梅芙·宾奇（Maeve Binchy）生于都柏林，获都柏林大学历史学位。先在几所女子学校任教，后进入《爱尔兰时报》供职，开始撰写专栏。自1982年她的长篇小说处女作《点燃希望的烛火》出版以来，梅芙·宾奇已经出版了近二十部长篇小说和短篇小说集，每一本都成为英语世界人人争读的畅销书，她遂成为整个英语世界最受追捧的顶级畅销书女王。1999年，作为爱尔兰国宝级畅销书作家的她荣获英国图书奖的终身成就奖。

The town of Rossmore is a special place, full of character charm. Nestled beside the Whitethorn Woods, the town has grown since the days when it was small and friendly and everyone knew everyone else; now it has chain stories and traffic problems and housing estates. But still, there are the woods, full of spiky bushes and criss-crossed with paths; and there's St Ann's Well, where generations have come to pray or make wishes or just to look back at the pretty little town. Which is why there is going to be such a fuss about the plans for the new motorway. It's going to by-pass Rossmore, cutting through Whitethorn Woods and endangering the well itself. The new road will bring jobs and relieve traffic in the town; for others, it will destroy businesses and leave the town a backwater. The people of Rossmore are divided. There is a lot of land standing in the way of the great road of progress. Quite by accident the decision rests on Neddy Nolan - the most honest man in Rossmore. A man determined to do the right thing.