Ann C. (auntant) reviewed on 2/5/2011 + 103 more book reviews

This is the best Maeve Binchy book I've read, and I've enjoyed all the rest. Her characters are so real, whether you love them or hate them. In Whitethorn Woods, each chapter tells about people who live in, come from, or have some connection to a small Irish town. The town is in turmoil because a highway bypass has been proposed which will cut through beautiful Whitethorn Woods and will destroy an iconic spot within the woods, St. Ann's Well. St Ann supposedly answers the prayers of women looking for love or wanting to have a baby or who simply need answers to the problems in their lives. There are mixed feelings among the populace about the holiness of this site. Some characters are visited in only one chapter. Others recur in subsequent chapters. Each chapter could stand alone as a short story, but many of the stories are interwoven to create a whole that is greater than the sum of the parts. This is Binchy at her best. I highly recommend this book.

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