Will is 36, comfortable and child-free. And he's discovered a brilliant new way of meeting women - through single-parent groups. Marcus is twelve and a little bitnerdish: he's got the kind of mother who made him listen to Joni Mitchell rather than Nirvana. Perhaps they can help each other out a little bit, and both can start to act their age.

Two women - one Irish, one American - exchange homes for the summer; their unlikely and touching friendship unveils secrets and changes lives.

Meet Rebecca Bloomwood. She's a journalist. She spends her working life telling others how to manage their money. She spends her leisure time shopping. She knows she should stop, but she can't. She tries Cutting Back, she tries Making More Money. But neither seems to work. Can Becky regain the use of her Switch card?

After following the advice from a manual called How to Meet and Marry Mr Right , Jane learns that in love there is neither pattern nor promise. This title is a collection of connected stories and a portrait of Jane - a woman manoeuvring her way through love, sex and relationships.