Taken from the BBC Radio 4 series, each story is the author’s response to a well-loved poem, a new work infused with the passion of a previous writer’s vision.

From the majesty of the Scottish highlands to the lakeside gardens of an Italian palace, from a secondary school under inspection to a spa-break away from carework, this enticing array of stories charm and astonish, conveying us across ten vivid fictional worlds to ask the most intimate questions; how do we balance love and duty? How do we manage in the face of family secrets? As we change while others don’t? As loved ones are taken from us by old age, by mental illness and even by force? In a great spread of countries throughout history, these sumptuous stories show the united wealth of our common humanity, and give a reminder that love and hope spring in the unlikeliest of places.

Stories from David Almond, Leila Aboulela, Fred D’Aguiar, Jenni Fagan, Cathy Forde, Harry Josephine Giles, Pippa Goldschmidt, Jessie Greengrass, Hannah Lavery, and PK Lynch.

Paperback

Pages: 128