggie. Then there are the problems with maintaining a 100-year old house and hiring competent staff that won't steal from her. Plus, some of the guests that stay will make you wonder how she stayed sane during her 20-years as owner.
After running the B&B, Nancy has reinvented herself again as a writer in Vermont. I look forward to reading more of her work.
Don't let the dismal cover dissuade you. I do admit that this cover is definitely lacking in appeal. In fact, I would have never picked it up if it wasn't recommended by a friend. Since it is about tales of a Bed & Breakfast owner, it should have a quaint Victorian house on the cover. With that aside, it is addicting.
At 64 years old, Nancy Hinchliff decides to turn a 100-year old Victorian mansion in Louisville, Kentucky, into a B&B. The author does a wonderful job of allowing us into her life during this time. Nancy is not an outgoing person so you can imagine opening a B&B can hold some struggles for her to overcome but she doesn't let anything stop her. She loves to cook and that shows in the mouth-watering recipes included at the end of each chapter. We see tidbits of her life prior to opening the B&B, why she is single, and why she continues a tumultuous friendship with Maggie. Then there are the problems with maintaining a 100-year old house and hiring competent staff that won't steal from her. Plus, some of the guests that stay will make you wonder how she stayed sane during her 20-years as owner.
After running the B&B, Nancy has reinvented herself again as a writer in Vermont. I look forward to reading more of her work.
January 9, 2018
This memoir was such an enjoyable read! Hinchliff’s stories about her leaving Chicago and opening a bed and breakfast in Kentucky were courageous! The stories she tells of her various employees and guests were shocking at times, but so interesting to read about! At the end of each chapter a recipe is included that Hinchliff ties into the story and leaves you hungry because they all sound so delicious! I imagine she could have included so many more stories of the guests she met throughout her time owning her bed and breakfast. The visual of all those stairs and all of the repairs she had to deal with through the years sounded overwhelming, but she did it and handled it well! The author information at the end mentions she is working on another memoir, will it be more about her innkeeper days or maybe about her first career as a teacher? I look forward to reading it!
May 17, 2018
My interest was certainly piqued when I received the book Operatic Divas and Naked Irishmen: An Innkeepers Tale. I had no idea what to expect and quite frankly how interesting could the life of an Innkeeper be? Incredibly interesting, I must say.
This is a piece of the life of a woman named Nancy Hinchliff who has reinvented herself not once, twice, but four times and she continues to do so. She was a school teacher, has at least 2 graduate degrees, owned an Inn in Louisville, Kentucky and has once again begun a new career as a writer in her 80's.
The stories in the book read like essays and probably were to start. The story begins with Nancy's decision to retire as a teacher and move from Chicago into a 5 bedroom Victorian house in Kentucky which she turns into a bed and breakfast. Each chapter tells either a whimsical, sad, informative or crazy incident and she always end the chapter with a recipe, a very lovely touch.
She explains vividly the triumphs and disappointments of being an innkeeper. She also delves honestly into her life with her children and her friends. I found those parts especially hard to read due to her honesty.
The book left me wanting to hear more stories and perhaps Nancy will come out with a cookbook next. Thank you for sending me your book, Nancy. I highly recommend it!
This is a piece of the life of a woman named Nancy Hinchliff who has reinvented herself not once, twice, but four times and she continues to do so. She was a school teacher, has at least 2 graduate degrees, owned an Inn in Louisville, Kentucky and has once again begun a new career as a writer in her 80's.
The stories in the book read like essays and probably were to start. The story begins with Nancy's decision to retire as a teacher and move from Chicago into a 5 bedroom Victorian house in Kentucky which she turns into a bed and breakfast. Each chapter tells either a whimsical, sad, informative or crazy incident and she always end the chapter with a recipe, a very lovely touch.
She explains vividly the triumphs and disappointments of being an innkeeper. She also delves honestly into her life with her children and her friends. I found those parts especially hard to read due to her honesty.
The book left me wanting to hear more stories and perhaps Nancy will come out with a cookbook next. Thank you for sending me your book, Nancy. I highly recommend it!
