Customer Reviews

Whitehorn Woods

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The town of Rossmore, Ireland has been growing and a new highway is proposed which will alleviate some traffic problems. But as in all development something else has to go. St Ann's Well, a local shrine, may be the casualty. St Ann's Well has been the place where troubled people go to ask for cures, husbands and solutions to other problems.

This book is a collection of short stories about the people who are connected to the well. Father Flynn is the local priest who does not believe in the well but wants to cover all angles and goes to the well to ask for a sign. There is amiable Neddy Nolan who is billed as a simpleton but is smart where it counts and Dr. Dermot,an old doctor who wants to keep his patients at any cost and Lilly Ryan whose first child was abducted 22 years earlier. These are only a few of the people in Rossmore who have a tale to tell and a lesson to teach.

I am not too much into short stories but some of these were very good and the following story was the same story from a different viewpoint which made it very interesting. I love Binchy's novels but find her collections a little wanting.

I too have read all of Maeve's books, and eagerly anticipate her new releases. This one, I thought, was better than the last few new ones, and I got lots of chuckles and not a few tears from it. Her characters are so human and she gets right inside of them. It seems to me that her insight of human foibles is spot on.

I love the way she pokes gentle fun at the main religion of her homeland, and the way it still influences the lives of the Irish, but perhaps with less painful consequences and outcomes.

I read this while on vacation in Italy, a vacation that was inspired by reading another one of her books: "Evening Class"

I would love to meet Maeve Binchy one day, she feels like a kindred spirit to me...

I am really enjoying this book. It is written in the first person narrative yet each chapter is narrated by a different character. It's great because you "get to know" the people that reside in the town of Rossmore and it's surrounding area. I especially like that it resembles a collection of short stories that are connected to tell one large story. I also like the underlying messages that each chapter has has - a little food for thought!

I think you'll like this book better than any other that Maeve Binchy has written since Tara Road because of its original exploration of deep human emotions.

Before choosing to read Whitethorn Woods, however, please realize that the book is primarily a series of short stories built around the theme of making a wish. In most cases, the stories are tied together more to one another in her version/his version fashion than to the rest of the stories in the book. The ongoing link among all of the stories is that the characters have some connection to St. Ann's Well in Whitethorn Woods, a Christian-themed site of a pagan place of worship. A portion of the short stories also intersect with the theme of whether or not a new road will lead to the demolition of the well and the woods.

In other words, this is not a novel like you are accustomed to reading by Maeve Binchy such as Tara Road, Scarlet Feather, Quentins, and Nights of Rain and Stars.

I mention that point because I know that many readers who love novels aren't nearly as fond of short stories. And those who love short stories usually don't expect to find many connections between the stories in a collection.

There is a benefit, you can read one of these stories while you are in bed and reach a natural stopping point before you nod off. But in some cases, the first story in a sequence may create an irresistible desire to read the next story to see how things turn out. So you may end up being awake for 15-20 minutes longer than you expected.

If you are still interested, let me explain more. St. Ann (if you don't already know) is the mother of the Virgin Mary, who was mother of Jesus. The well in this case has a statue of St. Ann, but the well's connection to the saint is tenuous because St. Ann never set foot anywhere near Ireland. People come to the well to make their wishes for marriage, children, cures of diseases, and success in other endeavors. Because of the ambiguity, Father Flynn is of two minds about encouraging events at the well. Canon Cassidy, his superior, is pleased at any sign of faith.

For years, people have been seeking their dearest wishes for love and happiness at the well. As the stories suggest, more often than not they found fulfillment. Ms. Binchy leaves it somewhat ambiguous as to why these successes occur. From the stories, you can draw your own conclusions: Was it taking action that provided the desired result . . . or was something more spiritual involved? If more spiritual, was it pagan or God-inspired? From a few of the stories, some will argue that this is a pagan force. You'll enjoy making up your own mind.

If the paired short stories were longer, many of them contain enough character and story juice to make a novella, as for example the stories about Neddy and Clare. Many of the characters have slim ties to one another through family connections, having gone to school with one together, or employment. The purpose seems to be to give you a sense of how Ireland has changed in the last two generations. The effect is quite subtle and well done.

The best part of the book comes in meeting some unusual, and very endearing, characters. There's Neddy, who isn't the sharpest knife in the drawer mentally, but who has a heart of gold. You'll be charmed by Vera, the unmarried older woman who takes a singles vacation with a bunch of youngsters. You'll feel comfortable as Maureen (who becomes Malka) embraces another culture and gains a life-long friendship. You'll love the energy and positivism of Bar (Barbara) as she builds a weekend out of nothing. Can a taxi driver play cupid? You'll have to ask the charming Hugo. The best qualities of a good mom shine through in Pearl. Some people care about making the lives of other grand -- you'll love Poppy and Caroline for that quality.

It's not all sweetness and light. There are also some scoundrels here that you'll enjoy hissing, mostly at lusting men and grasping women. Above those stereotypes, the carefully drawn stories of Becca and Gabrielle will stay with you for a long time after you put this book down. Nasty Dr. Dermot is also a strong and original character. Helen's tale will sear you with a deep emotional brand.

If you are tempted to stop mid-way through, don't. The book gets better as more threads gently tug at one another in the last third of the work.

Ms. Binchy is very good at putting her characters into awkward situations and taking them in surprising new directions. That keeps the book fresh, interesting, and rewarding.

What's the weakness of the book? If you are like me, you'll crave a little more connection across the stories. They are flung a little too broadly for the whole collection to be totally satisfying. For example, I think a whole book about Neddy and Clare would have been more appealing. See what you think.

In true Maeve fashion another spectacular book! I've read all of her books and I never grow tired of her writing style. If you're a Maeve Binchy fan this is a must read!