I picked this up in the library because I liked the sound of it, and was so pleased I did! Its about a middle aged spinster in Belfast in the 1940s, and how her life has not turned out as she'd hoped. She is on the verge of either having all her dreams (husband, family etc) come to fruition, or continuing her lonely existence.
The characters are wonderful, the portrayal of life as a lonely spinster, the oppressive influence of the Catholic church, its all there. Written by Brian Moore, in 1965 I loved it