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Review
Maeve Binchy at her best. (CHOICE )
Review
"Binchy has an accessible, comfortable writing style and fine storytelling ability . . . [Her] stories of an Ireland in transition have pleased readers for years."
-Joan Hinkemeyer, "Rocky Mountain News"
"Maeve Binchy is a benevolent god of a novelist . . . "Whitethorn Woods "draws on her strengths: She can channel Irish voices with the best of them, and each of those voices has its own twisting story to tell . . . often with verve and humor."
-Margaret Quamme, "Columbus Dispatch"
""Whitethorn Woods "is a tour-de-force for Binchy, who seamlessly inhabits all these narrators and gets their individual voices pitch-perfect . . . By the time you arrive at the last page, you'll feel you know virtually everyone in [this] little corner of Ireland . . . Binchy is in top form."
-Melinda Bargreen, "Seattle Times"
"What could be sweeter than a trip to [an] Irish village packed with robust native characters? That's exactly what Maeve Binchy offers in her latest novel . . . Love, longing, and rich scenes of daily life intertwine in this neatly constructed story."
-Marjorie Kehe, "Christian Science Monitor"
"Stellar Irish novelist Maeve Binchy can display unexpected depths for a crowd-pleasing author . . . One soon becomes engaged in the lives of more than two dozen characters . . . Touches of humor enliven the account, but Binchy'schief stock-in-trade here is making relatively average lives colorful and worth our interest."
-Maude McDaniel, "Bookpage"
"In classic Binchy style, many diverse characters tell their own, sometimes overlapping, stories . . . After [finishing], readers will want to call their mothers . . . An enjoyable peek into other people's thoughts."
-"Library Journal"
"Binchy focuses her prodigious talent on a robust assemblage of characters embroiled in romantic and domestic crises. Inventively and intricately weaving a series of linked vignettes, [she] astounds with the versatility of the supplicants' voices . . . Binchy is at her best in this tender yet potent tale of a traditional land and people threatened and challenged by the forces of change."
-Carol Haggas, "Booklist"
"Binchy deliver[s] a panoply of richly drawn first-person characters . . . Stories of greed, infidelity, mental illness, incest, the joys of being single, the struggles of modern career women, alcoholism, and the heartbreak of parenting span generations, simply and poignantly. Binchy takes it all in and orchestrates the whole masterfully."
-"Publishers Weekly"
"Binchy inserts questions of faith into her usual romantic braid of multiple storylines . . . These are often fully realized stories that stand on their own . . . Binchy's lilting Irish zest is undeniablyaddictive."
-"Kirkus Reviews"
UK reviews:
"What readers are buying into with a Binchy book is a unique environment: a world of warmth and compassion in which a kind heart is prized above a pretty face, family life is celebrated and qualities such as decency and initiative are rewarded. This is the milieu of her latest novel . . . Binchy has always had a knack for character . . . It takes a particularly skilful writer to engage the reader's sympathy [as she does] . . . These characters speak with their own voices directly off the page."
-Martina Devlin, "The Irish Times"
"Vintage Binchy. A touching, funny, optimistic book full of wonderful, well-observed characters."
-Wendy Holden, "Daily Mail"
"Binchy [is a] national treasure . . . In "Whitethorn Woods" her particular gift for creating a world and then drawing you in is employed with her usual skill [and] just the right combination of warmth, gossip and insight into human nature . . . Always maintaining a sense of humour, she effortlessly makes the reader feel that they are returning to an old friend."
-Mairead Byrne, "Irish Independent"
"For everyone who weaves in and out of these tightly made stories, a timeless search for love, money or perfect happiness continues to inject drama into the most humdrum lives . . . The charm is in the telling, often with theauthor's tongue held firmly in cheek."
-Aisling Foster, "The Times "(London)
"What never goes out of fashion-and Binchy has it in spades-is the ability to apply a clever twist to your tale, and to apply it with such skill and timing that the reader doesn't see it coming . . . A couple of afternoons in the gentle environs of "Whitethorn Woods" will not disappoint.
-Sile McArdle, "Sunday Independent "(Ireland)
"Binchy has a special talent for bringing her characters to life and, in the end, drawing them all together in a very satisfactory way. An engaging read."
-Sheila Forbes, "Daily News"
"Warm and cosy as a turf fire . . . "Whitethorn Woods "is another feast for all those who love Maeve Binchy's books."
-Lucille Redmond, "Evening Herald "(Dublin)
"This is Binchy at her mischievous best: tongue-in-cheek, oozing warmth and humour and evoking a culture and people she knows and loves. Comfort food indeed."
-Sally Morris, "First "magazine
From Canada:
""Whitethorn Woods" is Binchy's best read in a decade . . . In Binchy's hands the old progress-versus-tradition story takes on new life . . . Binchy weaves an absorbing web of stories . . . [She] taps into that mysterious process by which our sense of belonging, individual and collective, accumulates around particular places and the stories attached to them . . . Story by story, voice by voice, Binchy builds the fictional community of Rossmore so that, by the end of the novel, we know Rossmore's inhabitants better than our own neighbours . . . It's novelists like Binchy who keep today's publishing industry going . . . Few contemporary novelists match Binchy's gift for giving us the world through her characters' eyes . . . Write on, Maeve. May you continue to delight new generations of readers."
