The Bottom Line
Whitethorn Woods is the latest entry in Maeve Binchy’s lengthy and bestselling career. The book is essentially a collection of interconnected short stories that take place in a small town in Ireland. By turns sweet and somber, the overall tone of Whitethorn Woods is uplifting, and will please Binchy’s fans looking to revisit her unique depiction of today’s Ireland.
Pros
- Binchy is skilled at weaving narratives, and the brief stories make for satisfying reads.
- Readers will enjoy the glimpse of modern Irish life and culture.
Cons
- 'Whitethorn Woods' can seem too saccharine—though it’s balanced by moments of cynicism.
Description
- A small town in Ireland is home to a beloved shrine to St. Ann, believed to grant wishes.
- A proposed highway would bring benefits to the town, but would mean tearing down the holy well.
- Binchy tells the story of the villagers by examining their hopes and dreams as they visit St. Ann.
Guide Review - 'Whitethorn Woods' by Maeve Binchy - Book Review
A collection of vignettes told from varying points of view, Whitethorn Woods is about one small Irish town’s struggle with modernization and globalization—a struggle that’s encapsulated with the debate over whether to tear down a well in the woods that’s overlooked by a statue of St. Ann, and reported to be a source of granted wishes and miraculous cures.
The story is told in a collection of short stories, each narrated from several different perspectives. Broken hearts and stalled careers are often solved in a few deft pages, but some bigger problems, like alcoholism, murder, and kidnapping are not resolved, giving the book a realistic balance.
Fans of Binchy’s previous books—including Circle of Friends, which was made into a movie, and Tara Road, which was an Oprah’s Book Club selection—will be pleased by Whitethorn Woods, which stays faithful to her style.
