In this extraordinary collection of stories, the world-wide best-selling author of Evening Class once again reveals her incomparable understanding of matters of the heart. In The Return Journey, Maeve Binchy creates powerful compelling stories of love, loss, revelation, and reconciliation.

A unique family occasion is looming for the O'Hagans. Desmond and Deirdre will have been married for twenty-five years in October. Naturally there must be a celebration. But who is going to arrange it, and will the right people come? It is unthinkable not to have a party, but do Desmond and Deirdre O'Hagan really want one?

In 'Homecoming', read by Sean Campion, the Brennans run Quentin's restaurant in Dublin for the owner, who lives abroad. But what will happen when he suddenly pays a visit? 'Telling Stories', read by Joanna Myers, sees Irene's fiancé turning up the night before the wedding with a face as white as the dress that is to be worn the next day. Then trouble starts....

Four strangers meet in a Greek taverna in the small village of Aghia Anna. They have each left their homes and their old lives, when a shocking tragedy throws them unexpectedly together.

With the warmth, humor, and compassion we have come to expect from her, Maeve Binchy tells a story of family, friends, patients, and staff who are part of a heart clinic in a community caught between the old and the new Ireland.

With the insight, humor, and compassion we have come to expect from her, Maeve Binchy tells a story of family, friends, patients, and staff who are part of a heart clinic in a community caught between the old and the new Ireland.

"The Garden Party", read by Niamh Cusack - Helen looked down at Mrs Kennedy's garden. It was cheerfully coloured yet ordered like Mrs Kennedy. But first impressions are not always reliable. "The Special Sale", read by Dervla Kirwan - Yvonne's good deed leads to a romantic encounter the day after Christmas. "The Sensible Celebration", read by Doreen Hepburn - Are the picture perfect couple really the ones to envy? All is not as it seems...

Eight children once carved their names on the trunk of the great copper beech which shaded the schoolhouse in Shancarrig. Now those children are grown. For each one, Shancarrig holds special memories.

Clara Casey has more than enough on her plate. Her daughters Adi and Linda were no problem during the usually turbulent teens. Now in their twenties, Adi is always fighting for or against something: the environment or the whale or battery farming; while Linda lurches from one unsatisfactory relationship to the next. As if this wasn't enough, Clara, a senior cardiac specialist, has a new job to cope with - and now her ex-husband wants something from her.

In Mountfern, life meanders as slowly as the river running through it. The pace has hardly changed since the great house burned down in the Troubles and its shell became an ivy-clad playground for the local children.