It is a truth universally acknowledged that a single woman of a certain age must be in want of a man.

So when a prospective husband is sighted on the horizon, mothers, friends and the entire community rally round to be of service. As the first tentative rumours of a male addition to the staff at Carrigmore National School hatch out from their shell, imaginations billow into overdrive and the busy wings of speculation begin to flap. The idea that he is destined for one of their own takes root, and is nurtured, until it flowers into certainty. However, at times, even deep-rooted certainties can contain a degree of foolish pride.

Ten years ago, Beth Maguire walked away from the man she was going to marry. Now 34, she is still single and teaching in a small village school when her life suddenly becomes more interesting with the arrival of a new substitute. Andrew McKay seems to be everything a woman could ask for. Or is he?

With strong echoes of Jane Austen, 'Foolish Pride' follows Beth's search for happiness as she struggles to make the right choices, and to reshape her life.

Among the obstacles in her path are the restrictions imposed by the small town mentality of rural Ireland, always quick to judge and condemn. In a world which prizes appearances, Beth needs to assert her own values. It is only by confronting the ghosts of her past that she finds a way to attain her goals without compromising her ideals.