WHITE THORN WOODS

by Maive Binchy. Toronto: Mcarthur And Company, 2006. Maive Binchy does it again. The centre of this novel is the small Irish town of Rossmore which is near a wooded area that contains a well where it is said St. Anne grants miracles. The book unfolds in episodic stories of the citizens and former residents of Rossmore and the surrounding area. Though I don't approve of the whole superstitious Catholic saint aspect of things, Maive Binchy tells this story with vividness, depth and well-drawn characters.