Read Whitethorn Woods Maeve Binchy 9780307455239 Books

Product details Paperback 368 pages Publisher Anchor; Reprint edition (March 9, 2010) Language English ISBN-10 0307455238

Whitethorn Woods Maeve Binchy 9780307455239 Books Reviews

• I have not read Maeve Binchy's books in quite some time. Actually I have not read anyone's books in some time. My husband retired. If your husband is retired you have almost no time for yourself -- unless he is a golfer. Mine is not a golfer. I finally got smart and started a reading hour every afternoon -- each to his own book. The third book I read was Whitethorn Woods. I could not put it down. I couldn't wait for reading time the next day. I was in heaven. I loved every character in the book. Even the bad ones. I wanted so badly to live there, have life experiences there, that I shed tears at the end of a few of the "stories". I think that EVERYONE should read this book. As a dear friend used to say to me when I was down, trying to get me to go out to cheer myself up, "It'll do you good". This book will do just that. Read it.
• No one can make characters come alive in a few short paragraphs better than Maeve Binchy. She brings the most interesting characters to Whitehorn Woods, a satsifying page turner set in a small Irish town. Based on a proposed highway that would destroy St. Ann's well, which is thought to bring miracles to many, we meet diverse characters who are somehow connected to the shrine. Ms. Binchy is a genius when it comes to creating a conventional person who has more depth and layers than we would expect.
  All of the characters have challenges and they learn how to use their talents to better their lives and others. I would have liked to have some of the stories resolved, particularly the tragic tale of the stolen baby. It probably was more realistic that the long-suffering mother never knew what happened to her daughter, but I did want the child robber punished and the child to know her background. I could come to terms with the other characters' fate, but this story was the most heartbreaking.
  There is a "Hollywood" ending in regards to the proposed highway which tied up the many pieces of the plot. And, of course, the hero was the character who was not considered the brightest or most ambitious. A good read.
• I love Whitethorn Woods. I was not a reader until a friend wrote to me and read me chapters and I so being Irish loved the casual but wonderful chapters and was compelled to take it on my with me on a trip. It was so interesting and I was totally amused by the joy and giggles it brought to me in my spare time on my Holliday. She writes of people that are warm and some times feel like I know them when I have finished the book.
  
  Nothing is more entertaining than to have a day of reading in a special place thinking of nothing else but the places she takes me in Ireland and other places. She was truly a wonderful lady and her talent for writing was wonderful.
  
  I too would love to write of the things in my life or thoughts and I am blessed to have been introduced to her many books by my friend who is far away but introduced me to her . I smile when I think og the characters and the people are so real.
  
  Brilliant , Blessed and Connot put them down when you start them.
• I've been a fan of Binchy's work since high school. Her stories of Irish communities have always touched me and made for great comfort reading. I always feel good when I read a Binchy book, and it is such a pleasure to visit the kinder and fairer world that Binchy creates for us.
  
  Her last book before this one, The Night of Rain and Stars, didn't touch me as much as her previous books did, which is why I am so thrilled to report that Maeve Binchy's work on Whitethorn Woods is back to its previous high standards! I loved every bit of this charming audio book, and wished there was more. But wait, there was supposed to be!
  
  The reviews and synopsis that I have read included all kinds of characters and adventures that didn't show up in my abridged CD version of this book. Usually when something is abridged, I expect that I lost a bit of dialogue or description here or there, but whole chapters, many of them, were left out of this one! There are characters that I never met and whole storylines chopped out of this book.
  
  At the end, not knowing how much had been lost, I did still feel that there was more to be resolved, and lo and behold, there was. I listen to 2-10 audiobooks a month, some of which are abridged and some of which are not, and it is rare to find an audiobook abridged so thoroughly - I really feel as though I missed half the book!
  
  So 5 stars and a huge rave for this book - I just loved all the characters and storylines, and the writing quality was excellent. But a grouchy 2 stars for the abridgement of this audiobook. Please publishers, next time don't abridge it, or if you do, don't cut out whole chapters, please.
• Maeve Binchy is priceless, and this book reveals why. Her characters are displayed in at least four dimensions, and some in five. She playfully challenges the reader's memory for names and qualities. She nudges the reader toward disquieting topics with soothing style and poetic justice. She let's you stay in your place, while paradoxically transporting you to her Ireland.
  
  I agree that this book might not be, technically speaking, a novel, but it won't matter to the reader; because, with St. Ann and Whitethorn Woods as purposeful characters, the plot doesn't need to be extant.
  
  Here's (Hoist a pint of Murphy`s or Guinness, your preference) to Maeve Binchy, the Happy Existentialist, and a modern bard without living peer.
• Love this writer. She makes you love her characters and wish you lived in Ireland. Very fun! If you like the inspector gamache characters you will enjoy the way she tells the story of these lovely people.
• This book was good and interesting but I want the old Maeve back. I love her style of following one family, learning of their lives, the good and the bad. This seems to be just short stories about one concern the new road coming through the shrine. I just read another book of hers similar to this. She seems now that she is established she is taking the easy, lazy way out knowing her followers will buy her books no matter what. I will be more careful next time.