Whitethorn Woods - Maeve Binchy

This book is based on a town in Ireland, called Rossmore and several of its’ visitors and inhabitants. Also, in this quiet town, there is St Ann’s well, a well which many of the locals go to pray and ask for help at and they believe St Ann has powers to help them. I like the way Maeve Binchy has incorporated little bits like this which make the story more believable. I can just see my strict Irish Catholic friend’s gran going to a place like this in her local town and believing that mysterious things will all be down to the things she said at the well. The stories also focus around the ... more

"Whitethorn Woods" is the latest novel of best selling Irish author Maeve Binchy. Before I review the book I will confess to being a Maeve Binchy fan, I find her novels enjoyable, lovely reads with interesting and likeable characters so was looking forward to reading this one. The novel is based in the town of Rossmore in Ireland a once small town which has now grown in size and amount of traffic piling through the small narrow roads. The town has become divided over the possibility of a new bypass which would improve traffic congestion but may reduce the amount of visitors and therefore ... more

Whitethorn Woods is based in a small sleepy Irish town . As it was getting busier in Rossmore the residents were discussing whether to have a bypass . The idea for a bypass had mixed feelings with the locals.If it did go ahead the bypass will have to go through an area of woodland which was called Whitethorn Woods and the well which was dedicated to a St Ann who was supposed to have spiritual powers and people come to to it to help with their various problems.We are introduced to one of the main charcters in the book straight away and he is called Father Brian Flynn the curate. He then travels ... more

As an avid reader of Binchy's work, I was somewhat disappointed that this wasn't up to her usual standard. The storyline could have been made so much more interesting, and the characters more believable, by simply uncomplicating things, and not having so many obscure links between them. I found the characters a bit wishy washy, and slightly fairytale - like, not having the normal believable qualities of the usual Binchy population. The main storyline was dull and unexciting, and the romance was very weak, not at all like Maeve's usual starry, romantic love affairs. That being said, the book ... more

This book tells the story of lots of different people who are connected with the town of Rossmore, where there is a statue of St Ann that is supposed to do miracles. A by-pass is going to be built through Rossmore and Whitethorn Woods (where the statue is located) and we are taken through the lives of those who have visited the statue of St Ann or their friends and relatives. The stories are grouped into chapters and the stories are interwoven - albeit in a complicated way so you have to be on the ball to spot the connections! Although it is a good read, it wasn't up to Binchy's usual standard ... more