IRISH GIRLS ABOUT TOWN, contains 16 short stories, all written by Irish female writers, including Maeve Binchy and Marian Keyes. The stories range from light and funny to dark and poignant. As with most story collections, there are some real gems and there are also a couple of stories that were ok, bordering on boring. But that doesn't detract from the overall enjoyability of the book.

IRISH GIRLS ABOUT TOWN starts out with "Soulmates" by Marian Keyes. I'm a huge fan of Keyes, and she doesn't disappoint here. "Soulmates" features Georgia and Joel, a couple so perfect that their friends alternate between jealousy, bitterness and awe of them. Next is "De-Stress" by Joan O'Neill, a story about Alex, a girl recently dumped by her boyfriend. After moping about her friend's house she goes out, gets her life together and meets a new man. I loved the fascinating "Twenty-Eighth Day" by Catherine Barry. This is a story about a woman who suffers from PMT. I also enjoyed "Thelma, Louise, and the Lurve Gods" by Cathy Kelly. It's about two girls who go on a holiday and unexpectedly are forced to share a car and hotel with two hunky guys. "About That Night" by Sarah Webb features Shona and Kate, two friends of completely different temperaments who fly out to a friend's wedding in a small village. Shona is completely awful to Kate and her friends, going so far as to divulge a personal and shameful secret of Kate's in front of a guy that Kate likes. "The Cup Runneth Over" by Julie Parsons is about a woman who falls in love with her married professor and becomes totally fascinated with both him and his wife. This story has an interesting twist to it, and Julie Parsons is a fantastic storyteller who will keep your interest gripped. "Moving" by Collette Caddle is a touching story about Sara, a woman who settles down with a guy who is "nice" (but someone she isn't in love with) because her heart had been broken by another man who had turned out to be married.

The sixteen authors in this book offer their own unique perspective of womanhood, friendship, relationships and families through their stories. You'll find all types of Chick-Lit in this book - some a little light, some deep and dark, some engrossing and satisfying. Highly recommended!

I am a fan of short stories and IRISH GIRLS ABOUT TOWN was certainly not a disappointment. This book is a collection of sixteen short stories of the newest and best Irish women writers of pop fiction. Each story is focused on some aspect of a woman's love or involvement with a man. Many are written with smart insights and witty humor which I enjoyed much. Among them there are several that resonated with me after I put the book down including "Soulmates" by Marian Keyes (envy is a negative human quality); "The Twenty-Eighth Day" by Catherine Barry (a very funny take on PMS); "The Cup Runneth Over" by Julie Parsons (marital affairs can burn both conspiring partners); "The Ring Cycle" by Martina Devlin (a wedding ring just won't go away); and "The Unlovable Woman" by Annie Sparrow (sometimes the best things are right before our eyes).

IRISH GIRLS ABOUT TOWN is an excellent means to get acquainted with Irish women authors who you may have previously been unfamiliar with. At the end of each story there is a short bio which makes it easy to pursue other works by authors that you enjoyed. In addition, there are also authors that are already well known such as Maeve Binchy. Another good quality of IRISH GIRLS ABOUT TOWN is that all benefits goes towards charity. As explained in the book's forward, The Society of St. Vincent de Paul and Barnardo's are two organizations that brings great benefits to the people of Ireland, Britian and the world. Read this book, and you may just be as entertained as I was. Enjoy!

What brilliant idea to have Ireland's most gifted female writers put together in a gem of a book! Irish Girls About Town is every chick lit enthusiast's dream come true. My favorite stories are the ones from Marian Keyes, Maeve Binchy and Cathy Kelly. However, newcomer Marisa Mackle's "Girls' Weekend" is the best one out of the bunch. I was so impressed with her sharp wit that I purchased her debut novel, Mr. Right for the Night. This book is a true gem and I couldn't recommend it enough!