The Return Journey by Maeve Binchy

From Goodreads: In The Return Journey, Maeve Binchy brings us sons and lovers, daughters and strangers, husbands and wives in their infinite variety—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.

Just exactly what I expected, isn't that the beauty of Maeve Binchy? You know what you are going to get! This was an easy to read collection of stories; a few of which I enjoyed very much and some of which were completely forgettable. I was trying to decide if there was some sort of theme to what I liked but really couldn't find one. I think it boils down to whether or not I befriend the character in my mind. I could definitely relate to the women with insecurities - one with a good result as she finally sees her own worth compared to the man she has been pursuing and one with disastrous results when she compares herself to another woman and feels she comes up short. I also like the ones about family relationships - a daughter trying to connect with her father in a way beyond the normal superficiality of their relationship. Overall just a solid Binchy book - a nice curl up and read kind of book.