-Elizabeth Grove-White, Toronto" Globe and Mail "
-Joan Hinkemeyer, "Rocky Mountain News"
"Maeve Binchy is a benevolent god of a novelist . . . "Whitethorn Woods "draws on her strengths: She can channel Irish voices with the best of them, and each of those voices has its own twisting story to tell . . . often with verve and humor."
-Margaret Quamme, "Columbus Dispatch"
""Whitethorn Woods "is a tour-de-force for Binchy, who seamlessly inhabits all these narrators and gets their individual voices pitch-perfect . . . By the time you arrive at the last page, you'll feel you know virtually everyone in [this] little corner of Ireland . . . Binchy is in top form."
-Melinda Bargreen, "Seattle Times"
"What could be sweeter than a trip to [an] Irish village packed with robust native characters? That's exactly what Maeve Binchy offers in her latest novel . . . Love, longing, and rich scenes of daily life intertwine in this neatly constructed story."
-Marjorie Kehe, "Christian Science Monitor"
"Stellar Irish novelist Maeve Binchy can display unexpected depths for a crowd-pleasing author . . . One soon becomes engaged in the lives of more than two dozen characters . . . Touches of humor enliven the account, but Binchy'schief stock-in-trade here is making relatively average lives colorful and worth our interest."
-Maude McDaniel, "Bookpage"
"In classic Binchy style, many diverse characters tell their own, sometimes overlapping, stories . . . After [finishing], readers will want to call their mothers . . . An enjoyable peek into other people's thoughts."
-"Library Journal"
"Binchy focuses her prodigious talent on a robust assemblage of characters embroiled in romantic and domestic crises. Inventively and intricately weaving a series of linked vignettes, [she] astounds with the versatility of the supplicants' voices . . . Binchy is at her best in this tender yet potent tale of a traditional land and people threatened and challenged by the forces of change."
-Carol Haggas, "Booklist"
"Binchy deliver[s] a panoply of richly drawn first-person characters . . . Stories of greed, infidelity, mental illness, incest, the joys of being single, the struggles of modern career women, alcoholism, and the heartbreak of parenting span generations, simply and poignantly. Binchy takes it all in and orchestrates the whole masterfully."
-"Publishers Weekly"
"Binchy inserts questions of faith into her usual romantic braid of multiple storylines . . . These are often fully realized stories that stand on their own . . . Binchy's lilting Irish zest is undeniablyaddictive."
-"Kirkus Reviews"
UK reviews:
"What readers are buying into with a Binchy book is a unique environment: a world of warmth and compassion in which a kind heart is prized above a pretty face, family life is celebrated and qualities such as decency and initiative are rewarded. This is the milieu of her latest novel . . . Binchy has always had a knack for character . . . It takes a particularly skilful writer to engage the reader's sympathy [as she does] . . . These characters speak with their own voices directly off the page."
-Martina Devlin, "The Irish Times"
"Vintage Binchy. A touching, funny, optimistic book full of wonderful, well-observed characters."
-Wendy Holden, "Daily Mail"
"Binchy [is a] national treasure . . . In "Whitethorn Woods" her particular gift for creating a world and then drawing you in is employed with her usual skill [and] just the right combination of warmth, gossip and insight into human nature . . . Always maintaining a sense of humour, she effortlessly makes the reader feel that they are returning to an old friend."
-Mairead Byrne, "Irish Independent"
"For everyone who weaves in and out of these tightly made stories, a timeless search for love, money or perfect happiness continues to inject drama into the most humdrum lives . . . The charm is in the telling, often with theauthor's tongue held firmly in cheek."
-Aisling Foster, "The Times "(London)
"What never goes out of fashion-and Binchy has it in spades-is the ability to apply a clever twist to your tale, and to apply it with such skill and timing that the reader doesn't see it coming . . . A couple of afternoons in the gentle environs of "Whitethorn Woods" will not disappoint.
-Sile McArdle, "Sunday Independent "(Ireland)
"Binchy has a special talent for bringing her characters to life and, in the end, drawing them all together in a very satisfactory way. An engaging read."
-Sheila Forbes, "Daily News"
"Warm and cosy as a turf fire . . . "Whitethorn Woods "is another feast for all those who love Maeve Binchy's books."
-Lucille Redmond, "Evening Herald "(Dublin)
"This is Binchy at her mischievous best: tongue-in-cheek, oozing warmth and humour and evoking a culture and people she knows and loves. Comfort food indeed."
