Dr. Clara Casey takes on the demanding, thankless job of establishing a new heart clinic in Ireland, despite the trouble it causes in her private life, but once the clinic is off the ground, Clara must decide if she wants to return to her former life or stay on at the clinic.

"Maeve Binchy, "the grand story teller,"* returns with a cast of characters you will never forget when they all spend a winter week together on holiday at Stone House, a restful inn by the sea... Stoneyville is a small town on the coast of Ireland where all the families know each other. When Chicky decides to take an old decaying mansion, Stone House, and turn it into a restful place for a holiday by the sea, the town thinks she is crazy. She is helped...

Two women, Ria from Tara Road in Dublin, and Marilyn, a New Englander, learn to cope with the crises in their lives and find the strength to go on when they trade homes for the summer.

Teacher Aidan Dunne, passed over for the principal's job, is instead offered a post as head of a new evening school where he somewhat assuages his dream of visiting Italy by offering classes in Italian and draws an assortment of students whose lives are all transformed by the vivacious instructor, Nora O'Donoghue.

The worlds of Dublin and Knockglen will suddenly be joined in intrigues and dreams as the mysteries of the past and the hopes of the future test the bonds of Benny and Eve's friendship.

Contains two complete novels by Maeve Binchy, "The Copper Beech" and "Circle of Friends".

Presents fifteen contemporary Christmas stories, telling tales of how the magic and spirit of the holiday works in the lives of step-families grappling with exes, couples faced with in-law problems, wandering husbands, and troubled children.

A selection of short stories includes pieces spanning the author's career and features characters whose relationships with each other endure in the face of changing times, lost hopes, and new loves.