"In William Trevor's first novel, The Old Boys, a group of septuagenarians revive schoolboy conflicts in the election of the President of the Association. Now, however, the men possess a fiercer understanding of the things in life that matter - power, revenge, hatred, love, and the failure of love - and intrigue and deceit result.".

"In The Boarding-House, William Wagner Bird takes in boarders whom society would never miss - if it ever noticed they were around. With these misfits, Bird creates a world where people are identified by their quirks rather than by their character. Then he makes a fatal mistake: he dies.".

"From the offices of The Love Department, Lady Dolores cures the heartaches of the lonely wives of Wimbledon with inimitable flourish and finesse. When her newest protege, Edward Blakeston-Smith, is sent on a mission - to learn the secrets of seductive, scheming Septimus Tuam and stop him in his tracks - he learns about love and its friends and enemies."--BOOK JACKET.