Dear Maeve is a collection of Maeve Binchy's articles from The Irish Times. Professor Anthony Clare on Dear How do you tell someone that they've tucked their skirts into their knickers Should you correct your wife when she says 'commodium' instead of 'condominium' What should you do if your see your son-in-law nuzzling a woman, not your daughter, at a nearby lunch table Maeve takes a subtle glance at the practical problems that confront us all - when, if ever, to put an elderly relative in a nursing home, how to avoid a Christmas argument that lasts an entire new year, just what to do for and say to a friend who is about to die. Behind the apparent ordinariness, the airy grace and the fluent style lies genuine wisdom.