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    Whitethorn Woods
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    Whitethorn Woods
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    Whitethorn Woods
    Audiobook12 hours

    Whitethorn Woods

    Written by Maeve Binchy

    3.5/5

    ()

    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    About this audiobook

    "WHITETHORN WOODS is Binchy's best read in a decade . . . Few contemporary novelists match Binchy's gift for giving us the world through her characters' eyes."
    -The Globe and Mail (Toronto)

    Maeve Binchy once again brings us an enchanting book full of the wit, warmth, and wisdom that have made her one of the most beloved and widely read writers at work today.
    When a new highway threatens to bypass the town of Rossmore and cut through Whitethorn Woods, everyone has a passionate opinion about whether the town will benefit or suffer. But young Father Flynn is most concerned with the fate of St. Ann's Well, which is set at the edge of the woods and slated for destruction. People have been coming to St. Ann's for generations to share their dreams and fears, and to speak their prayers. Some believe it to be a place of true spiritual power, demanding protection; others think it's a mere magnet for superstitions, easily sacrificed.
    Not knowing which faction to favor, Father Flynn listens to all those caught up in the conflict, and these are the voices we hear in the stories of Whitethorn Woods-men and women deciding between the traditions of the past and the promises of the future, ordinary people brought vividly to life by Binchy's generosity and empathy, and in the vivacity and surprise of her storytelling.
    Maeve Binchy is at the very top of her form in this irresistible tale.


    From the Compact Disc edition.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherPenguin Random House Audio
    Release dateMar 27, 2007
    ISBN9781415935613
    Unavailable
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    Reviews for Whitethorn Woods

    3.5/5

    434 ratings27 reviews

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    Review must be at least 10 words

    • 4/5
      Good to read
    • 2/5
      I don't know why i feel a loyalty to Binchy. Whenever a new book comes out I usually buy it even though I haven't enjoyed one of her books in years. She's switched from straight novels to collections of short stories, all related to another in some way. In this, her latest, the connections are a stretch, and the stories are so short it is hard to feel connected to a character or even interested in their plight. Plus, when she writes of modern ireland, which she has for a while now, it lacks the charm of her novels set in the fifties or sixties.

      I will always love the Glass Lake and Circle of Friends, even though the later was butchered when it was made into a movie. I think I'll give up on Bincy's new books though, and just reread these old favorites.
    • 5/5
      Excellent!
    • 3/5
      Good for listening.....many short stories connected.
    • 5/5
      This is written as a series of interlinked short stories, each cleverly told from two perspectives. Yet they build together to form a whole complex novel, featuring the question of whether or not to build a new road through a sleepy Irish town, destroying some ancient woods and a sacred pseudo-Catholic shrine.

      Very well written, lovely characters (if a little confusing at times with the sheer number) and quite moving in one or two places.
    • 4/5
      Father Brian Flynn is quite the interesting character in this one. The small village may have a bypass built near it which would help with traffic but the towns special jewel "the wishing well" that is held with such spiritual regard will be a risk. I so enjoy the chapters being different yet it all being intertwined.
    • 4/5
      This books is similar in style to other of Binchy's books and reminds me quite a bit of The Lilac Bus or has the same feeling as the Lilac Bus. In this book, the local small village, whose main street is crammed with traffic all the time, is faced with the changes that will come about if a planned highway bypass goes forward. Many different characters are explored. All are connected to the village, but not all the stories about individuals have to do with the bypass. I like reading the different points of view as presented in the book. Binchy can reallypick upt he details of people's lives and one thing I like about her books is the way she includes minor details that are important to the character, but other people don't notice. I think we all have those details, or secrets, in our lives.
    • 3/5
      I see what people like about her: this book was like curling up with a blanket and a hot cup of tea. Almost entirely forgettable, but a deeply pleasant way to spend an afternoon.

