Whitethorn Woods (Vintage) (Mass Market Paperback)

分类: 图书,进口原版,Others 其他,
品牌: Maeve Binchy
基本信息·出版社:Anchor
·页码:464 页
·出版日期:2008年
·ISBN:0307278417
·条形码:9780307278418
·装帧:平装
·正文语种:英语
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内容简介在线阅读本书
When a new highway threatens to bypass the town of Rossmore and cut through Whitethorn Woods, it will also destroy St. Ann’s well, where people have been coming for generations to share their dreams and speak their prayers. Some believe the well to be a place of true spiritual power, demanding protection; others think it’s a mere magnet for superstitions, easily sacrificed. Maeve Binchy creates a rich spectrum of men and women, all with passionate opinions, who are drawn into this timely conflict between the traditions of the past and the promises of the future.
作者简介Maeve Binchy is the author ofNights of Rain and Stars,Scarlet Feather,Quentins,Light a Penny Candle,Circle of Friends, andTara Road(An Oprah Book Club Selection) and many other bestselling books. Maeve is a retired journalist and former columnist forThe Irish Timesand currently divides her time between Dalkey, Ireland and London with her husband, writer Gordon Snell. She is an honorary citizen of Chicago where she was celebrated by having her own float in their St. Patrick's Day Parade.
Learn more about Maeve Binchy at:
www.maevebinchy.com
媒体推荐FromBooklist
Nestled outside the once sleepy Irish village of Rossmore in a copse known as Whitethorn Woods is the shrine of St. Ann's Well, which attracts so many of the faithful and hopeful that the little town overflows with visitors. This prompts a controversial proposal to construct a bypass highway that would divert traffic, ironically, right through the Woods, thus destroying the source of the town's popularity. Worried that the shrine's days are numbered, villagers flock to the Well, where they plead for everything from the restoration of a faltering love affair to the recognition of an ancestor's legacy. Foregoing her trademark plot-driven narrative for a tale in which the outcome is predictable (will the shrine be saved? duh!), Binchy instead 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, Binchy astounds with the versatility of the supplicants' voices, from the diabolical machinations of a mother whose daughter has committed murder to the sad serenity of another whose child was kidnapped decades earlier. 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
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved--This text refers to theHardcoveredition.
Review
“A tour de force…. Binchy is in top form.” —The 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.” —The Christian Science Monitor
“Whitethorn Woodsis 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
“Binchy has an accessible, comfortable writing style and fine storytelling ability.”
—Rocky Mountain News
“Binchy’s best read in a decade. “ —The Globe and Mail
“A remarkably gifted writer [and] a wonderful student of human nature.” —The New York Times Book Review
“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
“Binchy makes you laugh, cry and care.”—San Francisco Chronicle
“Binchy is a grand storyteller in the finest Irish tradition…. She writes from the heart.”
—The Plain Dealer
“An engaging read.” —Daily News
“Binchy can channel Irish voices with the best of them, and each of those voices has its own twisting story to tell.”
—The Columbus Dispatch
“Reading one of Maeve Binchy’s novels is like coming home.”
—The Washington Post
编辑推荐SHE
"A pleasing mix of love, lies, deceit, humour and Binchy's trademark compassion"--This text refers to thePaperbackedition.
专业书评From Publishers Weekly
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.(Mar.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.--This text refers to theHardcoveredition.
FromAudioFile
Jenny Sterlin tenderly narrates Maeve Binchys delightful story of townsfolk from an Irish village whose adored shrine to Saint Ann is threatened by developers from the city. Sterlins range is highlighted as the chapters offer perspectives on the situation from different characters. Each character has a special connection to the shrine, and Sterlin is able to express all their emotions--from lightheartedness and hopefulness to frustration and grief. As the recording provides a seamless presentation, the contemporary story will inspire listeners to reflect upon the meaning of community, love, and faith. K.M.D. © AudioFile 2007, Portland, Maine--Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine--This text refers to theAudio CDedition.