Maeve Binchy

Each Friday, Tom Fitzgerald drives the same people home from Dublin to spend the weekend in Rathdoon. Nancy, Dee, Kev and Celia - each have their own secret story, unknown to their fellow passengers. And of course Tom himself has his own reasons for returning home so regularly ... Once again, Maeve Binchy has conjured up a cast of very human characters with real joys and real sorrows, portrayed with her trademark wit, compassion and warmth.

An old copper beech overlooks a school, and witnesses all the hopes and loves, dreams and ambitions of the children who grew up there ... By the school house at Shancarrig stands a copper beech, its bark scarred with the names and dreams of the pupils who have grown up under its branches. 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...

Ria and Marilyn have never met - they live thousands of miles apart, separated by the Atlantic Ocean: one in a big, warm, Victorian house in Tara Road, Dublin, the other in a modern, open-plan house in New England. Two more unlikely friends would be hard to find: Ria's life revolves around her family and friends, while Marilyn's reserve is born of grief. But when each needs a place to escape to, a house exchange seems the ideal solution. Along with...

Kate Ryan and her husband, John, have a rollicking pub in the Irish village of Mountfern, four lovely children, and such wonderful dreams. But all that changes one fateful summer when American millionaire Patrick O?Neill comes to town with his irresistible charm and money to burn. As love and hate vie for a town?s quiet heart, old traditions begin to crumble away. Patrick O?Neill means to build the grand hotel of his dreams, with its promise of wealth...

Clara Casey has more than enough on her plate. Her daughters are a handful and Clara, a senior cardiac specialist, has a new job to cope with ... For Ania, meeting Clara Casey is a miracle: she had never intended to leave her beloved Poland, but after the love of her life has turned sour, her world seems rather empty. Perhaps a new job in a new country will mend her broken heart? Declan is looking forward to joining the clinic - but what should have...

From her earliest writing to her most recent, Maeve Binchy's work has included both nostalgic pieces and sharp, often witty, writing which is insightful and topical. But at the heart of all her fiction are the people and their relationships with each other. This volume offers a glorious collection of the very best of her stories, full of the warmth, charm and humour that has always been an essential part of her writing.

At Stone House, Henry and Nicola are burdened with a terrible secret. Winnie finds herself on the holiday from hell. Then there's John, who arrived on impulse after he missed a flight at Shannon; eccentric Freda, who claims to be a psychic - and the silent, watchful Nell, who seems so ready to disapprove. But looks can be deceptive!

This is a collection of Maeve Binchy's bestselling short stories about journeys which have had a special significance.

Dee loves her children very much, but now they are all grown up, shouldn't they leave home? Rosie, Helen and Anthony are happy at home, and surely their parents like having a full house? When a crisis occurs, Dee decides things have to change for the whole family - whether they like it or not.