Chestnut Street

            “Chestnut Street” is a collection of stories written over few decades with fictional characters all living in fictional Chestnut Street in Dublin. Author of this book Maeve Binchy was an Irish novelist, short story writer, playwright, columnist, and speaker whose novels were translated into 37 languages, and sold in more than 40 million copies worldwide. Maeve Binchy was writing short stories over years saving it for later, and after her death her husband and publisher published these stories as her last book “Chestnut Street”. This book features 36 stories depicting life stories of people living in different decades while capturing social changes in Ireland.

            Every story in this collection has some important life lesson to teach in very warm way. Although author wrote about negative circumstances such as divorce, cheating, sons and daughters losing contact with their parents, she did that in non-judgemental way with deep understanding of different personalities and human nature in general. There is so much to learn about life and people from this book but most importantly that every person has some story to tell and that it is very important to try to understand and accept different personalities without judgement and prejudices. 

            I enjoyed so much reading this book: I felt like all these characters are my neighbours and that everybody can fit into Chestnut Street. I was sad because of some characters’ life circumstances, but also happy because of others. This book reminds it’s readers that the true meaning of life is in qualitative relationships with other people: family, friends, and romantic partners. Also, this book reminds that understanding and sincerity are more important than pride, judgment and prejudice, and that first ones can lead us to the life worth living.

            I recommend this book to everybody, as I think that we can learn a lot from wisdom of Maeve Binchy. Also, I recommend this book to fans of Maeve Binchy, as her fan myself I was very happy to find this book and I had great time reading it and I am sure that I will come back to some of the stories.