Whitethorn Woods by Maeve Binchy

Whitethorn Woods by Maeve Binchy

A New York Times Bestseller

Love, longing, and rich scenes of daily life. What could be sweeter than a trip to an Irish village packed with robust native characters. --The Christian Science Monitor

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 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.

Father Flynn listens to all those caught up in the conflict, as the men and women of Whitethorn Woods must decide between the traditions of the past and the promises of the future.

Maeve Binchy was born in Dalkey, Ireland, in 1940. She went to school at the Holy Child Convent, Killiney, then attended University College, Dublin where she gained a BA in History. After graduation, she taught at several girls' schools and wrote in the holidays. She started her writing career as a journalist on the Irish Times, after her parents sent in the letters she had written while abroad travelling and the newspaper published them. At first a columnist, she later became Women's Editor, then turned to feature reporting and moved to London, where she met her husband Gordon Snell, a BBC presenter and author of children's books. Her first novel, Light a Penny Candle (1982) was an instant hit in the UK and abroad, much to her own surprise: 'When I wrote my first book... hand on my heart, I thought only Irish people would read it. I didn't think anyone else would be interested in the problems of people in dull, wet places'. But her trademark portraits of Irish contemporary society, combined with her warmth, wit and compassionate interest in people's lives, brought her a legion of devoted fans, and her books were translated into many languages. Her novels included Tara Road, which was selected for Oprah Winfrey's Book Club, and Circle of Friends (1995), which was adapted by Andrew Davies into a highly successful film starring Minnie Driver and Chris O'Donnell. She also wrote short story collections, non-fiction books and several plays, but preferred to be described simply as a storyteller, claiming that 'people think that novelists have style... I don't have any style. I don't write like Margaret Atwood or Fay Weldon, I don't write like anybody. I write as if I was talking. That has been useful to me. If you just talk away, that's where you're nearest the truth, nearest yourself. I write as if I was telling a story to a friend.' Maeve Binchy was awarded a Lifetime Achievement Award at the British Book Awards in 1999, and the President of Ireland presented her with the Bob Hughes Lifetime Achievement Award at the Bord Gais Irish Book Awards in 2010. She died in 2012.

SKU	Unavailable
ISBN 13	9781552786024
ISBN 10	1552786021
Title	Whitethorn Woods
Author	Maeve Binchy
Condition	Unavailable
Binding Type	Paperback
Publisher	Mcarthur And Company
Number of pages	0
Cover note	Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.
Note	Unavailable