Father Andrew M. Greeley, one of America's best-loved novelists, has delighted readers with his ongoing chronicles of the crazy O'Malleys, a rambunctious but resourceful Irish-American family caught up in the sweep of modern American history. The previous novels in the saga have taken the O'Malleys from the aftermath of World War II through the tumult of the Sixties. Now, Charles "Chucky" O'Malley and his growing clan face promises and pitfalls of the late Seventies.

It's 1978 and the whole country, exhausted by Vietnam and Watergate, seems to be suffering from a massive hangover. Chucky O'Malley knows how the country feels; approaching fifty, he finds himself in the grip of a debilitating mid-life crisis. He hasn't lost his faith, exactly, but he does feel disillusioned with the world.

Fortunately, he doesn't have to face this challenge alone. With the loving support of his family, and especially his irrepressible and adoring wife, Rosemarie, he just might discover a . . . Second Spring.