      I have but one complaint: in all the dozens of people's lives described, there is one murderer, one wife-beater, and not a single gay person. I am quite sure that there are more gay people than murderers in rural towns in Ireland.
    • 3/5
      Each chapter of this book is told from a different person's point of view, except for three chapters which are in the third person and accomodate varied points of view. The first person accounts are told in paired chapters, such that the protagonist of the second chapter of the pair either continues the tale from the first, or relates the same events from a different perspective. This structure is unique, in my experience, and was successful, in my opinion.Nevertheless, structure isn't story,and a lot of these stories weren't very interesting, including the paired stories of the girl and the taxi driver, the pair with the American looking for her Irish cousins, and the pair with hairdressers. Also, Neddy's transformation into the smartest person in town was strikingly unbelievable, all the more so because it happened off stage and was produced deux ex machina. Other stories were entertaining enough to provide a diversion, but still flawed. For example, the means of the murder-suicide seemed improbable to me (the issue of finding a wall you could drive into fast enough to ensure both people died); and I didn't see how the murderer was ever convicted, since unless a confession was produced there didn't seem to be enough evidence to tie the crime to her. So, maybe she confessed -- but you are left to guess how that came about; just like you are left to wonder how Neddy found the advisors he needed for his master plan.Despite these flaws, I think this would be a great book to read for a book club (or analyze with your therapist), since it provides a lot of material for good discussion. The tale of the child abduction was especially chilling, and highlighted the theme of entitlement that ran through so many of these stories and illustrated the dark side of the wishing well -- people who think they are entitled to their wishes. The varied stories show how the same personality traits of making a plan and implementing a plan can be used for good or for evil, and how people can always find some justification for doing what they wanted in the first place.I liked the story of the beautiful woman whose husband just wanted her to be waiting at home for him, at his convenience: she was so attuned to his every need and want, and he couldn't even be bothered to see her as a real person. This story was very sad, but I appreciated how the wife fought for what she thought she deserved. And that's what is so interesting about this book -- the child abductor also fought for what she thought she deserved. The beautiful woman's husband fought for what he thought was his entitlement (his wife's constant attentive presence). The murderess fought to keep her boyfriend, the doctor fought to keep his practice -- a lot of these stories were from the perspective of people whose sense of entitlement was warped, and yet all of them expected you (the reader) to take their side. But other stories showed people whose grit and resilience in pursuit of a goal were admirable.I think my favorite story was the one of the woman who threw the party. When the story starts and she is so upset that her coworkers didn't invite her along on vacation, you think she is going to be another of the crazy narrators. But, she's not. She throws a party last minute and everyone has a great time. A little improbable, perhaps; but as someone who has thrown a lot of parties, I really appreciated what she was able to accomplish. And I enjoyed the paired story that showed the party from another perspective. Anyway, overall, I wouldn't say this book is a "must read", but it is entertaining at times and does give you something to think about.
    • 5/5
      A proposed highway through the quiet Irish town of Rossmore will mean the destruction of St. Ann's Well - a shrine supposed to deliver healing, husbands and other miracles - located in Whitethorn Woods. The shrine is located in Father Brian Flynn's parish, St Augustine's.As a fracas erupts between the people who want the highway and believers who want the shrine preserved, Fr. Flynn finds himself in the middle of the issue not sure where he stands in an increasingly secular Ireland. He goes to the shrine to pray to God to show him what position is right. What follows are the stories of Neddy Nolan, a not so simple mentally challenged man, 60-something Vera who finds love on a trip meant for much younger people and James, whose wife of 26 years is dying.Linked into these stories are stories of mental illness, alcoholism, incest, greed, the joys of being single and struggles of career women. The good and bad sides of people are shown. I really liked this book although it was a simple plot. It was sweet and endearing anyway. I give it an A+!
    • 4/5
      This is a fun and light book. Like many of her books, this book consisted of short stories of various characters whose lives seem to cross in unexpected ways. Somehow all there lives involve a small town in Ireland and a St. Anne's well where people make various pilgrimages. The story starts with an introduction to the village priest, a younger fellow who is sure the well is not linked with St. Anne and verging on Pagan but is too nice to do anything but grit his teeth about it. Then a new road is proposed that would plow through Whitethorn woods and the well, dividing the town. There were characters you felt very comfortable with, and a few characters you loved to hate. A light comfortable read for during the holiday season, without being too overly 'chicklitish'.
