Popular Fiction: When you have found and then lost your soulmate, what more can life hold? And how can a woman who has loved only one man in her life help her teenage daughter to prepare for the pitfalls of dating?
To Claire, in Sheila O'Flanagan's How Will I Know, the answer to the last question, if not the first, is simple. While her daughter Georgia is away at the Gaeltacht, Claire undertakes all the dating options, from literal blind dates to internet chat rooms. Meanwhile, into Claire's damaged world tumbles Nate, gardener extraordinaire, disturbing the gentle, if faltering, flow of her life.
Thankfully, Nate is the hunky gardener type, so we don't mind all the glowering he does for most of the story. And, for readers worried that Claire's incessant lip-biting might cause permanent damage, a satisfying ending with some garden walk-type twists is assured.
Told with wit and sympathy for a woman lost in the world she previously embraced, this verdant story has a light touch, including chapters headed with tips on plant care. If it encourages the armchair gardener to tackle their own patch of green, it could be responsible for making the country an even more beautiful place.
For those of a more musical inclination, Abba songs might conjure up images of embarrassing karaoke sessions and even more embarrassing fancy dress parties. To AbbaFab, in Take a Chance, however, Abba's music is the raison d'être, with sisters Wendy and Gemma donning the hot pants, accompanied by their pseudo Benny and Björn. Having created a niche market in corporate entertainment, the tribute band suffers a platform boot- related accident that throws their plans into chaos.
Into the fray steps Wendy and Gemma's younger sister, Mia, a shy piano teacher with the voice of a suitably blonde Scandinavian chanteuse. Inevitably, there are relationship ups and downs, and the ubiquitous family secret slips out at the most inappropriate time. Perhaps themed chapter headings are a new trend; Webb heads each chapter with the title of an Abba song which hints at what is about to come, giving fans a reliably light, if predictable, read.
Claire Looby is a clerical administrator with The Irish Times
How Will I Know By Sheila O'Flanagan. Headline, 425pp. £10.99
Take a Chance By Sarah Webb. Macmillan,pp 307pp. £10.99