Whitethorn Woods - by Maeve Binchy (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER - From the acclaimed author of Circle of Friends--"love, longing, and rich scenes of daily life.... What could be sweeter than a trip to an Irish village packed with robust native characters." --The Christian Science Monitor

When a new highway threatens to bypass the town of Rossmore and cut through Whitethorn Woods, everyone has a passionate opinion about whether the town will benefit or suffer. But young Father Flynn is most concerned with the fate of St. Ann's Well, which is set at the edge of the woods and slated for destruction. People have been coming to St. Ann's for generations to share their dreams and fears, and speak their prayers. Some believe it to be a place of true spiritual power, demanding protection; others think it's a mere magnet for superstitions, easily sacrificed.

Father Flynn listens to all those caught up in the conflict, as the men and women of Whitethorn Woods must decide between the traditions of the past and the promises of the future.

Review Quotes

"A tour de force. . . . Binchy is in top form." --The Seattle Times

"Binchy's best read in a decade." --The Globe and Mail

"Love, longing, and rich scenes of daily life. . . . What could be sweeter than a trip to [an] Irish village packed with robust native characters." --The Christian Science Monitor

"A remarkably gifted writer [and] a wonderful student of human nature." --The New York Times Book Review

"Binchy makes you laugh, cry and care." --San Francisco Chronicle

"Binchy is a grand storyteller in the finest Irish tradition. . . . She writes from the very heart." --The Plain Dealer

"An engaging read." --Daily News

"Binchy can channel Irish voices with the best of them, and each of those voices has its own twisting story to tell." --The Columbus Dispatch

"Reading one of Maeve Binchy's novels is like coming home." --The Washington Post

About the Author

MAEVE BINCHY was born in County Dublin and educated at the Holy Child convent in Killiney and at University College, Dublin. After a spell as a teacher she joined The Irish Times. Her first novel, Light a Penny Candle, was published in 1982, and she went on to write more than twenty books, all of them best sellers. Several have been adapted for film and television, most notably Circle of Friends and Tara Road, which was an Oprah's Book Club selection. She was married to the writer and broadcaster Gordon Snell for thirty-five years, and died in 2012 at the age of seventy-two.