    • 4/5
      Really enjoyed this book. This is a comfort to read, I enjoyed the fact that not every single character was linked to every story, but there was enough overlap to tie all the stories through. It reads like a book of short stories with the odd character overlapping - it's a great snap shot of a small town and the people that are either from it or live in in. Really enjoyed reading this book. If you're a fan of any of Meave's previous books this will not disappoint.
    • 3/5
      NIce and easy cosy stories about the people of a small town in Ireland. Still good enough, but not vintage Binchy in my opinion. A bit too much sweetness and light...
    • 4/5
      Despite how it seems, this isn't really a novel; it's a collection of short stories with the loose theme that they are all connected with one fictional town in Ireland, Rossmore, in the way of Malgudi Days and Tales of the City. The overarching theme is the issue of whether a bypass will be built through the town, destroying Whitethorn Woods, the site of an ancient shrine to St Ann that is purported to grant wishes to those who pray there.Let's be clear, the stories aren't of the literary quality of Malgudi Days - they're mostly fluffy, happy-ending stories, and though they bring up hard topics, such as coming out in rural Ireland, the abuse of children by parish priests, children going missing, they don't engage in any meaningful way. Instead, it all wraps up nicely, as you knew it would. That said, it's a thoroughly enjoyable book. The characters are well-drawn, and the happy endings are satisfying and sweet. I read it all in one go waiting for a flight, and it made the time go. A good book, if not a profound one.
    • 3/5
      This is the first Maeve Binchy novel I've read. I vacillated between wanting to read more and wishing the book would end - I believe the latter sentiment held more strong. Basically the novel was a series of short stories strung together by the idea that a road was to be built through the local town. Some townies wanted the road, others did not. Once one story would be told, the next tended to build on the last with characters and events, but periodically new characters were introduced.
    • 4/5
      This isn't so much a novel as a series of very loosely connected short stories. The stories come in pairs, with the second one, told from another point of view, illuminating or expanding upon the first one. Though I haven't been too enthralled with Binchy's more recent works, in Whitethorn Woods, she's back at what she does so well - telling the stories of very ordinary people, their loves and tragedies and heartbreaks, in her poignant yet grounded, down-to-earth style. Her characters frequently have quietly unhappy lives, but they also frequently have lives filled with great, and often unexpected, friendships, families, and loves. Her skilled handling of this juxtaposition is what makes Binchy such a comforting read.The large number of characters can be confusing at times, and those who want an actual novel might be better served by going back to her earlier works.
    • 4/5
      I was a bit disappointed in this book It's almost like a book a short stories, with all these people connected somehow to Whitehorn, and St Ann's well. So at times with all the stories it was hard to keep track of all these characters. And there were alot of them! So it got really complicated. The last chapter she sort of tied up alot the stories though. But did leave some open. could be for more stories????5/7/07
    • 5/5
      Whitethorn Woods is a fascinating story. It may sound boring on paper--a story about residents of an Irish town that is home to a special well. However, this book is anything but boring! The people of Rossmore, Ireland pray to St. Ann's Well for healings, blessings, and relationship advice. As they pray, their lives are opened to the readers. These are the stories of everyday men and women who are looking for acceptance, love, and joy. Intrique and humor permeates this whole novel which cleverly links many of the characters together. You will definitely laugh out loud many times reading this book.The ending is perfect and settles the story well. I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in Irish living or really just anyone who wants to laugh and laugh! :)
    • 5/5
      As the section headings indicate, Maeve Binchy's most recent book is all about "The Road, The Woods and the Well." The Road in question is a new bypass around the town of Rossmore, Ireland. The Woods are the Whitethorn Woods of the title which the proposed road will go right through. And the Well , located within Whitethorn Woods, is a shrine to St. Anne that will be completely destroyed if the road is built. St. Anne's Well has touched many people over the years. There is great disagreement as to the holy and/or magical properties of the cave and it's ancient statue. The whitethorn bushes at its entrance are adorned with the petitions of it's visitors. Prayers and pictures, bits of paper pinned to the branches by the hundreds. The bypass is progress - the new, the convenient. The well is history, the mystical, the ancient. One will surely destroy the other if it is allowed to come to pass.The story is told by many voices, each chapter a different character. All have some link to the town of Rossmore. Some live there, some were born there, some have visited and some have done desperate things there. Each character's bit of the story leads in some way to the next snippet. The chapters are also organized in pairs where the consecutive chapters are a husband and wife or a brother and sister or friends and you are privileged with two viewpoints of roughly the same story. The whole thing sounds like a very complicated way to tell a story. The delightful thing is that it is not at all a complicated or difficult way to read a story. I found that as each person's bit of the story unfolded, I had no problem remembering their relationship to previous characters and tales. The story almost blooms in the mind, each piece adding to the whole picture at a comfortable, easy pace, jolted here and there with the staccato of shocking enlightenments. It is Maeve Binchy at her best.
