A departure from her norm

For Maeve Binchy's many fans,  a new book is always welcome.  It is not a surprise that her newest book, Whitethorn Woods was on the bestseller list.  However, it is a bit different than most of her other books, because it is a collection of interconnected stories, set or related in some way to one small Irish village, Rossmore.  Each chapter features a different person and situation but they are all interwoven and  connected to Rossmore.

There is a big highway improvement in the works, and that could mean the destruction of St. Ann's well, a Catholic shrine that has been popular for decades.  Binchy presents a varied cast of characters, some of them are:  the local parish priest, trying to do the right thing, but not always sure what that is; a young man described as not the sharpest knife in the drawer; a 60-year-old woman who goes on a singles trip abroad, a disturbed young woman who commits murder and her scheming mother.

As always Binchy does a good job portraying the mutiple characters and describing a changing Ireland.