These are tales of love, accidentally momentous meetings and the tormented relationships between parents and children; stories about growing up and old age; about domesticity and slick city living. The contributors include Alice Munro, Angela Carter, Helen Simpson and Leonora Brito.

Table of Contents

"Shepherd's Bush", Maeve Binchy; "Body and Soul", Leonora Brito; "Peter and the Wolf", Angela Carter; "Scorched Earth", Judith Condon; "The Bridesmaid", Judy Corballs; "The Pool", Daphne Du Maurier; "Swans", Janet Frame; "Up North", Mavis Gallant; "Frostbite", Janice Galloway; "Revenge", Ellen Gilchrist; "The Redhead", Penelope Gilliatt; "Some Are Born to Sweet Delight", Nadine Gordimer; "The Thorn", Mary Gordon; "Lilacs", Mary Lavin; "Innocent Pleasures", Olivia Manning; "The Wrong Vocation", Moy McCrory; "Sweetie Rationing", Candia McWilliam; "The Peace of Utrecht", Alice Munro; "The Immigrant Story", Grace Paley; "The Fifteen Dollar Eagle", Sylvia Plath; "Language", Mary Scott; "What Are Neighbours For", Helen Simpson; "Violet", Frances Towers; "June Afternoon", Christa Wolf.