    • 4/5
      Instead of her usual saga, Maeve Binchy presents Whitethorn Woods as a collection of paired short stories sandwiched between sections of unifying narrative. The stories all involve people somehow connected with the Irish town of Rossmore and St. Anne’s Well located in the nearby Whitethorn Woods. Pilgrims visit the well and its shrine to ask St. Anne (the mother of the Virgin Mary) for help in all sorts of matters, but particularly regarding marriage and children.Each story is told in two parts, from the perspective of two different narrators. The characters in all the stories are intertwined – sometimes substantially, sometimes only tangentially. Lengthy sections at the beginning, middle, and end involve the local priest and his family and tie the book together, as does the debate over building a by-pass through the Woods and tearing down the shrine. Like all of Binchy’s books, this is not a thrill-a-minute page turner. But the characters are well-formed and their stories are deftly told. A good read.
    • 1/5
      This book is about the small town of Rossmore, Ireland and the decision of its people to allow or disallow a new road to be built bypassing their town and going straight through St. Ann's Well. The well is a place that people from all over the world come to pray at. The book touches on the Church and how there are two fields of thought one being that you should not pray to a "false god" and the other being if the people think it works, leave well enough alone. The book is very fragmented and not in a style of writing I prefer. You start by reading 1 chapter of story and then 5 chapters of individual character profiles, then another chapter of story and several more character profile chapters. It does not have enough total, all-encompassing storyline for my likes and I found myself constantly putting it down. I finally after 1 month gave up halfway into the book. I am now passing it on to my sister, maybe she can get through it.
    • 3/5
      Unfortunately, this is one of the worst Maeve Binchy books I have read (and I read most of them). The writing is easy and pleasant, but I really did not like the build-up of the book: first there are short stories, always in pairs, about two people looking at the same issue from their own point of view (so, that's interesting). However, this goes on and on with different people every time. All of them has some connection with a small Irish town, Rossmore, but only sometimes people from one story are mentioned again in a different one, in passing. Then in the end, "it all comes together", where most (?) people are briefly mentioned again, with a good ending to their story. However, by then, I had more or less forgotten what most of these people's stories were, so that meant the end wasn't as good as it could have been. I should also mention that I am not a great short story fan, and I could only just bring up enough patience to finish the whole book. That said, the other books of Maeve Binchy I have always found a pleasure to read, so my not-so-like of this book is a one-off.
    • 4/5
      Because of the short story set up, this didn't have a lot of depth, but it was an enjoyable read.
    • 2/5
      Talk about mediocre--that pretty much describes this book. I hadn't read one of Maeve's books in awhile and thought I would give her another chance. Sheesh! It was disjointed, predictable, and full of the miserable people going about their hopeless lives. Hell, if I wanted that sort of thing I would just watch the news every nite.
    • 1/5
      I kept waiting for one story to have some depth. No sooner do I get a profile of one character, she moves on to the next. Too many story lines. If I wanted a book of short stories I would have picked one. Very light read.
    • 4/5
      Whitethorn Woods is presented as a novel but is in fact a delightful collection of short stories linked by a shrine to St Ann which weaves in the fore or back ground. Each story presents various characters, teenagers, single moms, kindly fathers, retired folks and much more to create a rich and endearing tapestry of humanity.
    • 5/5
      Maeve Binchy is probably one of my favorite authors. I really love the way she manages to tell these lovely stories about random people. It always makes for a relaxing and engaging read. This one is set, like many of her others, in a small Irish town. It is actually a swag of short stories about different people and what the thoughts and connections are with this small town and it's peculiar shrine to St Ann - even ones so far away as America. Each chapter is titled and then includes two people's stories - connected to eachother - telling a story from entirely different perspectives. Many of the stories were cheerful or poignant and made me smile. A couple were not so happy endings, and a couple were totally random! All in all the book made me really smile which is what Maeve Binchy's books always do, which is why I love them so much. Read it. It's lovely.