CHESTNUT STREET

Narrator Sile Bermingham enhances this diverse collection of short stories by the late Irish writer Maeve Binchy. In these works, Binchy explores the theme of appearance versus reality. As Bermingham captures the characters' voices with gusto and realism, her best creations are young women who are changing emotionally. When a shy, unattractive girl marvels at her gorgeous mother and feels ashamed to be her daughter, listeners will be surprised by the unraveling of her story. In another story, a young woman feels the need to help her lonely, old uncle despite his nastiness, and, again, the ending has a twist. While some stories are better than others, anything new from Binchy is worth celebrating. S.G.B. © AudioFile 2014, Portland, Maine [Published: JUNE 2014]