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khoerner7's review against another edition
3.0
This was an average read for Maeve Binchy. It was more a collection of short stories around a central theme, how a new road would change a small community in Ireland. She tied thins up nicely in the end and it was a quiet read.
pamelas's review against another edition
3.0
I always enjoy Maeve Binchy's books--light-hearted, excellent character development and described with such a good voice, I am practically speaking in an Irish accent when I put her books down.
This book was no different--I felt like I had gone to the town of Rossmore and met many of the people who lived there, including two in the prison. She tells the story of a proposed bypass through the voices of the townspeople--each chapter is a different voice. I especially enjoyed the juxtaposition of one person's viewpoint with another going through the same experience. Perfect book to read at the beach--or during the busy, frantic holiday season when you need an escape!
This book was no different--I felt like I had gone to the town of Rossmore and met many of the people who lived there, including two in the prison. She tells the story of a proposed bypass through the voices of the townspeople--each chapter is a different voice. I especially enjoyed the juxtaposition of one person's viewpoint with another going through the same experience. Perfect book to read at the beach--or during the busy, frantic holiday season when you need an escape!
njschultz2010's review against another edition
4.0
A nice collection of stories that intertwine with the primary theme of a well in Whitethorn Woods. Enjoyable!
aklibrarychick's review against another edition
3.0
I always enjoy Maeve Binchy's books. She is wonderful at creating an atmosphere that just draws you in to her world. That being said, this was not one of my favorites of hers. Yes, I enjoyed it, but it was a little more scattered than some of her books, and I didn't feel it was wrapped up well. Loved the character of Neddy - he says something about how he's learned that getting the last word isn't important, and that's why he's able to get along with everyone. There's a lot of wisdom in that!
patsy12's review against another edition
3.0
This was a fun book, because there were so many different stories I didn’t get bored despite it being a light meaningless read. It was funny at times and some of the stories were kind of unbelievable but told in a way that made it seem as though it might just have happened. Well done Marj x
tollbaby's review against another edition
4.0
Nearly the entirety of the book is snippets of people's lives in the town of Rossmore. Every chapter presents two new characters. And then the last chapter is the denouement of the entire story. It was a very odd read, but very enjoyable :)
nferre's review against another edition
3.0
This book was quite a let down. I just felt like it was a bunch of short stories. Very difficult to keep track of the theme, the characters and to really care about what happened. A very tidy and somewhat goofy ending. It just did very little for me.
engelkat's review against another edition
4.0
Read the week of April 4th 2009 while we vacationed in Ireland. Perfect setting to absorb the story in.
missgravesy's review against another edition
2.0
I picked this book as a sort of 'inbetween' book. To read for a bit of a break. I bought it for my mum a while back, mainly just because I loved the cover on the version I have. After she read it she said she wasn't keen. And now I've read Ive got to agree. The first few chapters aren't too bad and I found myself working through them quite quickly, however about a quarter of the way in I realised, there was no story to it, the characters were mainly dull and boring, and the writing style was lacking.
I won't be reading any more by this author and I certainly do not recommend.
I won't be reading any more by this author and I certainly do not recommend.