The Copper Beech by Maeve Binchy

Synopsis :

In the Irish town of Schancarrig, the young people carve their initials--and those of their loves-into the copper beech tree in front of the schoolhouse. But not even Father Gunn, the parish priest, who knows most of what goes on behind Shancarrig's closed doors, or Dr. Jims, the village doctor, who knows all the rest, realizes that not everything in the placid village is what it seems.

Under Junior Assistant Mistress Maddy Ross's careful gaze the children play, but out of school Maddy's gaze lingers where it shouldn't.  

Maura Brennan, a bundle of fun from the rough end of town, plays with her pals : Leap year baby Eddie Barton, the apple of his mother's eye, and Nessa Ryan, who little realises as she carves his name at the roots of the copper beech on the very last day of school, that she;ll get a lot more from one of her schoolmates than her first shy kiss.

This is what I  say :

I always felt there's something special about the way Maeve Binchy writes.  She has this unique style that's really comforting to read.

A couple of her books that I have read and this one included, doesn't really have a plot. It's just stories of some characters but the way Maeve Binchy wrote about them, even the most simple characters became exciting.

Reading The Copper Beech is like having a glimpse into the lives of a group of people.  They wasn't any particular storyline but the story is the lives of these people and how they come together and Maeve is just so talented in linking them seamlessly.

This is the fourth title by Maeve Binchy that I read and I am really loving what she wrote all over again and if given a chance would want to get hold of a few of her titles.

I read this in December as part of my reading marathon and I think it took me about a week to complete The Copper Beech.