Kate Binchy

The lives of the residents of Chestnut Street are revealed in these wonderfully compelling tales: We hear about Bucket Maguire, the window cleaner, who must do more than he bargained for to protect his son; Melly, whose gossip about the neighbours leads to trouble and Lilian, the generous girl with a big heart, and the fiancé not everyone approves of, amongst others on the street.

Benny and her best friend Eve have grown up in Knockglen, a sleepy small town in Ireland. When they are old enough, their one thought is to get to Dublin, to university and freedom. But it is in Knockglen that Benny and Eve's new friends will find passion, tragedy and the independence they yearn for.

This is a collection of four short stories bringing together the life stories of ordinary people, including a student facing the dilemma of unmarried pregnancy, a drunken photographer with a shattered career and a country girl savouring the delights of the city.

Dee loves her children very much, but now they are all grown up, shouldn't they leave home? But Rosie, Helen and Anthony are happy where they are. It doesn't cost them anything, 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. Quick Reads.

When Sally's husband leaves her she wonders if she is too hard to live with. Does this have anything to do with her isolated childhood? She decides to seek out her grandfather to see if he can explain her past.

Lizzie Flynn's life is in a spin. It started when Jim Nealon walked into her shop and asked her to help him make jigsaws – then Jim showed her the photographs he wanted to use…

Maeve Binchy is well-known for her bestselling novels but for many years Maeve was a journalist, writing for the Irish Times. Arranged in decades, from the 1960s to the 2000s, and including Maeve's first and last ever piece of writing for the Irish Times, the columns also give a fascinating insight into the author herself.

Noel and Lisa are among the most supportive parents at the nursery school. Never late to pick up their little girl, always patient and delighted to see her at the end of the day. But in fact neither of them are Frankie's parents. They have no blood relationship at all to this little girl.