Heart and soul

Maeve Binchy once again introduces us to the lives of a cast of characters in her latest novel, Heart and Soul. A new heart clinic is opened in the grounds of St Bridget's Hospital, Dublin and the story is based on the development of the clinic during its first year and the lives of the staff and patients, their families and friends. Clara Casey - director of the centre, Declan Carroll - the centre's GP, the nurses - Barbara and Fiona, the admin officer- Hilary, Ania - an immigrant from Poland and Fr Brian Flynn are a small number of the cast of characters whose relationships are explored and interwoven in the novel. Regular readers of Maeve Binchy books will enjoy meeting again characters who have appeared in earlier books including Quentins, Scarlet Feather, Nights of Rain and Stars, Whitethorn Woods and Evening Class.