Set in a small town/village where a the local school stands in the shade of a huge copper beech tree, the book has the story of various of the children and grown ups involved in the school, in a period spanning several decades from (I think) the 1950s onwards.

So this is a not dissimilar device to Evening Class, where the stories interweave and throw light on each other's protagonists, and there is the standard warm style of Binchy's writing to enjoy.

But although I did enjoy it, it didn't grab me in quite the same way: whether that's because the book isn't as strong, or because the style is not so novel, I'm not sure. But a quick look on Amazon has comments like "not one of Binchy's best" so perhaps it's not just me.

It's a month now since I finished it, and I can't really say that any of the characters particularly stays in my mind - unlike Evening Class. So I think this was a pleasant enough read, but wouldn't be one I'd rush to re-read.

Completed : 16-Jan-2013 (audiobook, read by Kate Binchy)