-Sally Morris, "First "magazine
From Canada:
""Whitethorn Woods" is Binchy's best read in a decade . . . In Binchy's hands the old progress-versus-tradition story takes on new life . . . Binchy weaves an absorbing web of stories . . . [She] taps into that mysterious process by which our sense of belonging, individual and collective, accumulates around particular places and the stories attached to them . . . Story by story, voice by voice, Binchy builds the fictional community of Rossmore so that, by the end of the novel, we know Rossmore's inhabitants better than our own neighbours . . . It's novelists like Binchy who keep today's publishing industry going . . . Few contemporary novelists match Binchy's gift for giving us the world through her characters' eyes . . . Write on, Maeve. May you continue to delight new generations of readers."
-Elizabeth Grove-White, Toronto" Globe and Mail "
"From the Hardcover edition." --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
22 of 22 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I just can't leave a Meave Binchy on the shelf in the book shop. I have been dissapointed in the past by some of her offerings and have been enthralled by others. Regardless I will always buy her new one. I did hold off on buying this one as I felt I had outgrown her but no sucked back into to a world of magic and charm. I so enjoyed this book, I read it in a day and loved every page. A perfect companion for a day on the beach or a night by the fire. A lovely story for the Mistress of Story Telling. Well done Meave. Another sucess.
38 of 39 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
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.
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.
27 of 28 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
Having been sorely disappointed with novels like Scarlet Feather, Quentins, and Nights of Rain and Stars, I wasn't sure whether I wanted to pick this one up when I saw it in the store. But I did, and I'm glad! This book is far better than anything she's written in the last five years. It's very different in tone: sharper, quicker-paced, with some genuine laugh-out-loud moments. She's abandoned the corny sentimentalism that made Nights of Rain and Stars so tedious to get through; she's gone back to wit and sarcasm and just a bit of tongue-in-cheekness, which is extremely satisfying to read.
The stories are about a modern Ireland, which is a relief from the stereotypical characters that she was falling back on (the priest who abandons the order to get married scandalously, the wronged wife, the cheating husband, the spinster schoolteacher) and brings out a new cast that is utterly refreshing. They're loosely connected through the various short stories that make up this novel, which means that you don't bore of them quickly. And nobody's a complete do-gooder (some of which I encountered in the previous novels and all I wanted to do was slap them!).
One more thing which I really liked: her use of the first-person narrator, which I don't believe she's done in any of her novels and very few of her prior short stories. It's such a different perspective and she really does a much better job of handling varied voices and mutliple narratives. I can see that other people who've reviewed this book are uncomfortable with the change, but I find it really cool that she's gotten a bit experimental!
PS She is very nice and answers your mail personally if you send her a letter!
The stories are about a modern Ireland, which is a relief from the stereotypical characters that she was falling back on (the priest who abandons the order to get married scandalously, the wronged wife, the cheating husband, the spinster schoolteacher) and brings out a new cast that is utterly refreshing. They're loosely connected through the various short stories that make up this novel, which means that you don't bore of them quickly. And nobody's a complete do-gooder (some of which I encountered in the previous novels and all I wanted to do was slap them!).
One more thing which I really liked: her use of the first-person narrator, which I don't believe she's done in any of her novels and very few of her prior short stories. It's such a different perspective and she really does a much better job of handling varied voices and mutliple narratives. I can see that other people who've reviewed this book are uncomfortable with the change, but I find it really cool that she's gotten a bit experimental!
PS She is very nice and answers your mail personally if you send her a letter!
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
A delicious selection of gossipy tidbits !
What a joy to share so intimately in the lives of those who visit the Shrine in Whitethorn Woods. An absolute DELIGHT !
Published 2 months ago by mosses farmhouse
Whitethorn Woods
This is the first book I have read by Maeve Binchy. A friend recommended the author to me when I was not feeling well, and unable to concentrate to well. Read more
Published 15 months ago by cross-chrissy
I can't wait to buy the book
I have listened to the audio book read by Kate Binchy and it is a superb collection of connected short stories. Read more
Published 18 months ago by johnb
Off the Boil
I read each and every story and waited for them all to tie up at the end and it didn't really happen. Read more
Published 18 months ago by Laura
brilliant read!
This is an excellent biography of James Joyce, able to capture the spirit of his writing and use of language as well as an insight into his life.
Published on 11 Feb 2010 by dan
What went wrong?
Seeing the dates of other reviews, and their contents, my review is probably superflous, but I will add my two pennies worth anyway. Read more
Published on 2 May 2009 by lynsey adams
Cleverly put together
An easy and pleaseant enough read but I felt disappointed that this was not the compelling read I have enjoyed in the past from Maeve Binchy. Read more
Published on 7 Mar 2009 by LindyLouMac
A let down
It's sad to give such a low rating to a book that started out with so masterly a description of the priest, Father Flynn. I'm afraid for me it was downhill all the way after that. Read more
Published on 16 Dec 2008 by Potterywhizz
Not her best
I've loved lots of Maeve's books and looked forward to getting into this one but it just didn't happen. Read more
Published on 23 Aug 2008 by Chrissie
Lots of little stories rolled into one!
I first started reading this about a year ago and got over half way through but gave up because I couldn't get into it. Read more
Published on 9 July 2008 by Charlie
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