Cover -- Front Matter -- Title Page -- Table of Contents -- Preface -- Introduction -- Mise-en-scéne -- Chapter 1 -- Chapter 2 -- Chapter 3 -- Chapter 4 -- Chapter 5 -- List of Plates -- Select Bibliography -- Index

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 is about to change 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 builds the grand hotel of his dreams, with its promise of wealth and change. Loyalties are challenged, jealousies ignited, and tragedy strikes before the foundation is laid. Suddenly Kate and John Ryan's lives and family are bound up with the newcomer in ways they can never imagine. And Patrick O'Neill faces his own crisis of conscience and heart as the events he sets in motion take on a life of their own in a town that will never be the same again. Praise for Firefly Summer “The best Binchy yet.”—The New York Times Book Review “Totally engrossing . . . unforgettable . . . an absolutely grand story . . . a lyrical and compelling family drama . . . Mountfern and its residents come vibrantly alive.”—Cleveland Plain Dealer “The secrets hidden behind lace curtains, a young girl's first kiss, children's summer games, unexpected pregnancies, sudden deaths. She makes us feel as if we also know the place and its people. . . . One of those good old-fashioned stories that are as comfortable and comforting as home itself.”—Philadelphia Inquirer

Any reader who has ever fallen in love with a house will understand the attraction of Moorgate, a light-and-fresh-air-filled old farmhouse on the edge of the moor in Cornwall. The enchanting house now belongs to seventy-something Maudie Todhunter, the late Lord Todhunter's free-spirited second wife. (The first wife, Hilda, was supposedly a paragon of virtue, and Maudie has always felt second-best.) The light of Maudie's life is her vivacious stepgranddaughter, Posy, who begs Maudie to board a giant English mastiff whom Posy's mean-spirited mother has banned from the house. (The large and ungainly Polonius is an impossibly lovable canine who outshines Lassie by a mile and is destined to become a favorite of readers worldwide.) When Maudie decides to sell Moorgate, all kinds of old family secrets come to light, and so the saga begins. Along the way, Rob, the contractor of Moorhouse, falls in love with a woman who has a sad secret. Posy's father falls in love with someone kinder than his shrewish wife. Maudie must reevaluate someone she'd fallen in love with years ago. And as the connections intertwine between the past and the present, many unexpected alliances form. Vivid, lushly written, and entirely unforgettable, this all-absorbing novel provides the kind of abundant reading experience that will leave readers eagerly looking forward to more from this newly discovered and superbly talented author. A Week in Winter achieves a combined richness of character and circumstance that raises it above most modern contemporary fiction, and Marcia Willett is a writer to discover and to celebrate.

A fascinating new history of the Irish Times. The Irish Times is a pillar of Irish society. Founded in 1859 as the paper of the Irish Protestant Middle Class, it now has a position in Irish political, social and cultural life which is incomparable. In fact this history of the Irish Times is also a history of the Irish people. Always independent in ownership and political view and never entwined in any way with the Roman Catholic Church, it has become the weather vane, the barometer of Irish life and society followed by people of all religious and political persuasions and none. The paper is politically liberal and progressive as well as being centre right on economic issues. This history is peopled by all the great figures of Irish history - Daniel O'Connell, W.B. Yeats, Garret FitzGerald, Conor Cruise O'Brien and the paper has numbered among its internationally renowned columnists Mary Holland, Fintan O'Toole, Nuala O'Faolain, John Waters and Kevin Myers. Its influence on Irish Society is beyond question. In his book, Terence Brown tells the story of the paper with narrative skill, wit and perception. Analysis of the stance of the Times during events ranging from The Easter Rising, The Civil War, the Troubles and the recent economic recession make the book essential reading for students of Irish history, be they the general reader, the academic or amateur historian. The book will be seen as crucial to our understanding of Irish history in the past century and a half.

In the 1920s Germany and Ireland were new European democracies operating in adverse international, political and economic conditions. This book places the bilateral Irish-German relationship in the context of the professionalization of the Irish Foreign Service and the Irish Free State's progressive carving out of an independent foreign policy. It assesses the key Irish personalities involved in Irish-German relations. These include the successive Irish representatives in Berlin, the eminent scholar Dr Daniel A. Binchy, Leo T. McCauley, and the contentious Charles Bewley. Eamon de Valera and Joseph Walshe (Secretary of the Department of Foreign Affairs) also played a crucial role. Irish responses to the Wall Street Crash, the rise of the Nazis, and Hitler's policies (domestic and foreign) are all analysed. Did Irish officials foresee the fall of Weimar and the rise of Nazism? How did they view the unfolding nature of the Nazi regime? The clashes between Bewley's apologetic justifications of Nazism after 1935 and de Valera's critical attitudes towards domestic Nazi policies are examined. The ineffective efforts to expand Irish-German trade during the Anglo-Irish Economic War shed light on Irish attempts at export market diversification in the emerging protectionist world economic environment. The analysis places Irish-German relations within the maturation of events in Europe in the 1930s, taking account of the League of Nations' failure, the popularity of Fascism, the Blueshirts, the fraught international atmosphere, and Hitler's revisionist foreign policy. De Valera's support of Chamberlain's 'appeasement' of Hitler before March 1939 is located in the framework of de Valera's attitudes towards collective security, neutrality and Hibernia Irredenta.

A hilarious and heartwarming tale, perfect for fans of Marian Keyes, Sophie Kinsella and Cecelia Ahern. The tea house on Mulberry Street in Belfast hasn't changed much over the years. But it's full of people who are hoping to . . . Owner Daniel Stanley might make the most glorious deserts in the whole of Ireland, but he won't support his wife Penny's desire to have at least one bun in the oven. Sadie finds refuge from her diet and her husband's infidelity in Daniel's famous cherry cheesecake. Struggling artist Brenda is dreaming of a better life. Clare returns home from twenty years in New York, still cherishing the memory of the one night she truly loved - and lost. And Penny herself discovers a secret from the past - and a handsome estate agent very much in her present. They all want their lives to change - but are they willing to face the consequences? And the possibility that you might not always be able to have your cake - and eat it . . . Praise for Sharon Owens: 'Maeve Binchey meets Joanna Trollope . . . Gives you a warm glow like a nice cup of tea' Irish Independent 'It made me refuse nights out in favour of curling up on the couch . . . dreaming of mouth-watering delights the book so vividly describes' Cecelia Ahern 'A lovely heart-warming tale brimming with entertaininng twists and turns' Heat **** 'A real page-turner' Company *****