March 18, 2025
Moving into the hotel trade at any time is quite a feat, but at the age of 64 and in an unfamiliar city? Nancy Hinchliff regales the reader with the hilarious ups and dramatic downs as she turns a run down period house into a Victorian inn to be proud of. Nancy provides us with an honest, and undeniably charming, account of the struggles and triumphs of her time as an innkeeper. It is a revealingly personal account of what it took to get her business and her new home off the ground and ultimately how it enriched her life.
Each chapter recounts a different experience in her journey – hiring/firing/more hiring of staff, the demands of eccentric guests, and the occasional naked Irishman to spice up the mix – along with a delicious, related recipe. I’ll definitely be trying the Grand Marnier French Toast. Operatic Divas and Naked Irishmen: An Innkeeper’s Tale is an engrossing, warm and delightful read that I was reluctant to put down. An excellent book to lose yourself in.
Each chapter recounts a different experience in her journey – hiring/firing/more hiring of staff, the demands of eccentric guests, and the occasional naked Irishman to spice up the mix – along with a delicious, related recipe. I’ll definitely be trying the Grand Marnier French Toast. Operatic Divas and Naked Irishmen: An Innkeeper’s Tale is an engrossing, warm and delightful read that I was reluctant to put down. An excellent book to lose yourself in.
November 17, 2017
Operatic Divas and Naked Irishmen: An Innkeeper’s Tale by Nancy Hinchliff is a fun read about the author’s escapades in owning and running an inn. She has just moved to a new area and finds that her only friend is unreliable, to say the least. The descriptions of her guests will have you in stitches, especially the naked man she runs into in a hallway one night (I cannot imagine!). The diva mentioned in the title wreaks havoc on her room and the author’s prized teapot. The inn suffers many problems, such as the explosions the author is no longer fazed by as it seems there is one problem after another. This book is definitely relevant in these times of the DIY and home improvement craze!
Oh! And the recipes! Can't forget those! The book is filled with recipes! Some of them sound scrumptious (and I especially want to try the mint juleps!). However, I will stay away from the stew made with squirrels!
Oh! And the recipes! Can't forget those! The book is filled with recipes! Some of them sound scrumptious (and I especially want to try the mint juleps!). However, I will stay away from the stew made with squirrels!
January 6, 2018
I've never been much of a risk taker. In fact, when I retire I will probably stay right here - in a town where I have friends, and where I know my way around. Nancy Hinchliff retires, moves halfway across the country to a city where she knows exactly one person, and throws everything she has into an entirely new way of living. What ensues is sometimes hilarious, sometimes frightening, and a whole lot of hard work - but Nancy isn't the kind of person who is afraid of hard work or new ways of living. Along the way she learns a lot about herself, and more than enough about a cast of guests, employees, and other innkeepers to make a collection of entertaining tales. Each tale comes with a related recipe. I thoroughly enjoyed the stories and the recipes, and look forward to trying them for myself.
December 29, 2017
This memoir is absolutely fabulous. The stories of the life of a Bed and Breakfast owner were very intriguing. If you ever thought about opening a Bed and Breakfast, this is an excellent book to read. It will show you how much fun and excitement you could have, along with the difficulties that are involved with running a Bed and Breakfast, for example, unexpected repairs, finding good help, and difficult and demanding guests. As an added bonus, Nancy included scrumptious sounding recipes at the end of each chapter. I look forward to more stories from Nancy.
November 8, 2017
I loved reading this book because among other things it is a true story about a gutsy lady. I was amazed at her courage and laughed at her funny stories and happenings at her bed and breakfast. It is fun to read something that is just plain fun. Since I am into healthy living I loved hearing about how she makes her own jams and other healthy foods. She exercises and does all the right things to stay healthy--a A from me on this. Take the time to read this and you will love every minute as I did.
September 28, 2017
Who hasn't fantasized about running a bed and breakfast? These daydreams generally pop up right after a weekend in a charming little place, or after touring through an old mansion. A misty film falls over reality and visions of fresh baked scones float past, It must have been something like this that inspired Nancy R. Hinchliff to switch gears—and climates—at a time when most people are looking forward to cruises, punctuated with a little gardening. At age sixty-four, thrice divorced, she moves out of Chicago and heads for Louisville. Does she know anyone in Louisville? Only an on-again, off-again friend, Maggie, who barely seems to notice her friend's relocation.
