Product Description

Two eavesdropping train passengers learn more than they bargained for about their own love lives; an office-party fling has unforeseen consequences for a young woman and for a marriage; a suburban housewife is forced to face her past when her estranged mother, famous and exotic, makes contact after many years; an office worker who imagines herself an undercover agent finds her commute to work livened up by the daily sightings of a handsome stranger...whose life she decides to investigate; an adopted woman journeys to meet the woman who gave her up all those years ago, and finds that all is not what she imagined… A myriad lives brilliantly captured through the keen lens of one of Ireland’s best-loved and best-selling storytellers.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #318054 in Books
• Published on: 2003-08-04
• Binding: Paperback
• 352 pages

Irish Independent
'Sheila O'Flanagan's natural talent (is) for creating engaging characters and penning flowing unselfconscious dialogue...an eventful, compelling and ultimately satisfying journey'

Synopsis
Two eavesdropping train passengers learn more than they bargained for about their own love lives; an office-party fling has unforeseen consequences for a young woman and for a marriage; a suburban housewife is forced to face her past when her estranged mother, famous and exotic, makes contact after many years; an office worker who imagines herself an undercover agent finds her commute to work livened up by the daily sightings of a handsome stranger...whose life she decides to investigate; an adopted woman journeys to meet the woman who gave her up all those years ago, and finds that all is not what she imagined! A myriad lives brilliantly captured through the keen lens of one of Ireland's best-loved and best-selling storytellers.

About the Author
Sheila O'Flanagan pursued a very successful career in banking, foreign exchange dealing and treasury management before becoming a full-time writer based in Dublin. She also writes weekly column for the Irish Times and in her spare time plays badminton at competition level.

Customer Reviews

Excellent!
I really enjoyed this book! I didnt think I would as I'm not really into short stories. But this book was really really good! A couple of the stories came together. Defo would recomend, to everyone! There is something there for all of us!

Dart Out & Get a Copy
First Maeve Binchy brought us to Dublin 4 and ‘The Lilac Bus’ now Sheila O’Flanagan takes us on a ride with another journey of tales: ‘Destinations’ which revolve around different areas of the Fair City’s Dart system.
This collection of 19 individual stories, a few entwined, reveal the inside track on the lives of the ordinary commuters. It also uncovers the hidden links that lie beneath the surface of anonymous city lives. It includes two eavesdropping passengers who learn more than they bargained for; an office-party fling that has unforeseen consequences; a suburban housewife who is forced to face her estranged mother and her thorny past; an office worker who finds her commute to work livened up by the daily sightings of a handsome stranger; as well as a hot date with the office stud that gets off to a disastrous start… is there light at the end of the tunnel?
As one of Ireland’s best-loved storytellers, the author explains that “In my imagination there are so many different tales to tell – and I wanted to be the person who brought those fictional stories to life”. And she has. These simple stories, some heart warming, others sad, will capture you in its train of thought and go the distance.
This book is destined to be a light and joyful read, not just for those familiar with the trappings of inner-city transport, so don’t delay. Dart out and grab a copy.

Wide ranging stories well worth a read
As a short story fan, I thoroughly enjoyed most of this set of tales. Whilst the main characters are based firmly in the area of "women's literature" (not my favourite genre), the subjects are very wide ranging, and take you from chilling to heart-warming to funny and back again. I particularly appreciated the occasional linked tales and would perhaps have liked all of them to be linked in some way, though I imagine that's quite tricky!

Occasional and unfortunate use of cliche both in language and story meant I gave this 4 rather than 5 stars, but I would definitely recommend this - very readable. I hope Ms O'Flanagan will do more short stories soon - I'd certainly buy her next collection.