Profoundly moving, funny and authentic, Sweet Old World is an unputdownable read. In a story collection spanning three decades Brian Leyden is a master at evoking time and place and people with a voice that is consistently wise, observant and wonderfully entertaining. Irish family and social life are seen afresh and the intimate and familiar made unforgettable. Every one of these New & Selected stories feels like a homecoming. Writer Bernard MacLaverty says, Sweet Old World is "a way of life remembered with precision and love and a great deal of wit. 'The Sun Room' which ends the book is remarkable and deeply moving."