Inevitably, the dream of a bed and breakfast crashes almost at once. Not only is the house Hinchliff buys—a once elegant mansion—woefully unsuitable for a modern bed and breakfast, but the neighborhood is not-quite-ready-for-gentrification. Her first employee is a junkie. Her first guests eat her out of many days worth of food—in one day. She needs five rooms to break even, but only has four.
Although she has the energy of a cyclone, Hinchliff is not a natural at being a hotelier. In her own words, she's "asocial" and a "perfectionist with OCD tendencies," who proves a demanding boss. With candor, she admits to some monumentally dumb moves: opening a bed and breakfast without knowing that the neighborhood is unsavory, getting contractors without contracts, hiring that first employee—the junkie—from a chance encounter on the street. No references even requested. Still, she soldiers on.
In the twenty years she owns the inn, she runs through a lot of employees. Bryan, the lovely young man with a gentle touch for divas; Kari who can't seem to finish a single task, but wants to buy the inn; Quentin, a spoiled momma's boy, and others. As with many small business owners, Hinchliff can't keep the good ones and hates to fire the bad. In her spare time, she writes, blogs and networks. She breaks her foot, finds some more employees, soldiers on. Then, in her eighties, she packs it up—but keeps writing.
The book has some interesting stories and even some recipes. What it lacks is a sense of joy or connection. Hinchliff came to Louisville with little sense of the city, and aside from learning about the Kentucky Derby, she never seems to want to be a part of the place. Her inn could be anywhere.
I never got the sense that she liked the city or running a bed and breakfast. Louisville was a place, and the inn was a challenge, an Everest to climb, and she did it. Her guests were more necessary inconveniences then welcome visitors. Even the ones she professes to like, like the befuddled Mr. Block, are ultimately more nuisance than anything else. She loved learning about Victorian and decorating the inn, which was, apparently, reason enough to do it.
This sense of disconnection is exacerbated by the structure of the book. It is episodic and non-linear, common enough for memoir. The author shares little of her life before or even during her time as an innkeeper. She mentions she has two daughters, is estranged from one and "best friends" with the other, and that's about it. Married and divorced three times. she gives us no sense of her marriages. She spends several chapters sniping about Maggie, her Louisville friend. Why did she pack up thirty years of Chicago life to move to a city where Maggie was the only person she knew? (Maggie and Nancy's friendship ends in a fight over a comforter.) Instead of exploring that, she spends a chapter assessing the multiple failures of a housekeeper, Jason.
She never shares why she was planning to move to Austin with her daughter, or much of anything else about her family. We never learn her other daughter's name, let alone what caused the rift between them.
The last few chapters are largely complaints and self-congratulations, and the assertion that she would do it all again. Why? Because she did it once, she beat the odds. Almost as an afterthought, she picks up a thread from the first chapter—how she passed on her mother's poor parenting to her own daughters—but by this point, we've already formed our impressions. Don't get me wrong: I admire a woman who takes her retirement fund and plunges into a new venture. I want to like her. At least, I'd like to know about her. Hinchliff, however, plays it close to the vest.
In the end, I settled for some interesting stories and pretty good recipes that left me wanting more.
by D Ferrara
for Story Circle Book Reviews
reviewing books by, for, and about women
Inevitably, the dream of a bed and breakfast crashes almost at once. Not only is the house Hinchliff buys—a once elegant mansion—woefully unsuitable for a modern bed and breakfast, but the neighborhood is not-quite-ready-for-gentrification. Her first employee is a junkie. Her first guests eat her out of many days worth of food—in one day. She needs five rooms to break even, but only has four.
Although she has the energy of a cyclone, Hinchliff is not a natural at being a hotelier. In her own words, she's "asocial" and a "perfectionist with OCD tendencies," who proves a demanding boss. With candor, she admits to some monumentally dumb moves: opening a bed and breakfast without knowing that the neighborhood is unsavory, getting contractors without contracts, hiring that first employee—the junkie—from a chance encounter on the street. No references even requested. Still, she soldiers on.
In the twenty years she owns the inn, she runs through a lot of employees. Bryan, the lovely young man with a gentle touch for divas; Kari who can't seem to finish a single task, but wants to buy the inn; Quentin, a spoiled momma's boy, and others. As with many small business owners, Hinchliff can't keep the good ones and hates to fire the bad. In her spare time, she writes, blogs and networks. She breaks her foot, finds some more employees, soldiers on. Then, in her eighties, she packs it up—but keeps writing.
