Whitehorn Woods
Maeve Binchy
Knopf, Mar 2007, $25.95
ISBN: 0307265781

The proposed construction of a highway through Whitethorn Woods has divided the residents of nearby Rossmore, Ireland. While some see the economic miracle that the road will bring to the area; others decry the destruction of a popular local shrine, St. Ann's Well. Many older female true believers feel the Well provides the miracles of healing and finding spouses. Pressure from both sides of the debate is squarely placed on the curate of St. Augustine's, Father Brian Flynn, to decide whether the revered Well is a shrine or not.

Father Flynn has doubts about the Well and knows how a highway will help the area, but fears the desecration of St. Ann would cause spiritual harm to the dwindling few believers. He goes on a pilgrimage to the Well praying to God to help him hear what his most pious congregation members hear because his determination will go a long way towards whether the sacred Well survives the modernization of Ireland.

Though the above paragraph concentrates on Father Flynn, Maeve Binchy provides a host of characters impacted by whatever occurs to the St. Ann's Well. The cast ranges from the cynical, secular and avaricious to the praying sexagenarian who still believes in miracles though she has not found love at least until now. Through the characters' varying reactions, fans obtain a well-written and entertaining look at the secularization of Ireland.

Harriet Klausner