In this timely and thought-provoking book, Marian Barnes explores the complexities of caring relationships in the contexts of paid work, families, friendships, neighbourhoods and communities. ‘Care’ is a highly contested concept and Barnes argues that, in the current social policy climate in the UK, it is has been devalued as something needed only by people unable to exercise choice. In fact, the book reveals that few human relationships and activities can thrive without some form of care being necessary—extending this to relationships between people and their environments, and to the way that policy makers relate to those affected by their decisions. Barnes argues that, within social care services, the philosophical basis of practice has been sacrificed as the context of care has been increasingly shaped by functional, managerial and economic influences. This certainly resonates with current debates in social work about the need to rediscover core skills and values within the profession—what Dybicz (2012, p. 271) has referred to as ‘recapturing Social Work's first voice’. It is also highly topical in the light of recent scandals in institutional settings, where ‘care’ has sometimes been entirely absent from services intended to meet complex health and social needs. Barnes highlights a tension here with parts of the disabled people's movement which have criticised the concept of care as paternalistic and oppressive. She rejects this perceived conflict between ‘rights’ and ‘care’, stating that ‘care is necessary not only to individual well-being but also to social justice’ (p. v) and this belief permeates her discussion throughout the book. Drawing heavily on the work of feminist care ethicists, in particular Joan Tronto and Selma Sevenhuijsen, Barnes argues for an integration of the emotional and practical aspects of care within social policy as well as in personal relationships. Care is described as a dynamic, relational process, requiring mutual respect, reciprocity and a moral sense of taking responsibility for others, whether in close relationships, the wider community or with strangers. There are also new ethical challenges created by the developing global market for care. In the policy arena, Barnes argues that an ethic of care cannot be applied without a real dialogue between the people making policies and those who will be subject to them, reflecting her earlier work on participative decision making and service user involvement.