The book has some interesting stories and even some recipes. What it lacks is a sense of joy or connection. Hinchliff came to Louisville with little sense of the city, and aside from learning about the Kentucky Derby, she never seems to want to be a part of the place. Her inn could be anywhere.
I never got the sense that she liked the city or running a bed and breakfast. Louisville was a place, and the inn was a challenge, an Everest to climb, and she did it. Her guests were more necessary inconveniences then welcome visitors. Even the ones she professes to like, like the befuddled Mr. Block, are ultimately more nuisance than anything else. She loved learning about Victorian and decorating the inn, which was, apparently, reason enough to do it.
This sense of disconnection is exacerbated by the structure of the book. It is episodic and non-linear, common enough for memoir. The author shares little of her life before or even during her time as an innkeeper. She mentions she has two daughters, is estranged from one and "best friends" with the other, and that's about it. Married and divorced three times. she gives us no sense of her marriages. She spends several chapters sniping about Maggie, her Louisville friend. Why did she pack up thirty years of Chicago life to move to a city where Maggie was the only person she knew? (Maggie and Nancy's friendship ends in a fight over a comforter.) Instead of exploring that, she spends a chapter assessing the multiple failures of a housekeeper, Jason.
She never shares why she was planning to move to Austin with her daughter, or much of anything else about her family. We never learn her other daughter's name, let alone what caused the rift between them.
The last few chapters are largely complaints and self-congratulations, and the assertion that she would do it all again. Why? Because she did it once, she beat the odds. Almost as an afterthought, she picks up a thread from the first chapter—how she passed on her mother's poor parenting to her own daughters—but by this point, we've already formed our impressions. Don't get me wrong: I admire a woman who takes her retirement fund and plunges into a new venture. I want to like her. At least, I'd like to know about her. Hinchliff, however, plays it close to the vest.
In the end, I settled for some interesting stories and pretty good recipes that left me wanting more.
by D Ferrara
for Story Circle Book Reviews
reviewing books by, for, and about women
November 15, 2018
It was a wonderful read. The author placed you right into her shoes. She moved from one place, the big bustling city of Chicago, to the historic Old Louisville, Kentucky. She went from school teacher, to inn keeper. 20 years of maintaining a Victorian mansion, and hosting new guests from all walks of life, each unique with their own tales, their own unique situations. Every chapter ended with a recipe, something sweet or savory. I enjoyed the read so much bc i could visualize each situation so well, almost like a movie playing in my mind. The author places you right into her shoes, makes you feel what she is feeling. It is so enjoyable that I may just read it again.
October 24, 2017
While this is a quick memoir to read, the author's snobbish ways come through, and it often feels like she is writing to get back at her "friend".
If you can get past this, then you will enjoy this read.
If you can get past this, then you will enjoy this read.
January 25, 2022
Lots Recipies, Little Charm
Retired teacher opens Bed and Breakfast in St. Louis; so far so good. Then comes a tirade against a personal friend which one can only interpret as some sort of therapy for the author. Recipes are good though.
Retired teacher opens Bed and Breakfast in St. Louis; so far so good. Then comes a tirade against a personal friend which one can only interpret as some sort of therapy for the author. Recipes are good though.
May 14, 2019
I won this copy through a Goodreads giveaway.
I definitely enjoyed the diverse recipes, and there were some humorous stories. However, I had a hard time connecting with the author due to the frequent digs at her friend Maggie. I do think this memoir does a good job portraying the hardships of owning a bed and breakfast.
I definitely enjoyed the diverse recipes, and there were some humorous stories. However, I had a hard time connecting with the author due to the frequent digs at her friend Maggie. I do think this memoir does a good job portraying the hardships of owning a bed and breakfast.
June 15, 2017
I look forward to reading all the memoirists in my cohort Publishers ( She Writes Press) group. This is the fifth and a whimsical pick. It took a couple of chapters to finally let go and enter Nancy's story. Once I did, I was entertained and fascinated by the hard work and challenges of an Inn Keeper. Her human interest stories kept me reading and her collection of recipes might make an independent cook book for those who love to entertain. Through it all, she shares a vulnerability that is endearing and relatable. An enjoyable escape .
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews