Whitethorn Woods

Life changes for Rossmore, England, when a bypass threatens Whitethorn Woods, home to a local (unsanctified) religious shrine. At the center of the storm is Father Flynn, who listens to everyone while harboring his own doubts about the shrine's power. Paul Michael reads the chapters told by Father Flynn with conviction and empathy; his understated Irish brogue adds just the right touch of atmosphere. It also blends perfectly with the shades of accent used by Sile Bermingham, who reads the majority of the book with admirable clarity combined with obvious affection for the characters. Striving young couples, tired pensioners, worried farmers--they're all given convincing voice in this gentle, involving novel. A.C.S. (c) AudioFile 2007, Portland, Maine

January 8, 2007
A proposed highway near the Irish town of Rossmore will mean the destruction of St. Ann's Well, a shrine in Whitethorn Woods thought to deliver healing, husbands and other miracles. The shrine resides in the parish of Fr. Brian Flynn, curate of St. Augustine's. As a fracas erupts between shrine skeptics who want the highway and shrine believers who want the shrine preserved, Flynn, unsure of where he stands on the issue and questioning his place in an increasingly secular Ireland, goes to the shrine and prays that he might "hear the voices that have come to you and know who these people are." Binchy (Tara Road
) goes on to deliver just that: a panoply of prosaic but richly drawn first-person characters, such as Neddy Nolan, a not-so-simple simpleton; 60-something Vera, who finds love on a singles trip meant for those much younger; and unassuming antiques magnate James, whose wife of 26 years is dying. 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. 400,000 announced first printing
.