In this extraordinary collection of stories, New York Times bestselling author Maeve Binchy once again reveals her incomparable understanding of matters of the heart with powerfully compelling stories of love, loss, revelation, and reconciliation. A secretary's silent passion for her boss meets the acid test on a business trip. . . . A man and a woman's mutual disdain at first sight shows how deceptive appearances can be. . . . An insecure wife clings to the illusion of order, only to discover chaos at the hands of a house sitter who opens the wrong doors. . . . A pair of star-crossed travelers take each other's bags, and then learn that when you unlock a stranger's suitcase, you enter a stranger's life. In their company are many more, whose poignant, ironic, often humorous stories—unforgettable slices of life—make up The Return Journey, a spellbinding trip into the human heart.

'Heart-felt stories of life and love' Woman & Home from the No. 1 bestselling author 'Maeve Binchy's work continues to inspire . . . thought-provoking, warm and funny in equal measure' Woman A pair of star-crossed travellers pick up each other's bags, and then learn that when you unlock a stranger's suitcase, you enter a stranger's life. An unspoken office passion meets the acid test on a business trip. A man and a woman's mutual disdain at first sight shows how deceptive appearances can be. And an insecure wife clings to the illusion of order, only to discover chaos at the hands of a house-sitter who opens the wrong doors. These and many more poignant, often humorous, unforgettable slices of life show why Maeve Binchy is one of the world's favourite storytellers.

Third book in a wordless trilogy that began with Journey.

Viraj is a young, passionate and famous scientist. He is on a quest to uncover the mystery of human existence. He meets the beautiful girl of his dreams. It seems that he is in total control of his life. But fate doesn’t concur with him. He is banished into exile, announces a faceless voice. The days in exile are destined for him to suffer in the unbearable pain. Will he be able to survive the exile? Will they live happily ever after? Is the exile even real or an illusion? Viraj will not stop until he finds all the answers.

Professor Daniel Treisman answers some of scholars' most pressing questions that haunt modern day Russia. Why did the Soviet Union disintegrate, and could its collapse have been avoided? Did Yeltsin destroy too much or too little of the Soviet political order? What explains Putin's unprecedented popularity with the Russian public? How did the "oligarchs" reshape the Russian economy? Treisman suggests that these questions can be answered by looking back through the dynamic political and social traditions of the region. Rigorous rather than rhetorical, this book uses historically documented evidence with modern day conditions to paint a complete picture of Russia today. In a time when global politics are more important than ever, it is critical for us to understand the inner workings.

With her red marker, an ordinary child steps through a portal into a luminous and magical landscape, beginning her quest toward an uncertain destiny.

'The Tribes Triumphant' features the narrative of a journey, once violently interrupted. In the late 1980s, Charles Glass set out from Alexandretta in Turkey for Aqaba. His journey came to an abrupt end when he was kidnapped. Here, he explores modern Israel, and revisits the scene of his captivity.